Inspired Project Delivery

The design of the Sulpizio Family Cardiovascular Center, a glass-wrapped jewel box created by RTKL, reflects the unusual nature of the facility itself. Located on the University of California San Diego’s (UCSD) Medical Center Campus, the complex is the first in the area to combine cardiovascular research, education, and patient care. The building’s 360-degree vistas of the La Jolla coastline, nearby canyons, and the Torrey Pines State Reserve are symbolic of the transparent, interconnected healthcare processes housed within its walls.

The 128,000-square-foot structure, located adjacent to Thornton Hospital on the La Jolla campus, combines everything from clinical diagnosis to treatment to the final stage of recovery. The center features 12 intensive care, 15 intermediate care, and 27 acute care rooms, as well as echocardiogram rooms, cardiac catheterization labs, an emergency department, cardiology operating rooms, and research facilities.

The design process itself provided an unusual roadmap that led to the success of the final result. It started in 2005, when the UCSD Medical Center first approached RTKL. The initial set of goals was ambitious: It needed to relieve pressing space limitations, consolidate outpatient and inpatient cardiovascular services, ensure capacity for a projected increase in demand for services, and prepare for more complex cases from a fast-growing over-65 population. As if that weren’t enough, the facility also needed to maintain a financially sustainable payer mix.

Seven years later, with construction completed, those involved marvel not just at the project’s ability to meet those goals with a cutting-edge design, but at the intensely collaborative process that allowed them to do so on time and under budget.

This unique approach—the success of which is all the more remarkable for having overcome unexpected obstacles, challenges, and shifting budgets—can only be described as “inspired project delivery.”

High-performance team

Early on in the development process, it was apparent to the owner that an innovative approach would be necessary in order to fully realize the facility’s delivery potential.

With the idea of bringing together a single group to formulate a complex plan, RTKL worked with UCSD to create a multidiscipline and collaborative team structure. An initial five-person board of directors was created to reach the goal of achieving the best value for the project. The board, which later expanded to 12, comprised leadership from the hospital, builder, architect, and engineering team.