Skilled labor constraints and supply chain volatility pushed the project team behind this new construction to rethink traditional project sequencing. By restructuring how work was planned and executed, the team says it saved $6 million in project costs while shortening the speed-to-market timeline by four months.

Photo courtesy Dan Schwalm © 2024 HDR

“We deployed non-traditional construction sequencing, with the building constructed simultaneously from level 2 downward (podium) and level 3 upward (tower) to maximize labor productivity and parallel work streams,” explains Barton Malow Vice President Larry Arndt. Prefabricating nearly 25% of the hospital facility’s components—including enclosures, MEP kitting, MEP racks and patient bathroom pods—was a major factor in saving time and reducing on-site risks.

Photo courtesy Dan Schwalm © 2024 HDR

Spanning 650,000 sq ft, the facility will help expand health care services across the region, featuring 226 beds, 19 postpartum/antepartum beds, 12 NICU beds and 10 operating rooms, along with two dedicated C-section rooms as well as streamlined ambulance intake and a helipad.

Photo courtesy Dan Schwalm © 2024 HDR

Close collaboration tied all the project elements together. “Specifically, the Big Room strategy allowed the team to bring all trade partners together early for regular site walks and to address constructability, challenges, labor production and design changes in real time. This proactive communication ensured all trades were included in the process,” adds Arndt.

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