Press Release
“Skin” Enclosure Goes On New Mills-Peninsula Medical Center
Ahead of Schedule
BIM Technology Speeds Up Progress On Bay Area’s
First Hospital Built On Earthquake-Sensitive Base Pillars
BURLINGAME, CA – September 15, 2008 -- Contractors with Turner Construction Company have begun encasing the new six-story, 450,000 square-foot Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in pre-cast concrete, ahead of schedule. To date, the equivalent of 14 acres of concrete flooring has been poured.
By the time the enclosure is completed [in March 2009], construction workers will have poured 26,000 cubic yards of concrete foundations and floors covering 18 acres -- for both the new hospital and medical office building located on the Burlingame campus.
The pre-cast concrete panels, aluminum curtain wall, exposed architectural steel and low-e glazing windows for natural lighting will give Mills-Peninsula Medical Center a dramatic exterior.
Planning Technology Helps Expedite Building Construction
The $618 million facility is not only the first Bay Area hospital to be built on earthquake-sensitive base isolators – it is using cutting-edge technology that creates real-time digital 3-D models of planned construction to improve efficiencies.
Building information modeling (BIM) technology, the new 3-D software program (by NavisWorks), overlays multiple drafts of the building’s infrastructure and synthesizes them into one unified three-dimensional model identifying where there might be conflicts before actual construction.
“Building a hospital is one of the most complicated construction challenges imaginable,” said Larry Kollerer, senior project manager for Mills-Peninsula Health Services. “With BIM technology, we have been able to closely coordinate the work on overlapping structures of the building and that has helped us move ahead and avoid many time-consuming retrofits.”
BIM enables architects, engineers, designers and building contractors to create a coordinated, digital model for managing workflow during construction. In practical terms, that means electricians and plumbers get precise information about outlets and pipes so they do not have to rip out and re-do their work because of unforeseen problems, such as plumbing pipes or pipes for heating and cooling running in to each other.
With hospitals in particular, that capability is important because when construction work does not go according to plan, regulations require that each “change order” be reviewed by the state.
Designed for Healing
Work is also under way to ensure that the hospital interior is designed to keep patients safe and give them an optimal healing experience. Single-occupancy patient rooms and rooms with sleeping accommodations for relatives will help make the hospital more family-friendly. Nine rooftop and ground-level meditation gardens with walking trails will serve as respite areas for patients, visitors, employees and neighbors.
Other features will include high-performance glazing on windows for energy efficiency, solar shading and floor-to-ceiling glass to bring natural lighting into patient rooms and public areas. Highly sustainable materials, earth friendly and warm in tone, with finishes of natural forms and textures will offer a calming environment that feels like home.
Green Choices Wherever Possible
In terms of “green” building practices, internal systems for the hospital include high-efficiency gas-fired hot water boilers for heating interior spaces and chilled water generation for air-conditioning. Low flow plumbing fixtures, low-VOC materials for less toxic emissions, energy efficient lighting, and rubber flooring (instead of toxic vinyl) are some of the green features in the new facility (see “green” checklist). All building scraps and refuse are being recycled.
The 243-bed Mills Peninsula Medical Center complex is slated for completion in 2010. It will include a new 180,000 square-foot medical/administrative office building. The multi-level parking garage opened in January 2007.
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