Hillview Clinical Laboratories
Hillview Clinical Laboratories | Palo Alto, California
When, as part of its master plan, Stanford University Hospital & Clinics moved its clinical blood laboratories out of the hospital and into a stand-alone facility, the hospital selected DPR to build out the new space. When it was completed in 2006, the new Hillview Clinical Lab building was the only fully automated laboratory in the world.
Project Scope
The facility houses new microbiology, cytogenetics, cytology, flow cytometry, special chemistry, and virology labs as well as a cold room, a new sterilizer room, staff lounges, a locker room, and a new administrative area. The project included the installation of a deionized piping system as well as medical gas systems for nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, oxygen, argon, nitrogen, and three mixed gases. It also included a new generator. Due to the limited space in the ceiling cavity, intense MEP coordination was required to install 101 variable air valve (VAV) boxes and approximately 100 exhaust valves.
The greatest challenge was cutting four months off Stanford's already aggressive schedule. DPR received occupancy 14 weeks ahead of schedule by increasing the overlap between activities, tightening the durations, drilling down on the critical path, and, in some cases, increasing the crew size to improve the efficiencies of the craft labor.
Working in a partially occupied space presented its own challenges. To accommodate the users of a laboratory on the second floor of the building, DPR provided a temporary generator during the five complete power shutdowns that were required to complete this project.