Backed by a portfolio of more than 370 projects, DPR has cultivated a long-lasting relationship of building great projects for Kaiser Permanente over the past 15 years, and counting. The projects have ranged from tenant improvements and remodels in California, Georgia, Maryland and Virginia to an expansion of a data center currently underway in Napa, CA.

Helping to Advance Health and Care in the Mid-Atlantic States

In the Mid-Atlantic region, DPR has a pair of projects under construction for Kaiser Permanente: a 241,000-sq.-ft. medical office building (MOB) in Tyson’s Corner, VA, and a 106,000-sq.-ft. MOB underway in Largo, MD. The Virginia MOB involves the conversion of a commercial office building to a modern medical office building housing an array of services. The Maryland project entails construction of a three-story addition to house a six-suite outpatient surgery center, as well as renovations to more than 38,000 sq. ft. of selected areas in the existing MOB.

In downtown Washington, DC, DPR recently completed two notable projects for Kaiser Permanente, which opened earlier this year:

• Kaiser Permanente Capitol Hill Medical Center, a 154,000-sq.-ft. center that includes primary care, specialty care, full-service imaging, laboratory, pharmacy and 24/7 urgent care services.
• Center for Total Health, an 11,000-sq.-ft. interactive learning destination for the public, policymakers and health sector that demonstrates what Kaiser Permanente and others are doing to advance health and care delivery in the United States.

“A major part of Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to total health is sharing best practices and facilitating discussions that will improve the health of our nation,” said Kaiser Permanente President and Chief Operating Officer Bernard Tyson in a statement released when the Center for Total Health opened. “We are excited to open the Center for Total Health, where we will create opportunities to explore new ways to advance health through innovation and technology,” he said.

Similar to Kaiser Permanente’s goal of advancing healthcare through innovation and technology, DPR made extensive use of Lean construction techniques and building information modeling (BIM) to advance delivery of the projects. By utilizing such tools as the Last Planner System™, just-in-time delivery, and the clash detection and coordination capabilities of BIM, the project team was able to maximize efficiency for the owner while overcoming several logistical challenges. In addition, the team was able to complete the project within the first published schedule, while incorporating more than 400 owner-driven directives and 79 design bulletins.

“Integrating Lean construction practices and BIM, along with the support of innovative subcontractors and DPR’s self-perform work teams, helped us achieve the project goals and created a new standard for successful project delivery in the Mid-Atlantic region,” said DPR Project Executive?Terry Edmondson.

Innovative ConXTech System Sets San Mateo Project Apart

In San Mateo, CA, DPR completed construction of a three-story, 64,700-sq.-ft., ground-up MOB for Kaiser Permanente in April. The project utilized an innovative new structural connection system, which netted both schedule and cost savings.

Designed by Ratcliff Architects, the MOB will provide pediatric services, a women’s clinic, outpatient adult primary care, a pharmacy, ophthalmology, imaging radiology and a health education library for public use. It is also one of the first major projects to meet the city of San Mateo’s newly-mandated green building codes, incorporating a host of sustainable elements.

When awarded the project in October 2009, the team knew they faced several challenges, including a highly phased design and permit package and fast-track schedule. Looking at possible solutions, DPR turned to ConXtech®, a structural steel subcontractor with an innovative new structural steel space frame system. The moment frame connection system requires virtually no field welding due to a patented connection prefabricated in the shop.

“What’s unique about the system is that the connections are designed to allow for much faster erection, assembly and bolting sequencing in the field,” commented DPR Project Executive Rob Westover. “These standardized connections are fabricated in the shop and then slip together in the field, almost like Tinkertoys.”

The ConXtech system installation took just seven days, shaving an estimated three weeks off the time that would have been required using a conventional approach.