By Julie Ruiz-Wibbelsmann
Checking the webcam, you may notice the unusual metal arch lying on the ground in front of the construction site. This is only one section of the 125-foot spire made of 43,000 pounds of steel set to be installed on the new hospital by the end of May.
“Our steel spire was constructed over the course of 10 months by workers in Buffalo, New York,” says Krystal Herrington, DPR project engineer. “All of the steel was made in the United States, except for a few small pieces from the bottom of the spire. These were made in Canada because of their unique size specifications.”
Transporting the spire
On April 30, the 125-foot spire was delivered in three pieces:
- Center portion of mast
- Lower portion of mast attached to the triangular truss frame (22 inches in diameter at the bottom)
- Upper portion of the mast attached to the triangular truss frame (tapering to 16 inches in diameter, at the top)
Assembling the spire
During the first weeks in May, we’ll assemble the parts of the spire by welding together the pieces. We’ll also cover the truss frame with fabric made of white fiberglass Worker assembling the spireand plastic composite that
- Measures about 0.030 inches in thickness
- Weighs around 1,500 pounds
- Covers approximately 2,000 square feet
We’ll use a special corrosion-proof paint specifically made for steel—called tnemec—in a silver color to match the exterior-skin metal panels of the hospital roof.
Attaching the spire
“By the end of May,” explains Krystal, “we’ll hoist our spire onto the south face of the new hospital, just west of the main entrance. Connecting something as heavy as our spire to the building face takes especially strong equipment. To lift the spire into place, we’ll use two cranes each weighing 265 tons: one with a 157 foot-long telescoping boom and the other with a 171 foot-long telescoping boom.”
We’ll attach the 43,000-pound spire to the five existing beams on the south face of the building around the height of the second-floor level. Each connection will have a total of 12 high-strength bolts, 7.38 inches long and 1.38 inches in diameter, with hardened steel nuts and washers.
“Once completed, our spire will rise above the building roof, illuminated by four light beams from the top, bottom and center of the spire,” describes Krystal.
Images courtesy of DPR Construction, general contractor
While the new hospital building looks virtually complete from the exterior, the steel erection for the medical office building continues. This week, the crew will hold their “topping off” ceremony, when they complete the highest point in the steel frame. This is an exciting milestone and shows how far the project has come along in a short time. The building will be home to many of the hospital’s administrative services, as well as an urgent care center and physician offices.
Here’s a closer look at construction of the pedestrian bridge linking the medical office building to the new hospital:
Building Information Modeling view of the pedestrian bridge
Meanwhile, the interior work continues in the new hospital building. We previously posted photos of the main lobby ceiling framework. Here is the progress since then, showing the build out of the lobby space today.
Work also continues on the grounds and around the campus. Part of the community improvements made as part of this construction project has been to install much-needed sidewalks along the site on Stanton Avenue. The sidewalk is now installed and landscaping will soon begin, making the area not only safer, but much more appealing for our neighbors.
How BIM is changing construction
An interview with Michael Pearson, BIM Manager for DPR Construction, from our YouTube channel.
Courtesy of DPR Construction
The land for the new medical office building has been cleared and the pad is being graded to make room for the construction to begin in September.
The kitchen is taking shape as the heavy equipment arrives. The bread and pizza oven is set into place:
The kitchen hoods are set:
The large walk-in freezers are also set into place:
by George Bischalaney, President & CEO, Eden Medical Center
As you look at the rapid pace of the new hospital construction, one begins to wonder how soon it will be occupied. From the exterior it looks like a building nearly complete. In fact, within the next several weeks, the exterior lift – used to bring materials and workers to the upper floors. – will be removed and the last of the exterior glass will be installed, completing the “skin” of the building.
exterior construction lift will be removed and the last of the exterior
glass will be installed.
We expect the building to be ready for use by the third quarter of 2012, just a little more than a year away. If we remain on schedule as we have for the past 21 months, the new hospital will be open for patient care services in November 2012. With this in mind, we’ve started our occupancy planning in earnest.
Occupancy planning is an abbreviated name for many activities and preparation efforts. There are 12 teams focused on how we transition from providing services in the current hospital to providing services in the new hospital. Teams of management, staff employees, physicians and consultants are focusing on every detail of the transition process. The equipment team is making decisions on equipment and furniture, what will be moved, and precisely how and when the moves will take place. The training team is developing plans for orientating every employee, physician, volunteer and even vendors to the building, parking and access. This team will also identify, plan for and implement all the training these groups will require for the new technology and processes. The move logistics team is focusing on the logistics of the moving hospitalized patients in a safe and secure manner. The regulatory team handles regulatory requirements, making sure we have all the required licenses, permits and inspections prior to opening. There are additional teams that are coordinating with physicians, addressing communications and public outreach, handling department activation needs, and decommissioning the old hospital once the transition is complete.
Bringing more employees and physicians into the planning process has heightened the excitement and anticipation of finally realizing a long held dream: the replacement of our 57-year-old hospital with a seismically safe state-of-the-art medical center. There remains a lot to be done, but for the many people who have worked hard to get us to this point, it is a labor of love. I have great confidence that those involved in the work will put forth their best effort, and I look forward to sharing with pride the results of their work just a little more than 18 months from now.
Courtesy of our neighbor and friend Joe Connell
Photos of the Week
Courtesy of DPR Construction
New, highly efficient air handling systems arrived last week and are being installed atop the third floor podium roof. The large units will ensure the proper ventilation that meets the strict requirements for health care applications. As part of the project’s effort for green building, the system will improve energy efficiency while meeting the heavy demands for a hospital running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Work in progress, courtesy of DPR Construction
Work continues on the main elevators. Once construction of two critical elevators is complete, the exterior lift will be taken down and the building exterior will be complete, leaving the new structure “water tight.” The photos below show the steady progress, from above and a silhouette of a worker welding inside the elevator shaft.
A view from above:
A closer look:
Cassandra Clark, Project Communications Director
We recently held an Open House for employees to learn more about the new hospital construction and explore the layout of the new facility and campus. It was at this event that many staff members learned for the first time that, when the new hospital opens in 2013, the campus will be smoke free.
A smoke-free campus means that smoking will not be allowed anywhere on the hospital property, including the grounds, gardens and parking areas, by any person – including employees, physicians, volunteers, patients and visitors.
We are taking this bold step because the new hospital brings a renewed and heightened commitment to our mission to improve the health of the individuals and communities we serve. Without a doubt, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. We believe that we have a responsibility to take a leadership role on this major health issue and promote a healthier environment.
Eden Medical Center has offered an array of smoking cessation programs for many years to help decrease tobacco use in our community. Looking ahead, we will multiply our outreach efforts and use coaching and support to address staff and visitors using tobacco on hospital grounds. Tobacco-free initiatives have the potential to improve the health of thousands, reduce health care costs, improve workplace safety and contribute to community health improvement.
Hospitals across the country are adopting smoke-free campus policies successfully by reaching out to staff, patients and visitors with effective alternatives to smoking to reduce stress. As a leader in improving health care in our community, we believe this effort is well worth undertaking.
This is just the beginning of this conversation about a smoke-free campus. We welcome suggestions from you and leading health experts on the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use and boost our outreach efforts.
“There is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Tobacco smoke is deadly.”
Dr. Richard H. Carmona,
U.S. Surgeon General Report, July 2006
Planning Is Underway for Transition to New Hospital
by George Bischalaney, President & CEO, Eden Medical Center
Although we are still nearly two years away from moving into the new hospital, teams of employees and physicians have already started planning for the transition to the new building. We call the move a “transition” rather than a move, because it’s a process that involves bringing with us good practices, good people and good programs, while entering a new era of health care. Not only will patients be treated in a new environment, but that environment and the people that provide services will do so with state-of-the-art equipment and support systems that will make care more efficient, and in surroundings that are focused on the comfort and safety for our patients and their families.
Our “transition teams” include our managers, physicians and employees from every department in the hospital. When I think of the journey ahead, I find myself thinking about the people who will make this a reality. Healthcare people work well with uncertainty, with making sense of the challenge of illness and injury and finding the right course of action that results in healing. Caregivers face this every day with patients. We are fortunate to have a great team of people who are passionate about their work and committed to making this transition the best possible experience for everyone involved.
While 2013 seems like a long time away, it is so short when you look at the level of detail involved in transitioning to a new hospital. It’s a monumental task that cannot even be described well in a simple blog post. So, we will break it down into smaller, easier to digest, pieces as time goes on. It will both informative and comforting for all to know the level of effort both necessary and desired to make sure this is done right. It will involve everything from testing equipment and systems to rehearsing the actual move of patients on that one day not too long from now. There is much to be done and we’re both excited and challenged by the task at hand.
We’ll keep you posted on our progress and look forward to your comments.
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