Moving forward
Gold LEED certification and fast-track opening aside, the MCR project team also seriously thought ahead to the facility's future in terms of how it could continue to successfully serve a growing tri-region area. “Rather than waiting for growth to happen, the team accounted for growth in the facility's master plan. The master plan and its external and internal circulation patterns are designed to allow for the horizontal expansion of all services without disrupting existing patient or central plant operations. When an expansion is completed, the facility will be able to accommodate 400 beds,” Sedmak says.
Thorough in their planning, the team behind the MCR used a “three-legged approach,” and as a result, stayed on task through the duration of the project, dealing with problems quickly to keep the project on time and on budget. “The goals of the team never changed, which allowed us to attack and resolve problems and challenges together. The ‘three-legged stool’ of the owner, architect and contractor was solid throughout the project. If one of the legs needed propping up, and we all needed it at some time, the other legs of the stool helped to shore it up. Of course there were lessons learned and things we would do different, however, at the end of the day, we all agreed that we would be very happy to do it all over again-together,” Arnold says. HBI
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Healthcare Building Ideas 2010 Spring;7(2):40-45
