On May 4, Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., started moving patients into an $85 million, four-story tower expansion that encompasses the 150,000-sf, 126-bed Studer Family Chlidren’s Hospital, which is Northwest Florida’s only hospital solely dedicated to the care of sick or injured babies and children. The hospital, which also serves South Alabama and South Georgia, includes pediatric emergency and imaging departments, 72-bed neonatal ICU and 10-bed pediatric intensive care unit; medical, surgical and observation beds; a pharmacy, inpatient rehabilitation gym, child life playrooms, outpatient lab services, and a family friendly dining facility.
The building team on this expansion, which included HKS Architects (design), WSP (MEP engineer) and Hoar Construction (GC), also added a single-story vertical expansion to the existing hospital, which is currently a shell space for future expansion.
This week, BD+C communicated by email with David Roberts, Hoar’s senior project manager, about this expansion. Here is an edited version of that conversation.
BD+C: What were some of the challenges that this project presented to the building team?
Roberts: The biggest challenge we faced was getting the foundations and underground utilities installed during one of the rainiest years in recent history. Three hurricanes and two tropical storms impacted our schedule, though thankfully not all were direct hits to Pensacola.
Over the course of the project, we lost 137 days of production due to weather and received 170 inches (more than 14 feet) of rain. This was particularly challenging because we had to excavate nearly 25 feet of existing soils out of the entire building footprint, including areas below the existing building to install the foundation system. We also partnered with some incredibly skilled and talented trades and could not have completed the project without them and their incredible efforts.
Hoar Construction states that it specializes in “compassionate healthcare building.” What does that mean, exactly?
Working in, on, and around an existing and very active campus always presents challenges and opportunities for construction. One thing we always discuss as a team is that we’re working at a hospital that is under construction and not a construction site that just happens to be a hospital. That makes a big difference in how we approach our work.
Our top priority is safety for patients, staff, and visitors to the hospital and ensuring that the hospital can provide the services they need to. We are there to make sure the healthcare providers can do their jobs better and help those who are sick and need treatment. Our teams understand that compassion is a huge part of our jobs and that it’s a unique characteristic or trait that we have to have to succeed in healthcare.
One of the 126 beds in Studer Family Children's Hospital. Image: Jim Hobart/MacBeth Studio
Given the importance of patient satisfaction scores for hospitals, did Hoar do anything differently for these projects that would better-guarantee those scores down the road?
The hospital stayed operational throughout the 25-month construction process, which was a huge accomplishment. We also completed the project two months early, meaning the local community got access to state-of-the-art pediatric care nearly 60 days earlier than expected.
We stress patient safety as the most critical part of our job, and we did considerable planning around infection control, cleanliness, noise, and mechanical/electrical/ plumbing interruptions. We were in constant contact with the owner when working on building systems; shutting down these systems to tie in new areas affects all staff and patients. Our project team and the hospital partnered well together throughout the construction process.
A sea turtle hovers over The Hatch, a refreshment nook inside the hospital. Image: Jim Hobart/MacBeth Studio
To what extent did technology come into play in the design and construction of these buildings?
We used BIM for overhead coordination and clash detection, and we used 3D scanning for documenting construction. 3D scanners allowed the team to get 360-degree imagery of all areas within the project and put together an as-built record for the hospital.
We are planning on using technology like Virtual Reality earlier in our [future] projects to help clients confirm design decisions.
In general, what trends in the healthcare sector are having an impact on Hoar’s projects in this sector?
We are still seeing more renovation projects and/or renovation with an expansion component.
Many of the large healthcare systems are moving non-clinical support services into warehouse/distribution facilities off campus—departments such as central sterile, materials management, pharmacy, facilities management, and other administrative functions. Valuable space inside the hospital is then made available for higher revenue-producing departments, and some of that is changing from office space to clinical space with many different needs.
A waiting area is more like a home's living room at Studer Family Children's Hospital. Image: Jim Hobart/MacBeth Studio
Related Stories
| Nov 14, 2013
Behind the build: BD+C's 'Pedia-Pod' modular pediatric patient unit at Greenbuild 2013 [slideshow]
Next week at Greenbuild, BD+C will unveil its demonstration pediatric patient unit, called Pedia-Pod. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the construction of this unique modular structure.
| Nov 13, 2013
Installed capacity of geothermal heat pumps to grow by 150% by 2020, says study
The worldwide installed capacity of GHP systems will reach 127.4 gigawatts-thermal over the next seven years, growth of nearly 150%, according to a recent report from Navigant Research.
| Nov 8, 2013
Oversized healthcare: How did we get here and how do we right-size?
Healthcare facilities, especially our nation's hospitals, have steadily become larger over the past couple of decades. The growth has occurred despite stabilization, and in some markets, a decline in inpatient utilization.
| Nov 1, 2013
CBRE Group enhances healthcare platform with acquisition of KLMK Group
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG) today announced that it has acquired KLMK Group, a leading provider of facility consulting, project advisory and facility activation solutions to the healthcare industry.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 28, 2013
Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it
Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.
| Oct 18, 2013
Meet the winners of BD+C's $5,000 Vision U40 Competition
Fifteen teams competed last week in the first annual Vision U40 Competition at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco. Here are the five winning teams, including the $3,000 grand prize honorees.
| Oct 18, 2013
Researchers discover tension-fusing properties of metal
When a group of MIT researchers recently discovered that stress can cause metal alloy to fuse rather than break apart, they assumed it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The surprising finding could lead to self-healing materials that repair early damage before it has a chance to spread.
| Oct 14, 2013
The next level of Lean process for healthcare
Most hospitals have begun the Lean process improvement stage to eliminate waste, reduce travel distances, and minimize inventory, with varying levels of success. Here are three keys to creating a prosperous Lean program.
