Tight schedules and near-impossible deadlines are nothing new in the AEC world. But the Building Team for the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, Calif., faced especially alarming consequences for failure.
In 2006, a federally appointed receivership ordered the state of California and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide a 1,722-bed housing and healthcare facility for inmate-patients with long-term medical, acute medical, and intermediate mental health needs. A court-imposed deadline of January 2014 was set, with no room for an extension.
Failure to meet this deadline could result in imprisonment for some responsible parties. Following legal and economic hurdles, the project’s second phase began in June 2011 with the selection of a joint venture of Clark Construction Group and McCarthy Building Cos., in design partnership with HDR. (Phase one, including utilities, roadwork, grading, a central plant, and an electric perimeter fence, was begun a few months earlier by HOK and a Hensel Phelps-Granite joint venture.)
SILVER AWARD
Project summary
Housing and Healthcare Facility Stockton (HHF Stockton) Bid Package 2
California Health Care Facility, StocktonBUILDING TEAM
Submitting firm: McCarthy Building Cos.
Owner/developer: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Architect, MEP: HDR
Structural: Crosby Group
CM: Vanir Construction Management
GC: Clark/McCarthy, a Joint VentureGENERAL INFORMATION
Project size: 1.2 million sf
Construction cost: $528 million
Construction period: October 2011 to July 2013
Delivery method: Design-build
With a 742-day delivery schedule, the phase two team spent five months designing a 31-building complex for the 100-acre site. At 1.2 million sf, the program included 23 inmate housing buildings, a central kitchen, an administration building, a plant maintenance operation and facility maintenance building, four apartment-style units for overnight family visitations, and a shared services facility.
During the design phase, drafting was performed within a 3D Revit model, which was linked to the team’s Primavera cost-loaded critical path method schedule, creating a 5D model that incorporated the added dimensions of time and cost. The design had to address more than 4,000 criteria documents, with approval required from more than 30 stakeholders. Building codes for both correctional and healthcare facilities had to be considered. Licensing and permitting took place alongside the design process to solve potential problems before they arose.
The team then had 19 months to build the complex. A task force was created to keep all parties—the owner, facilities personnel, design-builders, and outside consultants—organized. With more than 1,200 workers completing $2 million of work each day, the task force ensured that the project stayed on track. All construction documents were added to a digital plan room, accessible via kiosks as well as at an on-site field office.
Economic development for the depressed region was a high priority for the client. Both the design-build team and the Department of Corrections organized outreach events offering employment opportunities. Of the 4,118 workers employed through the outreach program, more than 2,000 lived within a 50-mile radius of the project.
Ultimately, the facility was completed on time. Judges commented on the way the Building Team worked together to meet deadlines, and praised the complex’s clear wayfinding elements and ample daylighting.
“The Stockton healthcare facility takes an approach that is unlike other prison healthcare facilities by enhancing the healing environment through the use of natural light,” says judge Susan Heinking, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP O+M, Director of Sustainabilty and VP at VOA Associates. “This design not only improves the quality of the environment to heal in, but also improves the quality of the environment for the healthcare provider.”
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | Mar 6, 2023
Benefitting kids through human-centric high school design
Ingrid Krueger, AIA, LEED AP, shares why empathetic, well-designed spaces are critical in high schools.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 5, 2023
Pittsburgh offers funds for office-to-residential conversions
The City of Pittsburgh’s redevelopment agency is accepting applications for funding from developers on projects to convert office buildings into affordable housing. The city’s goals are to improve downtown vitality, make better use of underutilized and vacant commercial office space, and alleviate a housing shortage.
Student Housing | Mar 5, 2023
Calif. governor Gavin Newsom seeks to reform environmental law used to block student housing
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says was weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly needed housing for students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Green Renovation | Mar 5, 2023
Dept. of Energy offers $22 million for energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America. Prize recipients will be selected based on their ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
Windows and Doors | Mar 5, 2023
2022 North American Fenestration Standard released
The 2022 edition of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, “North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights” (NAFS) has been published. The updated 2022 standard replaces the 2017 edition, part of a continued evolution of the standard to improve harmonization across North America, according to a news release.
AEC Innovators | Mar 3, 2023
Meet BD+C's 2023 AEC Innovators
More than ever, AEC firms and their suppliers are wedding innovation with corporate responsibility. How they are addressing climate change usually gets the headlines. But as the following articles in our AEC Innovators package chronicle, companies are attempting to make an impact as well on the integrity of their supply chains, the reduction of construction waste, and answering calls for more affordable housing and homeless shelters. As often as not, these companies are partnering with municipalities and nonprofit interest groups to help guide their production.
Modular Building | Mar 3, 2023
Pallet Shelter is fighting homelessness, one person and modular pod at a time
Everett, Wash.-based Pallet Inc. helped the City of Burlington, Vt., turn a municipal parking lot into an emergency shelter community, complete with 30 modular “sleeping cabins” for the homeless.
Codes | Mar 2, 2023
Biden Administration’s proposed building materials rules increase domestic requirements
The Biden Administration’s proposal on building materials rules used on federal construction and federally funded state and local buildings would significantly boost the made-in-America mandate. In the past, products could qualify as domestically made if at least 55% of the value of their components were from the U.S.
Industry Research | Mar 2, 2023
Watch: Findings from Gensler's latest workplace survey of 2,000 office workers
Gensler's Janet Pogue McLaurin discusses the findings in the firm's 2022 Workplace Survey, based on responses from more than 2,000 workers in 10 industry sectors.
AEC Innovators | Mar 2, 2023
Turner Construction extends its ESG commitment to thwarting forced labor in its supply chain
Turner Construction joins a growing AEC industry movement, inspired by the Design for Freedom initiative, to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production and distribution of building products.