CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolinas AGC recently bestowed the 2015 Pinnacle Awards to five construction projects, two of which were healthcare projects. Pinnacle entries are judged on unique aspects and challenges, special values, project management, budget and schedule and safety performance. To view photos of the winning projects, visit www.cagc.org.)
Best Building Project Under $5 Million
Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center – Linear Accelerator, Huntersville, N.C.
Vannoy Construction
The Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center Linear Accelerator project is a 4,902-square-foot addition and renovation of an existing medical office building. The Linear Accelerator allows Novant Health to provide radiation oncology services such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy and stereotactic radiotherapy for select brain lesions.
Challenges facing this project included working in a very restrictive environment, tight site conditions and an even tighter project schedule. Additionally, much of the construction occurred after hours to not interfere with hospital traffic—which also meant quiet time for the patients; therefore it was vital that noise and light be controlled and kept to a minimum.
Due to Vannoy Construction’s involvement in the preconstruction phase, they were able to provide cost savings analysis and aid in delivering the project within budget with a zero recordable incident rate and zero lost work time.
Best Building Project $5 Million and Over
High Point Regional Hospital Infrastructure Improvements, High Point, N.C.
Rentenbach Constructors
High Point Regional Hospital is the city’s largest center for medical care. With most of its power and utility infrastructure over 30 years old, the hospital was under constant threat from a failure of aging and strained mechanical, electrical and HVAC systems. The facility needed new emergency generators, new water chillers to provide air conditioning throughout the campus and new electrical switchgear for both emergency and normal power delivery—the construction equivalent of a heart transplant. There was no room for error, as maintenance of the hospital’s utilities was literally a matter of life and death.
One unique aspect of this project included how the contractor worked directly with hospital staff to plan the exact moment of each power transfer, ensuring that each department was notified and each room, individual and affected piece of equipment was identified. The team’s planning, coordination and communication with the hospital worked so well that fifty-five major electrical shutdown/transfer operations were accomplished without any incidents, injuries or equipment damage.
A full “heart transplant” of High Point Regional Hospital was completed with barely a flicker of lights.
Source: Carolinas AGC.
