At 13 stories and 334,000 sq ft, 3737 Science Center’s flexible design accommodates a variety of clinical, laboratory research and office programs. Ten months before the originally scheduled completion date, the owner requested two additional floors, prompting a rapid redesign of structural and mechanical systems, elevators and curtain wall. A critical material fabrication decision path was developed to identify deadlines that required expedited owner approval.

The construction time line could be extended, but tenant occupancy schedules remained fixed. A temporary roof installed at the 10th floor made the building watertight so that interior work could proceed. The urban site was too small for a tower crane base, so a cantilevered crane was positioned along a side street. This enabled work to proceed while preserving separate lanes for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. During foundation work, unusual bottom-of-caisson inspections required special training and protective measures to lower inspectors safely into caisson holes.