DPR Seattle Minimizes Construction Impact During Multiple Projects for Health Care Facility

DPR Teams Forge Strong Relationships with Owner As They Tackle Complex Series of Projects in Fully Operating Hospital Near Seattle

Follow-through. Communication. Coordination. Flexibility. Those qualities are important on any construction project, but perhaps no more so than on a series of projects DPR is building in and around the Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, WA, all this while the hospital continues operating at full capacity.

“Working in a fully operating hospital requires definite accommodations that aren’t normal. We’ve seen numerous instances in which DPR has been willing to modify schedules, make adjustments to working procedures and has really followed through with implementing those adjustments,” says Paul Gilman, vice president of Good Samaritan Community Healthcare. “That sets DPR apart from other contractors.”

From the carefully orchestrated tie-ins of the vital medical gas systems that are pumped throughout the hospital to the daily assignment of a person to handle the seemingly mundane detail of ensuring that the “tacky mats” that pick up dust and dirt in shared corridors are kept clean and functional, the project teams have worked hard to minimize impact to the hospital.

“From an owner’s perspective, it has been a very good team effort,” Gilman comments. “DPR has worked with us to coordinate and communicate about different components of the project and how those components will impact hospital operations.”

DPR was awarded the three projects now under way at Good Samaritan while constructing a grounds building last year. The projects include the renovation and expansion of the Support Services facilities, encompassing Central Sterile, Nutrition, Environmental Services, Biomedical and Loading Dock areas; construction of a new addition to the West Wing of the hospital and renovation of existing space; and a new cardiac catheterization laboratory. Most recently, DPR was awarded an additional project: renovation of the business office and admitting areas.

Some 15 operations and field personnel comprise the on-site DPR “camp” that is running the jobs. While separate teams are managing the larger Support Services and West Wing projects, both have benefited from shared administrative resources, as well as from the collaborative problem-solving approach that each team member brings to the table. The two teams have joint responsibility for managing the smaller cardiac catheterization project, which is on track to finish this August.

Support Services Project

DPR’s first pure contractor job was a $4.5 million, six-month tenant improvement project for Argo Systems in Sunnyvale, CA, where DPR was selected from among four or five other competitors.

Slated for completion in September, two months ahead of its original 16-month schedule, the Support Services expansion and renovation includes five major phases. One early challenge involved coordinating the construction of two structures within the footprint of the existing loading dock area and then building a loading dock, all while accommodating daily hospital deliveries.

Relocating several hospital departments to temporary space, while existing quarters were renovated, and then moving them back represented a major coordination effort as well, according to Project Manager Chris Burkebile. He and other field managers visited each of the hospital department heads prior to start of construction. They explained the sequence and timing of work and forged an open line of communication from the outset. “We let them know we were there to get the hospital personnel what they need-not only new facilities but also to allow them to continue to function while we were performing the work,” he says.

Re-routing and relocating major utilities and tying into the hospital’s critical medical gas systems without disrupting service presented another giant hurdle. One particularly crucial process involved relocating the two ETO and steam sterilizers, both of which had to remain accessible 24 hours a day. After intensive meetings with various department heads and the subcontractors, DPR created a detailed schedule for moving the sterilizers that were broken down into four-hour increments. The process went off without a hitch.

In order to complete the Support Services buildout, a concrete structure on the site had to be demolished. Following intensive coordination meetings with the owner, DPR devised a plan to complete the demolition over a weekend, during which time the hospital canceled all surgeries. Aided by “Mighty Max” equipment to maximize productivity, the demolition crew removed approximately 8,000 sq. ft. of concrete ceiling, walls and columns.

West Wing Addition and Renovation

The positive relationship that the Support Services team cultivated with the hospital had laid the groundwork for the West Wing Addition project team to develop a similar rapport with the owner when that project kicked off in August 1999. The project’s two phases include an 85,000-sq.-ft. addition, as well as a 35,000-sq.-ft. remodel of existing space. The final phase will be complete in October 2001.

In a unique twist, West Wing Addition Project Manager Bill Maibusch 20 years ago helped construct the original West Wing that DPR is now renovating. Much of the architectural detail over which he labored as a project engineer for another company is now being demolished. In addition, the same 12-inch water main that runs through the middle of the facility and created difficulties for the original project team is causing similar challenges for the DPR team today.

Shoehorning the construction into a space surrounded on four sides by a narrow city street, a walkway, the West Wing addition and a parking garage has been a major challenge, according to Senior Project Engineer Matt Sanborn. The jobsite allows a mere foot-and-a-half between the tower crane and the parking garage and is a mere six inches from the existing West Wing, where concrete for the new building is being poured.

“It’s been a challenge to coordinate material delivery, to say the least,” Sanborn comments. “There is no place to lay down materials-subs bring them on site and we put them in place as they come.” The project’s fast-track schedule has required close coordination by the designer, Mahlum Architects, DPR and the subs to ensure everyone is working off the latest drawings. Self-performing large portions of the work helps DPR control both the schedule and quality.

“The team approach taken by the owner, architects, DPR and the subs at Good Samaritan has made all the projects successful and enjoyable,” Burkebile says. “When you spend as much time here as we have, it’s nice to feel like you’re part of a team and that everybody is pulling in the same direction.”