Looking at different options for the Baptist Medical Center South Campus Expansion project in Jacksonville, Fla., foundation systems helped save the client a significant amount of money. Initially, the design included caisson foundations under the new tower. A large complication to this initial plan was an existing emergency power line running under the tower that would have had to be removed and back-fed into a new system. That would have been a very time consuming and expensive option. The hospital also had vibration issues in the past with the caisson foundations under Tower D. Working with the engineers to find a better solution, we were able to do a large mat foundation instead. A 24-hour pour of the foundation was done. With this solution, we were able to work the mat foundation around the power line and tie our tower crane foundation into it as well. This not only shaved time off the schedule, but also saved the hospital several million dollars.
On the current Charlotte Metro project in Charlotte, N.C., the Batson-Cook project team is using conex covered walkways instead of the typical plywood and scaffolding used in the past. The conex covered walkways are easy to install, maintain and remove, as well as providing a more protective barrier between pedestrians and vehicle traffic. The system provides a controlled access into the project building where signage and communications can be posted. The fully covered solution prevents pedestrians from straying into the road or construction area via solid walls along the entire length of the walkway.
The early involvement of the Virtual Design & Construction (VDC) team only added to the success of the Northside Midtown Medical project. Working closely with the operations team, our VDC team created alternative skin models for pricing and analyzed the site with drones utilizing some of Batson-Cook’s internal “Part 107” certified drone pilots. They also used software, such as Agtek, to model and coordinate around the existing rock. We worked as a team to create value engineering options and in turn, were successful in saving the owner money.
At Northside Midtown Medical, we utilized the base building information modeling components to compare the tenant build-out drawings prior to starting construction. Working with the design team and our trade partners, this ensured there were no clashes and any conflicts were identified prior to construction start, thus saving time and overall project cost.
Due to the severely late selection of a design professional and Construction Manager for Burnett Middle School’s 2019 Referendum Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Renovations, Batson-Cook quickly realized there wasn’t adequate time for the standard schedule of soliciting sub pricing on 100 percent of the construction documents. Therefore, we worked with the engineers to fast-track the design of long-lead mechanical equipment needed in order to solicit competitive pricing directly from chiller manufacturers.
We made a selection, place the order prior to receiving the balance of the construction documents, and prior to soliciting bids from trades required to install the (already-ordered) equipment. This resulted in the ability to replace the chiller plant equipment during the last two weeks of July. The campus had fully operational, new chillers working when teachers and students returned from summer break.
The UF Health North Patient Tower was designed to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (the review is still in process). The project team prepared for submitting the LEED certification application by involving the owner, UF Health, consultants such as mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineers, civil, food service design and the landscape architect throughout all design submittals and initial project planning to come up with achievable credits and innovative ideas to further enhance the sustainable attributes of the building. As the general contractor, Batson-Cook was responsible for making sure the sustainable design met three criteria:
We used strategies such as providing large areas of green roofs to reduce heat island effect, while providing a refreshing view from patient windows. The entry of the building has a large overhang to manage sun exposure and help keep the lobby cool. The site is designed to support community connectivity for walkability to nearby amenities, and has dedicated charging spaces for electric vehicles. The installed flooring requires no waxing and stripping, which decreases life cycle costs while reducing reliability on potentially toxic cleaning agents.
Other sustainable features included: