Suffolk Construction to manage Lawrence & Memorial Hospital Cancer Center project in Waterford, Conn.

Suffolk Construction was recently awarded Lawrence & Memorial Hospital’s Cancer Center project in Waterford, Conn. The $34.5 million Cancer Center will feature new construction of a 47,000 square-foot comprehensive facility that will include extensive radiation and medical oncology programs, along with state-of-the-art treatment technologies. The project is notable because it will be one of the first healthcare construction projects in the country to utilize the innovative Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) method.

For the Cancer Center project, the IPD method will consist of a contractual arrangement between Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, Suffolk Construction, and the architecture firm, TRO Jung|Brannen. The contract will require that all risk and reward on the project be shared with all project stakeholders, including mechanical/plumbing/controls, electrical, and sitework contractors. The origin of IPD is aligned with Suffolk’s proactive, collaborative approach to managing construction projects.

Suffolk will also leverage lean design and construction techniques and Building Information Modeling (BIM) to minimize issues during construction, enhance team-wide collaboration, and add significant overall value on the project. In conjunction with Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, the project team will utilize the Production Preparation Process (3P) lean design approach and pull planning tools to allow for more decision making and knowledge sharing early in the planning process. Pull planning will enable the team to improve the flow of the project schedule, increase efficiency, and reduce waste.

Construction of the Cancer Center—which signifies Suffolk’s first project with Lawrence & Memorial Hospital—will begin in spring 2012. The grand opening is scheduled for September 2013. The Cancer Center project is part of Lawrence& Memorial Hospital’s master facility plan and will feature a sustainable design strategy to achieve LEED Silver certification. BD+C

Samuel S. Unger, RA, MCR, SLCR, MBA, is the Americas Real Estate Leader for Ernst & Young, LLP, Atlanta. He also serves as president of the CoreNet Global Atlanta chapter. In addition to managing 6.8 million square feet of real estate in North and South America, his responsibilities include real estate strategy for area practices, management of external professional alliances, requirements definition, business case development and approval, real estate negotiation and lease development, and oversight of construction projects for the portfolio. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, an MLA and MArch from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Temple University.