The building includes a complex structural steel curved roof element along with precast, window wall and metal panel facade. The outside spaces include a half-acre therapy garden with walk paths, grills and a fountain to provide an outdoor retreat area.

While the building is primarily used for housing patients’ families, the building also has additional space for patients with spinal cord injuries. All units needed to meet the Shepherd Center wheelchair standards, which go beyond and differ from ADA requirements. Examples of these specific unit modifications include roll-in showers in every unit; grab bars in every shower and at every toilet; pocket doors with paddle handles in lieu of swing doors; wider doorways; roll-under sinks at the kitchen and bathroom; and convenience outlets mounted 4-in. higher than typical to require less reach.

Photo by Rick Holliday

While digging, crews uncovered foundations from a previous structure that had been buried and not reported by the site surveys, which had included multiple areas of buried trash and unsuitable soils. Faced with a two-week delay, Brasfield & Gorrie resequenced its self-performed concrete structure to overcome schedule impacts.

Precast erection was nearly a month in when a quality control inspection at the precast plant raised concerns. After Brasfield & Gorrie was notified of the issue, plans were made to remove all 63 pieces of precast that had already been installed and then replace them with recast panels. The project team—including the owner and design team—established a plan to safely remove the precast, begin production for the replacement pieces and create a schedule to minimize lost time.

Photo by Rick Holliday

Issues were also raised about the constructibility of the building’s curved structural steel roof. The team reached out to numerous companies to help engineer a solution. The result was a scaffolding system that was suspended from the 16th floor to provide contractors with safe access for construction of the roof.

The team also had to consider several potential safety concerns, including the project’s proximity to residential neighborhoods; the inability to close off sidewalks adjacent to the building on Peachtree Road; erection of the precast facade; and the complex structural steel cantilevered curbed roof elements that would be clad in metal panels. The team provided training opportunities, such as swing stage training, to ensure all subcontractors working on the job were properly trained for any high-risk task.

The team delivered the 22-month project ahead of schedule and $4 million below budget with no OSHA recordable incidents and no lost-time accidents.