Healthcare Project Earns 2019 Design-Build Project of the Year

This year’s 2019 Design-Build Project/Team Award winners were announced during the awards dinner at this year’s Design-Build Conference & Expo.

Sharp Chula Vista Ocean View Tower, located in Chula Vista, California, was this year’s top winner—earning the distinction of Design-Build Project of the Year. The project team included owner Sharp Healthcare, Inc., Design-Build/general contractor Hensel Phelps, architect SmithGroupJJR and structural engineer DEGENKOLB.

Meeting the growing need of a California border community, the Design-Build team designed and constructed this seven-story, inpatient hospital tower ahead of schedule and under budget. Within the 106-bed tower, there is a grand two-story lobby on the ground floor, with separate surgery and ICU waiting rooms—placed adjacent to courtyards and healing gardens.

Three floors make up the bulk of the tower with patient rooms flanking both the eastern and western sides for views with natural lighting. The central core of the facility houses physician and nursing functions, such as call stations, for quick and effective responses. To further elevate the experience, the hospital’s “redefined dining” is located on the top floor, providing 270 degree views of the ocean and chaparral-covered hills.

A key element to the team’s success was building a culture of dynamic problem solving. According to the owner, the team was open-minded, collaborative, creative and executed solutions quickly and effectively. Early collaboration eliminated the need to obtain deferred approvals, which reduced the project review schedule by six months—allowing construction to start one year ahead of time.

Contingency savings allowed Sharp Healthcare to significantly enhance and upgrade the building without adding additional cost to the budget. Through multiple user reviews with full virtual and physical mock-ups, over 72 items were identified and revised, more than 100 process improvements were made and the result was one which included 55 design features to support Sharp’s commitment to be a high-reliability organization, and exceeded expectations on shared target goals related to safety, quality, cost excellence and schedule.

For more information and a full list of winners of this year’s awards, visit DBIA’s website.