Jeff Moore

Many of you may be wondering why we chose the existing site of Eden Medical Center to build the replacement hospital. In Chapter V of the Environmental Impact Report, the project architect and environmental impact report consultant (ESA) prepared and analyzed alternative sites and concluded that 20103 Lake Chabot Road was still the best choice for building Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley, an affiliate of Sutter Health.

However, building a new hospital next to an existing one presents some interesting challenges. The construction and design teams had to come up with a multi-phased approach to building the medical campus while keeping the existing Eden Medical Center in full operation. The construction of the hospital is to occur in seven main phases. So, it is necessary to provide seven sets of civil construction drawings where one set is normally provided!

For example, phase one begins with the demolition of the Pine Cone Apartments at 20004 Stanton Street, and four existing medical office buildings located next door to Eden. Right now, we have no access to portions of the site because certain structures are in the way. Demolition of existing buildings is a logical and intuitive start to the construction process.

Phase two consists of what is referred to as “make ready” work. This is work that must be completed before construction on the main hospital can even begin. A good example of “make ready” work is the relocation of the existing helistop (helicopter landing pad, used for the emergency transport of trauma patients). The existing helistop is located next to the new hospital. Helicopters cannot land safely at the existing helistop location during construction of the new hospital. Therefore, the helistop must be moved just 150 feet before work can start on the new hospital. In order to move the new helistop, we need to level a hill, provide drainage, provide flight path clearance, ensure adequate lighting, etc. And remember, full access to the new or existing helistop must be maintained at all times during the construction process!

Other types of “make ready” work include:

- Construction of a large retaining wall to surround a portion of the site. The wall supports a critical roadway around the new hospital site.
- Construction of a temporary path from the new helistop to the existing Eden Trauma Center so that patients can have access to the existing Trauma Center
- Build a new bridge from the new road to the existing parking garage (where handicap parking will be relocated during construction)
- Finally, demolition of the current helistop.

These are just a few examples of “make ready” work that will need to be performed. As you can see, it can get pretty complicated. The need for significant construction phasing is what creates a lot of the site design complexity.

We estimate that phases one and two will take six to eight months to complete! Hospital construction can begin in earnest upon completion of the “make ready” work.

Where are all the pipes & wires?!

Even more complex than all the preparation to erect the new hospital is figuring out where all the underground utilities are. We’re talking about 50-plus years of modifications of pipes, wires and sewers, some of which have been abandoned and no one knows exactly where they are. The contractor needs to know where all critical utilities are located so they can abandon or re-route them to fit the needs of the new construction. In order to locate them, the contractor needs to “pothole” (dig them up) to make sure that they are located where we think they are. This is an expensive and time-consuming process. We’ll also have to build a temporary storm drain system to capture rainwater during construction. The final storm drain system will not be completed until 2012, with the completion of the new hospital.

Taking Down Eden—It’s Not a Quick Good-Bye!

Demolishing the existing hospital—a process we call deconstruction because of the selective, targeted work involved and the recycling process—won’t take place until the new hospital is up and running and all patients have been safely transferred. Since the main entrance road to the new hospital is just ten feet away from the existing hospital building we can’t exactly get in there with a wrecking ball or explosives! So special safety precautions will be provided by the contractor to ensure that the hospital is removed safely and efficiently. We are all concerned about getting things done safely, so deconstruction will be slow and methodical over a six month period.

Being in compliance with environmental safety laws also presents challenges during deconstruction. Eden’s ripe old age means that there will be a certain amount of hazardous material that needs to be removed and properly disposed of before demolition and recycling of the old materials can begin.

When the deconstruction is finally completed, the bottom basement floor will most likely be left in place (to save money) and stay intact since it will be located underground. So you could say, a little bit of Eden will remain forever!

If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please feel free to leave them in the comment box below this post. (Click on the title of the post, and the comment box will appear below it.) We will respond as quickly as possible. We want to hear from you.