Exceeding Expectations in Health Care Construction

Communication was the key to DPR’s successful completion of a hospital build-out in the coastal town of Beaufort, SC. Charged with turning 7,000 sq. ft. of shell space on the top floor of the five-story Beaufort Memorial Hospital into nursing support areas and patient rooms with dense MEP connections to the occupied floor below, DPR’s Richmond office went beyond the expected, taking creative steps to ensure that hospital activities were not disturbed.

Giving everyone a voice, from facilities management to shipping and receiving to nurses, DPR’s Paul Cianchini provided a radio to every party at the hospital who was interfacing with the construction team. “If the noise level got too loud, the nurses could contact us directly,” said Cianchini. “When materials were delivered, shipping and receiving would radio us, and we would take care of it right away.” This system freed the hospital’s staff to take care of day-to-day tasks without being interrupted by construction.

The system also worked in reverse. Multiple MEP hook-ups required access to occupied rooms. When DPR needed to get into a specific room, they would notify the nursing staff the day before. The next day, when the patient was at radiology or another department in the hospital, the nurses would contact DPR, which would go into action. Working like a well-rehearsed surgical team, DPR would get in, get the job done and get out.

“Not disrupting hospital services was our biggest challenge,” noted DPR’s Mike Locher. “This was a top priority for the owner, and we demonstrated early on that we could exceed their expectations.”

During the pre-planning stage, it was suggested that a temporary outside elevator for materials and crew might be needed. DPR demonstrated that through a clean-building process, organization and scheduling, the construction crew could use the two inside elevators with negligible down time for the hospital staff and, in the process, save the owner $35,000.

Parking and traffic were also issues. The shipping and receiving location was not obvious to drivers, who were not familiar with the facility. “We didn’t want delivery trucks wandering all over the hospital grounds,” noted Locher. “So, we made sure all of our suppliers knew exactly where to go before they got there.” In addition, DPR limited materials delivery to early morning hours to minimize disruption.

“The build-out was one of the best projects I’ve seen,” said owner representative Marian Moody. “Everyone worked well together with good communication, and there were no unexpected problems.”

Working in conjunction with the Richmond-based architecture firm, Odell Associates Inc., DPR began the project in December of 1999. The $1 million build-out was completed in March 2000 on time, under budget and with a zero punchlist.

With additional projects planned for Beaufort Memorial Hospital, including the build-out of an additional 8,000 sq. ft. of shell space, a cancer center, laboratories and parking structure, the prognosis is more work for DPR in Beaufort.