Digby Christian
The Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley project has been recognized throughout the construction industry as a unique project in design and approach, catching the interest of architects and builders throughout the world. We sat down with Digby Christian, Sutter Health Project Manager, for a closer look at what makes this project unique.
Q. Why is this project different than other projects you and the team members have been involved in?
One of the unique features of the project team is that we have an 11-party contract, with the non-owner members putting all of their profit at risk. I’m very confident that’s a unique set-up in the United States.
Another unique feature is that the trade contractors involved in the design and construction of the new hospital have a goal of achieving a fully coordinated, constructable, affordable design, complete with fabrication drawings, before the facility is even built. We do not want to resolve issues in the field during construction. We want to resolve them all as part of completing the design rather than in the field during construction when change orders are costly and time-consuming.
Q. There is a lot of emphasis on the team approach to this project. Who participates in the regular project team meetings? How do they work together?
The Project Team is managed by a six-member team called the Core Group. I’m on it representing Sutter Health, as is Bryan Daylor, Eden’s Vice President of Ancillary & Support Services, representing Eden Medical Center. The other four members are from DPR Construction (general contractor), Capital Engineering (mechanical and plumbing design), Devenney Group (architectural design), and J.W. McClenahan (plumbing). We meet every two weeks to ensure the project is managing all the risks as optimally as possible. All decisions are required to be unanimous, and for the two years that we’ve been meeting, we have met that requirement.
A much larger group comprising all the designers, builders and specialty consultants meets at least every two weeks to resolve any strategic issues affecting the whole project. There are also subgroups that meet almost daily to keep information flowing fast and efficiently through the project team.
What are the benefits of this team approach?
You get a fully informed designed. You get an efficient plan for construction. But the main thing you gain is certainty about scope, cost and completion date. These large projects traditionally go a long way over budget and finish very late and with compromises to the goals that the owner had. We worked hand in glove with each other for close to 18 months to get the cost of the project down without altering any of the goals for the building, and now for at least a year I have been completely confident of our ability to get the triple victory of on budget, on time, and with all the goals intact. That’s a tremendous difference from traditional delivery of these complex, expensive, long duration projects.
What have you learned by this approach?
That it works. To make it work requires that a very large team of people works very hard all day, every day for years. But if the owner’s goals are clear, and the team is working under a contract that puts their interests completely in alignment with the owner’s interests, that that monumental level of effort is exactly what you can get out of a team. Hospital construction in California is some of the most complex, most strictly regulated, construction in the world and it is extraordinarily unforgiving of oversights and errors. To deliver a hospital on time, on budget with no compromises to what the owner and community want is about as ambitious as it gets in construction at this stage in our industry’s evolution.
How has this changed construction projects for the system? For the industry?
It’s been a tremendous proof of concept for how Sutter Health would like to deliver its projects. And because the project has been written about in various trade publications and has now won two awards for its delivery model, it does have the potential to be a game-changing project in the industry. I would like it to be just that. Our modern society deserves a rock-solid reliable delivery method for these critical facilities, and until now, in my opinion it has not had that.
If you have any questions for Digby or any member of the team, please feel free to let us know or send us your comments.
by George Bischalaney
President & CEO, Eden Medical Center
One year later: the hospital is taking shape
The first of this month marked one year since the celebratory groundbreaking for construction of the new hospital in Castro Valley. Passing this one-year milestone is worthy of a little reflection on the long journey to get here.
The concept of a new hospital first surfaced in the late 1990s, brought about by legislation created as a result of the Northridge earthquake that damaged several hospitals to the point that patients and staff were endangered and operations were curtailed. In California, and perhaps more so in the Bay Area, such a danger needed to be remedied.
Stimulated by the new State requirements, Eden Medical Center soon came to the conclusion that a replacement facility was a much better long-term investment for the community than complex and costly repairs and retrofitting. With the building being nearly 50 years old at the time, and the delivery of hospital services dramatically changed from the 1950s when Eden Hospital was originally designed, it was the easy decision to make. Financing the project was another matter.
Gratefully, the commitment of Sutter Health allows us to be where we are today. After many years of planning, with stops and starts in trying to find the right plan, the right place, the right size at the right cost, our new hospital project was funded, and site work began right away.
Our goal remains to have the new hospital open by 2013 in order to meet Claifornia seismic safety requirements. It will be a remarkable building itself, an icon on the hill in Castro Valley that will be a source of pride for the entire area. More important, it will be here to take care of people when they need it most, and certainly when that long-anticipated earthquake strikes the Bay Area, perhaps on our own Hayward Fault. While hoping that never occurs, we will be ready and capable of safely continuing care for our community.
by George Bischalaney, President & CEO, Eden Medical Center
Nearly a year after the California Nurses Association filed a challenge to prevent Sutter Health from rebuilding Eden Medical Center, the petition has been denied. The judgment by Alameda County Superior Court was entered on July 7, 2010, and the Order Denying the Petition is now on the court’s website case # RG09462329. You can also view a PDF version of the judge’s order.
For all of us at Eden Medical Center, and more importantly, residents of Alameda County, this is very good news. We have always believed that this misguided attempt to stop a State-mandated rebuilding project was not based upon merit. Gratefully, the court agreed with our position.
On July 1, 2009, we broke ground to begin the project, just weeks after receiving approval of our Environmental Impact Report from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Despite the union’s challenge filed last year, work continued without hesitation. As a result, we remain on the very tight schedule to meet the opening date of January 2013. Any delay caused by this action would have put the timely opening, if not the project, in jeopardy.
When completed, the 230,000-square-foot hospital and 80,000-square-foot medical office building will provide assurance to the people of Alameda County that it will not only withstand a significant earthquake, but remain operational to aide victims affected by it.
The entire steel framework has been completed, and work continues to at a rapid pace. Weather permitting through the end of this year, the project team hopes to have the exterior and roofs completed, weather tight before the spring rains, and begin working in earnest on the interior finishes.
Our hospital construction project has passed the one-year mark since the groundbreaking ceremony on July 1, 2009. The project has progressed rapidly in that time, just as work behind the scenes has progressed to plan for the programs, services and technology for the new building.
A significant effort is underway to involve the employees, volunteers, physicians and community in supporting the new hospital through philanthropy. We sat down with Jack Alotto, president of the Eden Medical Center Foundation, to find out more about their fund-raising efforts.
Why philanthropy?
Philanthropy is a way for the public to invest in our new hospital. And we take that investment seriously. The Foundation represents a unique stakeholder in the new hospital. Our donors are our shareholders, so to speak, and they tell us how they want us to invest their money. We give them that right. No matter what amount they give, they tell us where they want that money to go, whether for Trauma Services or Neuroscience or any other program, service or equipment.
Philanthropy enables a broad section of community to have a partnership stake in a new facility. In other words, here is Sutter Health giving, in essence, a gift to the community by funding $320 million for its construction. And now the community can partner with Sutter Health to bring that gift to life, to direct funds programs and services that the community decides it needs. In this way, philanthropy unites Sutter Health with the community to meet the community’s health care needs. That’s an exciting thing to do.
What is the Foundation’s role in making the new hospital a reality?
We have pledged $12.8 million toward equipment and technology in the new building. All of that money is going to advance patient care. That’s our goal, and that is our board’s pledge to hospital administration.
It is very important to me that we get more and more people involved at whatever level they are comfortable, whether it’s the Eden Hospital Auxiliary recent donation of $500,000 or a $20 gift from a grateful patient. We are all a part of this effort.
Right now, the People of Eden – the leaders, the physicians, the employees – have already pledged more than $1 million. The most gratifying part of my work is meeting with employees, seeing the commitment and personal support for the care we give. Every one of Eden’s leaders has already made a gift, and I would love to see 100% commitment from the employees and physicians as well. Our employees can inspire the community to invest as well, so we will all have a say in the hospital’s future.
Where can we learn more about the Eden Medical Center Foundation?
You can visit us on the hospital Website, call us at (510) 889-5033, or we can meet with groups and individuals to explore how to become a partner in care.
As welding continues on the tower and work progresses on the shear walls, let’s take a closer look at what’s happening on the inside.
Concrete work plays a major role in the current efforts underway in the new building. The work is intense, and the progress has been remarkable. This past week, crews installed the rebar for the concrete slab on the ground level, referred to as “slab on grade.” The first slab on grade concrete pour was then completed. Here’s a closer look at some of the work.
Photos courtesy of DPR Construction
The first slab on grade concrete is poured, and workers ensure even distribution of the concrete
Paying close attention to detail, a worker smooths the curing concrete
The concrete slab is then covered with canvas. Properly curing concrete improves strength, durability, water tightness, and wear resistance.
Meanwhile, rebar and formwork installation is underway at the loading dock area, in preparation for the concrete pour
by George Bischalaney,President & CEO, Eden Medical Center
Planning for the construction of the medical office building adjoining the new Eden Medical Center has started in earnest. While the hospital itself has been under construction for a year now, the medical office building project was staged to begin at a later time when, so that both buildings are complete and open at the same time in 2013.
The office building is anticipated to be four stories and provide more than 80,000 square feet of space to house physicians and some hospital staff and services. The building will be connected to the hospital at each of the four levels, providing quick access by providers and staff using the building through controlled access points. The general public will have open access from the ground level. We intentionally planned for some hospital support staff to be in the building. We want to preserve as much space in the hospital building itself for clinical space and patient needs.
Programming, or definition of specific spaces in the building, is now underway. This means defining space on each level by occupant and provider type. An important part of this planning is the space designated for the Urgent Care Center, which will be located on the ground floor of the office building and close to the future hospital Emergency Department. In addition to planning for the scope of care and space for the Urgent care Center, we need to designate the necessary support space and establish initial plans for how the center will work in conjunction with the Emergency Department when they open.
Throughout the planning process, there remains a commitment to provide the Urgent Care Center. Ideally, it will offer a faster, lower cost venue for non-emergent needs of patients. This is much needed in our community and definitely in line with national and regional health care reform principles.
This just in! The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced that the Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley project is among the 2010 recipients of the prestigious Building Information Model (BIM) Awards, given by AIA Technology in the Architectural Practice Knowledge Community (TAP). The program honors projects that highlight proven strategies and the latest trends in design and technology in the building industry.
We’ll share more details on this prestigious award next week, as well as an interview with Digby Christian, project manager, on the project team’s innovative approach to design and construction.
Here’s a closer look at the week’s progress on the new hospital. Photos courtesy of DPR Construction.
Workers install formwork at radius shear wall on the first level
Nelson stud installation is now complete through level 6 of the tower
The view from level 4 of the future Podium green roof
Rebar installation on level 2 of the elevator shaft
We welcome your questions and comments!
Photos courtesy of Janine McKown, Project Office
Walking on the top floor metal decking
A view from above of the helipad and construction parking area, former location of Laurel Grove Hospital
With progress on the concrete shear wall, the new building begins to take shape
by Cassandra Clark, Project Communications Director
We’ve had several questions about the small structure located on the west side of the construction project. The structure is designed to test the materials that will be used on the exterior of the new hospital and is commonly referred to as the “exterior skin mock-up.”
A closer look at the structure reveals the surface materials in consideration for the new hospital’s exterior. These materials include the pre-cast Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC, the “skin” of the building), the curtain wall (glass), punched windows (the smaller windows), caulking and more. On the photo above, the blue paper marks where the aluminum panels will be installed next.
The mock-up allows the team to identify and correct any installation and erosion issues and helps ensure that the materials work together and hold up to varying weather conditions.The next step will be to create a performance mock-up, a testing environment built around the mock-up that will test for performance in conditions such as high winds and driving rain. These studies are done by testing agencies working with the project team. We’ll share more information on this in a later blog. In the meantime, you can view the structure from Stanton Avenue, along the west side of the construction site.
As always, we welcome your questions and comments.
Photo Courtesy of DPR Construction
Following several months of structural steel installation, the crews from Herrick Steel have dismantled the massive 300-foot crane and removed it from the site, off to another project. The crane was a familiar sight – visible from miles away – as crews quickly built the structural steel tower that now defines the new hospital building.
Work is continuing now on a critical phase of the project, the shear wall installation. This work will continue through fall 2010, and is a time when the building really begins to take shape. Several crews are also on site at once, working with steel, welding, concrete, rebar, drainage, utilities, and more.
The Laurel Grove site has been cleared and is now paved to serve as parking for the construction workers through 2013. The former parking area across from the Emergency Department will serve as a construction staging area until crews begin work there on the medical office building. As part of the project’s commitment to responsible “green” practices, virtually 100% of the Laurel Grove Hospital building, materials, foundation and landscaping has been recycled.
Question of the week: What will happen to the flag and the tree used in the Topping Off Ceremony?
The flag will move to the peak of the south side of the building, at the height of the main tower, throughout construction. The tree, a Weeping Norway Spruce, is being cared for by the landscape architect and will find a new home in the gardens of the new hospital landscape.
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