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.
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!
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
Topping Off Ceremony Celebrates the Achievements of the Construction Teams
Workers shake hands at teh top of the structural steel following placement of the signed beam
For the past week, the sun was shining brightly as Eden Medical Center employees, physicians, volunteers, patients and community members stopped at the construction site to sign the celebratory steel beam. The construction teams were on site working in perfect weather to keep the construction project on pace. At the end of each day, many took the opportunity to add their signatures to the crossbeam that would be hoisted to fit in the last spot at the highest structural point of the steel structure.
By Tuesday morning, the rain and wind returned, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of everyone who gathered for to mark the special occasion. About 200 people gathered under cover of the parking garage to congratulate the construction teams, sign the beam and cheer as the beam was lifted into place.
The American flag was paced atop the beam prior to liftoff
As is the tradition in the construction industry, the Topping Off Ceremony marks the moment when the highest structural point in the building construction has been attained. The last steel beam is signed and hoisted into place. An evergreen tree and US flag are placed on the beam to symbolize that the building project has proceeded well, with a clean safety record, and to bring good fortune to the future inhabitants of the building.
Eden Anesthesiologist Dr. Frank Rico, former EMC board member, checks out the signatures after adding his name to the beam
Eden Medical Center CEO George Bischalaney welcomed the crowd and thanked them for supporting the efforts. He stated that this milestone was as significant to the community as it was to the construction teams, as the dream of a new hospital becomes reality. DPR Construction executive George Hurley thanked the steelworkers and every contractor on the job for their great work, and commended Sutter Health Project Director Digby Christian for keeping the project moving forward.
We’ll post more information about the trades and the next steps in the project soon. Let us know if you have questions or comments for any member of the Project Team.
Courtesy of DPR Construction
The main hospital tower is taking shape as workers continue welding the structural steel and shear wall installation. This is now the view of the project site, from the top of Eden Hospital.
Inside the tower, crews are making tremendous progress:
Another shear wall ready for concrete pour
Columns are wrapped in rebar reinforcement
Under-slab electrical conduit in the area that will be home to the future electrical room
And just what is that small, standalone structure seen from Stanton Avenue? That is a mock-up of a section of the building exterior, allowing the construction team to view and test the exterior materials to be used on the finished building.
A model of the exterior building materials
And across the campus, the Laurel Grove site has changed dramatically as the building has been deconstructed and recycled. The area is now being graded to make way for parking for the construction crews. The Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley construction will create more than 1,000 construction industry jobs throughout this project.
The site of the former Laurel Grove Hospital
We welcome your questions and comments.
Changes to Campus Roadways Are Here
The highly anticipated roadway and bridge to the parking garage is complete, and drivers can access the parking garage from the hospital’s main driveway.
In the past, to park in the garage, visitors would drive down Lake Chabot Road and turn left at the Laurel Grove Hospital entrance. While the walkway to the hospital was easy to use, the drive was often seen as an inconvenience once visitors were already at the hospital entrance. No more!
Patients and visitors can now drive up to the main entrance to the hospital and drive right into the parking garage.
As you drive up the main roadway to the right of the hospital building, you will come to a stop sign and decision point. Here, you can turn left into the Patient Drop-Off/Pick-Up circle, or proceed forward and to the right to enter the garage. From the garage, there is a walkway leading to the Emergency Department entrance to off to the Main Entrance.
The changes highlight the “patient circle” as we like to call it. If you are dropping off or picking up a patient, you simply turn left into the circle. As you exit, you can return to the main driveway or continue up to the parking garage.
The north road is now closed to thru traffic past the Emergency Department. Cars must go either to the circle or to the garage once they reach the stop sign. The road past this spot is open only to ambulance traffic.
On the west side of the campus, driving in from Stanton Avenue, patients can also park adjacent to the west entrance for easy access to the Imaging Center and the Ground Floor. There is no thru traffic past the West Entrance toward the Emergency Department, as this is now reserved for ambulance traffic only throughout construction.
Patient and visitor parking is still available in the lots near the main entrance to the hospital.
As always, we welcome your thoughts, ideas, questions and comments.
By Jeff Moore, President, Greenwood & Moore
Greenwood & Moore is currently completing the Phase 4 construction drawings for the hospital. Phase 4 encompasses the area directly around the new hospital. In total, there are seven individual construction phases associated with the site Civil Engineering services. Each phase of construction requires a complete set of construction documents that are coordinated with the work performed in the previous phases of construction. Had the new hospital been constructed on a “greenfield site” (raw land with no previous development) then only one set of drawings would be required. The need for seven sets of plans illustrates the challenges and complexity of constructing the new hospital adjacent to the existing hospital.
The seven phases of constructions are as follows:
Phase 1 – Demolition of the existing Pinecone Apartments and Medical Office Buildings
This work was completed in the summer of 2009. In general, this was a very straight forward scope of work. Interestingly enough, one the more challenging aspects of this phase of work were relocating the existing doctors who occupied the medical office spaces that were to be demolished. The amount of design and coordination needed to relocate the doctor’s was immense! Add to the mix, the individual personalities of the doctor’s, different lease terms, differing needs for new office space and a drop-dead demolition deadline, and you get more excitement that a civil engineer is typically used to!
Phase 2 – Construction of the new Helistop, Large Site Retaining Walls, Garage Vehicle Access Bridge and a Temporary pedestrian access bridge.
The work in Phase 2 is referred to as “Make Ready” work. That is, this work needs to be completed before significant work on the hospital can begin. The large site retaining walls, pedestrian bridge and helistop were completed in late 2009. Work on the garage vehicle access bridge continues and is expected to be completed in a few weeks. From a civil engineering standpoint, the design of the helistop was the most challenging aspect of this phase of construction. This was due to the extensive design regulations set forth by the FAA. Oddly enough, the design of the ramp leading to the helistop was particularly challenging. The height of the landing pad above the roadway, airspace clearance requirements and patient gurney maneuverability issues were all pieces of the ramp design puzzle. When all was said and done the final ramp configuration solved the hospital’s technical requirements.
Phase 3 – New Temporary Ambulance Parking
This work was simple but critical. In order to facilitate the construction of the new hospital, it is necessary to relocate the ambulance drop-off area for the existing hospital. This work was completed in late 2009.
Phase 4 – Site Improvements around the new Hospital.
This is a very complex phase of the civil engineering design services. This phase of work incorporates all of the detailed site construction around the new hospital. Some of the aspects of the phase of work are
- Soundwalls for adjacent residential areas
- New 18’ high, curved, retaining walls for the outdoor eating area
- Truck loading dock
- Site utilities
- Underground fuel storage tanks
- Underground fire sprinkler storage tank
- Mobile technology (i.e., MRI) trailer location
- Ambulance parking
Extensive coordination with the architect and other design team members is critical to make sure that all of the pieces fit together properly.
Phase 5 – Demolition of Laurel Grove Hospital and New Parking Lot
The demolition of the existing Laurel Grove Hospital and the construction of new parking on the site are the major components of Phase 5. Currently, Laurel Grove Hospital is physically connected to an existing medical office building to the north of the project. In order to remove the hospital, it will be necessary to provide minor reconstruction of the adjacent office building. The removal of Laurel Grove is expected to occur in early 2010. Its removal is critical to the construction schedule, as the site will be used for temporary construction staging and parking for the next two years.
Phase 6 – Demolition of the Existing Hospital
The removal of the existing hospital – after the new hospital is complete and everything is transferred over — will present some unique challenges. When the building is gone, there will be a very large hole in the ground that will need to be filled and a foundation that will likely remain intact. The civil engineering plans need make sure that these structures will not adversely impact the new parking lot that will be constructed on the site of the old hospital.
Phase 7 – Construction of the Main Parking Lot
Once the existing hospital has been removed, construction of the main parking lot can begin. Phase 7 and Phase 4 are the two most complex parts of the civil engineering package. The most notable aspect of the Phase 7 civil design is the stormwater control system. This system provides required treatment to rainwater run-off. From the public’s point of view, the stormwater control system looks like regular landscaping. In reality, it is a complex filtration system that helps to keep pollutants and debris out of the public creeks and storm drain system
So, there has been a lot going on in the civil engineering world. The design process will continue throughout the first half of 2010 until all aspects of the design are complete.
I welcome your comments and questions.
Photos courtesy of DPR Construction.
It’s been a busy week since the opening of the new helipad site on October 28. Construction continued right through the ceremony and is in full swing again this week. Here are a few highlights, with more to come!
Crews complete the rebar installation and formwork in preparation of the concrete pour for the lower foundation.
Installation of the fire road retaining wall.
The former helipad was demolished October 29 in just three hours, giving access to the full footprint of the new building and beginning work on the rest of the foundation.
Bryan Daylor
By Bryan Daylor, Vice President, Ancillary & Support Services, Eden Medical Center
In my previous posts, I described how our “user” team approach to planning the new hospital Those of us who head up different functional areas at Eden worked in teams (consisting of managers, supervisors, staff and physicians) to determine the best way to improve the delivery of patient care in the new hospital by implementing industry best practices.
Our focus all along has been on patient safety and quality of care, efficient patient flow and effective use of skilled resources. This work has been an important opportunity to design a building that supports the process of care and enhances the experience for patients and caregivers. We were challenged with the puzzle of creating work space and flow in a new building, but in the end we feel we have achieved an excellent design for the new hospital.
While the construction teams are busy working on the visible sign of progress, we are planning for what goes inside the new building. Our teams are working with the project engineers and architects and some of the key users on what fills the space that we have so carefully designed: the structures and equipment that will be in each room of the new hospital. This space planning includes reviewing the elevations of casework, cabinets, counter tops and work surfaces to ensure that the work areas and surfaces align with work flow and support functions.
Although we have not selected the final medical equipment, we must plan for the equipment that goes into every room. We are taking inventory of the equipment needed and documenting the space allocation and utility needs (electrical, plumbing, data, cooling and ventilation) required for every piece of equipment in every room. There are more than 8,500 pieces of equipment inventoried for the new hospital that must be accounted for in the room-by-room layouts. Over the past four weeks, the team has worked together to review each floor to ensure the drawings are accurate and inclusive of the specific details required to support the equipment and functionality of the space.
The group is also researching and evaluating technological advancements in every discipline to anticipate changes and ensure that, when the new hospital opens, we will have the most up-to-date equipment for our staff and our patients.
I welcome you comments and questions.
Sutter Medical Center Faces Costly Delay, Loss of Construction Jobs as State Deadline Looms
The California Nurses Association (CNA) has filed a lawsuit that threatens the future of the new Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley now under construction.
“That the nurses union would sue to stop us from building our new hospital after a decade of planning is extremely frustrating to our employees, physicians, volunteers and patients who have worked so hard and so long for this,” said Eden Medical Center President & CEO George Bischalaney. “This political action by the union hurts everyone, puts thousands of jobs in jeopardy, threatens the future of the hospital and could cause irreparable harm to the community.
“This type of action drives up the cost of health care for everyone. After an exhaustive and inclusive public process, the union’s lawsuit could mean will not be able to meet the State’s 2013 deadline to replace the Eden hospital. Not meeting the deadline could result in closure of current hospital before the new hospital is completed and certified for occupancy.”
The Environmental Impact Report and land use entitlements were approved by the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council, the Alameda County Planning Commission and Alameda County Board of Supervisors. The first phase of construction has been approved by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Alameda County granted necessary permits and construction started July 1.
The new medical campus will create more than a 1,000 union jobs during the three years of construction and pump millions of dollars into the local economy benefiting many local businesses.
Construction crews demolished the vacant Pine Cone Apartment complex and began relocating the helipad and are readying the site for the foundation of the $320 million, seven-story, 130-bed hospital and regional trauma center. The new medical center will expand needed emergency and urgent care services. A new 80,000-square-foot medical office building for physicians is also planned. Sutter Health is financing the entire project with no public taxes or funding.
Sutter has invested more than $200 million in capital in Eden Medical Center’s facilities since acquiring the hospital from the Eden Township Healthcare District in 1998. The new hospital and medical office buildings would bring this investment in the regional medical campus and trauma center to more than $600 million by 2013.
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