Turner Universal Earns National Award from Associated Builders and Contractors

Company Recognized for Excellence for its Work on the Middle Tennessee Medical Center

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Turner Universal, a subsidiary of Turner Construction Company, announced that the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recognized the company’s work on the Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. with the Pyramid Award in the Mega-Project category of ABC’s Excellence in Construction Awards.

The Middle Tennessee Medical Center is a 286-bed, 555,000-square-foot facility, which includes 12 operating rooms, 40 emergency department exam rooms, 32 intensive care units, 11 labor and delivery rooms and 16 neonatal intensive care units.

The project has received significant cost and time savings from the use of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) and the application of Lean Construction practices that focused on the reduction and elimination of waste and increased productivity during construction. The use of these innovative tools and processes were further enhanced through the implementation of an Integrated Project Delivery form of agreement, which encouraged and incentivized all parties to optimize the design and construction process in order to deliver more value to the client. As a result, the project was completed two months ahead of schedule and has $4 million in savings from the Guaranteed Maximum Price.

“This project is an outstanding example of the innovation and commitment to superior craftsmanship that embody merit shop construction,” said Michael D. Bellaman, ABC president and CEO.

“We are proud of the recognition our team has earned for its work in successfully delivering this facility for the benefit of the patients and community served by the Middle Tennessee Medical Center,” said John Gromos, vice president of Turner Universal.

The Excellence in Construction awards program was developed to honor innovative and high-quality construction projects and safety programs. The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer. The winning projects, selected from entries submitted from across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost.

A panel of industry experts served as the competition’s judges. This year’s panel included representatives from the Design-Build Institute of America, Engineering News-Record, the American Institute of Architects, the National Association of Women in Construction and representatives from higher-education institutes, among others.