Army Hospital's Quick Schedule Gives Builders Their Marching Orders
Overcoming a rapid-fire procurement was just the first hurdle for contractors building the $389-million Martin Army Community Hospital, a 745,000-sq-ft replacement hospital for the U.S. Army at Fort Benning.
The project—comprising an eight-story hospital and two clinic wings—was the Dept. of Defense's first firm fixed-price design-build replacement hospital project with no bridging documents. After receiving the 4,000-page request for proposals, teams were given just 90 days to produce a proposal—followed by an additional 30 days for a firm fixed-price. The entire project had to be completed in 1,200 calendar days.
To meet the schedule, the winning Turner Construction-led team emphasized the use of building information models to aid subcontractor coordination and to accommodate offsite prefabrication, which dramatically improved quality and productivity, says the contractor. The project team paid significant attention to the exterior envelope, hiring a consultant for preconstruction design reviews and infiltration and barrier testing.
Builders of the LEED-Silver-certified project focused on reducing energy use and achieved projections that were more than 30% below the ASHRAE baseline. The project was completed on schedule.
Best Health Care — Fort Benning Martin Army Community Hospital Replacement, Fort Benning, Ga.
Key Players
Contractor Turner Construction Co., Brentwood, Tenn.
Owner U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Benning, Ga.
Lead Design Firm AECOM (Ellerbe Beckett)/RLF, Arlington, Va.
Structural Engineer Thornton Tomassetti, Washington, D.C.