Round Rock Medical Center Expansion and Renovation
Round Rock Medical Center Expansion and Renovation | Round Rock, Texas
The project involved the construction of a new three-level, 130,000-sq.-ft. patient tower tied in to the existing hospital, as well as renovations and a new two-story central plant. The new patient tower included a surgery center, 18-patient post-acute-care and recovery suites, 12-bed intensive care unit and 34 private patient beds. Each phase of the project was turned over to the owner early, and three phases were completed with Zero Defects, or no outstanding punchlist items at substantial completion.
Partners
To Move Quickly
Freeze
The footprint of the new patient tower was directly over the original utilities' path to the hospital. Rather than shut the water off to the hospital while tying into the new line, the team got creative. Temporary “saddles” were attached to the exterior of the 8-inch water main in two sections, and then connected to a nitrogen source. The water in the pipes in the work area froze, allowing workers to cut open the pipe and install the new line. Work had to be performed quickly, before the frozen water could melt, potentially sending hundreds of gallons of water through the open pipe.
Prescription For
Drilling
To drill 20-foot piers inside the occupied pharmacy, DPR built temporary walls to encapsulate work activity within the partitions. A Bobcat was brought in to drill the piers and worked within the temporary walls. Exhaust from the Bobcat was released from the building via a 50-foot flexible steel tube attached to the muffler. The tube extended out of the work area, down the hall and out of a side door of the hospital.
Coordinating A
Heavy Lift
To install the structural steel into the piers, a hole was cut in the roof for cranes to "fly" the steel in. To protect hospital staff, DPR timed the incoming piers with the staff; each time a new piece came in, the staff would leave the area for 20 minutes (it is against OSHA regulation to allow major lifts over occupied spaces), and then they would return when the coast was clear.
Significant
Schedule Savings
The project required the relocation of the employee parking lot. The owner's original schedule called for a new lot to be built prior to beginning construction of the new building. DPR recommended several approaches to “parking control” to allow work to begin on both phases at once. DPR built sidewalks, covered walkways, brought in a shuttle van and built a bus stop pavilion to make the employees' trek from an outer lot easier. By starting the new lot and building at the same time, DPR shaved six months from the schedule.
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