A Partnership Built for Patient Care
Craig Hospital Expansion and Renovation | Denver, Colorado
Completed as GE Johnson Construction Company
Craig Hospital is a world-renowned neurorehabilitation hospital that focuses on brain and spinal cord injuries. This expansion and renovation of their facility was built while Craig was fully functional and occupied. Due to the success of this project and the strength of our relationship with Craig, our team was recently awarded Craig Hospital’s new Master Plan, which includes four projects over the next five to seven years.
About
The Project
The Craig Hospital Expansion and Renovation project spanned forty-two months working in, around, and atop an active rehabilitative healthcare facility. Construction was comprised of a vertical addition to the existing west building and a four-level horizontal addition totaling 94,000-sq.-ft. Over 150,000-sq.-ft. across three other buildings also underwent a complete renovation to provide 50 new private inpatient rooms, a new two-story rehabilitation center, two therapy gyms, and two rehabilitation swimming pools.
The project encompassed five phases, each comprised of sub-phases to add new patient rooms and offices. All construction was performed and completed on schedule while Craig Hospital was fully functional and occupied.
Fast
Facts
- A patient's average length of stay at Craig Hospital is typically 3 months.
- Early cost certainty was paramount. The project team developed a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) during pre-schematic design, which was held through final bid package procurement!
- When construction of the addition began, walls and foundations were discovered in the existing structure which were not shown on any historical drawings. The project team accommodated this surprise and reworked the plan using building information modeling, self-perform labor, and prefabricated exterior wall panels to stay on schedule.
Craig patients using a car as well as airplane chairs placed into the hospital to practice getting in an out of different types of seats.
A project-specific website for staff and patients to access updates on the latest construction news and upcoming activities was created. Users could log on and submit questions, which were promptly answered by the project team and Craig Hospital staff.
We designated a field superintendent to be a dedicated patient and staff liaison to coordinate with the hospital. This individual was the conduit between Craig Hospital and the project team, allowing both staff and patients at Craig to voice concerns or ask questions throughout the construction process. This individual was also available after hours and on weekends in the event of an emergency.
Craig patients using a car as well as airplane chairs placed into the hospital to practice getting in an out of different types of seats.
A project-specific website for staff and patients to access updates on the latest construction news and upcoming activities was created. Users could log on and submit questions, which were promptly answered by the project team and Craig Hospital staff.
We designated a field superintendent to be a dedicated patient and staff liaison to coordinate with the hospital. This individual was the conduit between Craig Hospital and the project team, allowing both staff and patients at Craig to voice concerns or ask questions throughout the construction process. This individual was also available after hours and on weekends in the event of an emergency.
Crucial
Coordination
The phasing for the Craig Hospital Expansion and Renovation was organized into five major phases, with sub-phases within phases 3, 4, and 5.
- Phase 1: Craig West Addition - 18 months
- Phase 2: Craig West 4th Floor Finishes - 6 months
- Phase 3: Craig West 3rd Floor Renovation - 6 months
- Phase 4: Craig West 2nd Floor Renovation - 6 months
- Phase 5: Craig West 1st Floor and Basement, and Craig East - 12 months
Our project team successfully managed more than 130 design and scope changes and assured no loss of service to patient care or disruption over the length of the project. Key to this success was an early emphasis on logistical planning and micro-phase construction scheduling concurrent with Schematic Design. This allowed the design to accommodate the phasing of critical project components such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) ductwork routing and electrical closet placements.
Testimonial
Hear what Craig Hospital’s Director of Engineering, Lee Means, and President & CEO Mike Fordyce have to say about our performance on this project.
Patient First
Focus
Craig specializes in treating and rehabilitating patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injuries who are extremely sensitive to various aspects of the construction process such as noise, lights, and vibrations.
Meticulous phasing was used to relocate patients away from construction areas. Work progressed floor by floor, with each floor below the work area being vacated as the previous phase ended to provide a layer of sound protection.
Craig staff were also empowered to shut down activities at any time if a patient experienced discomfort, and the project team would immediately put together an action plan to address the concern.
Building Relationships
With Local Authorities
Craig was fully operational throughout construction, which brought compliance challenges with City and State AHJs. Our construction team developed strong relationships with these entities, which assisted in project inspections and created a high-level of trust regarding the safety and separation of the hospital from construction. The state even committed to making the effort to send out the same inspector every time we needed an inspection, which is not their normal procedure.
Protecting
An Active Hospital
As the hospital remained occupied throughout construction, wall separations between occupied spaces and construction required temporary framed and dry walled tunnels with a minimum one-hour fire separation rating, a functioning detection and fire protection system, and emergency lighting and notification of egress.
Often, the tunnels were directly in the middle of the main renovation floor space. The project team created temporary locations for emergency stations such as the generator panel, medical gas panels, and fire alarm panels; these were located and re-located various times throughout construction to accommodate the code for a functioning hospital.
Patient First
Focus
Craig specializes in treating and rehabilitating patients with spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injuries who are extremely sensitive to various aspects of the construction process such as noise, lights, and vibrations.
Meticulous phasing was used to relocate patients away from construction areas. Work progressed floor by floor, with each floor below the work area being vacated as the previous phase ended to provide a layer of sound protection.
Craig staff were also empowered to shut down activities at any time if a patient experienced discomfort, and the project team would immediately put together an action plan to address the concern.
Building Relationships
With Local Authorities
Craig was fully operational throughout construction, which brought compliance challenges with City and State AHJs. Our construction team developed strong relationships with these entities, which assisted in project inspections and created a high-level of trust regarding the safety and separation of the hospital from construction. The state even committed to making the effort to send out the same inspector every time we needed an inspection, which is not their normal procedure.
Protecting
An Active Hospital
As the hospital remained occupied throughout construction, wall separations between occupied spaces and construction required temporary framed and dry walled tunnels with a minimum one-hour fire separation rating, a functioning detection and fire protection system, and emergency lighting and notification of egress.
Often, the tunnels were directly in the middle of the main renovation floor space. The project team created temporary locations for emergency stations such as the generator panel, medical gas panels, and fire alarm panels; these were located and re-located various times throughout construction to accommodate the code for a functioning hospital.
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