COVID-19 posed a lot of challenges to the construction industry. But no where was that felt more keenly than by those construction firms who build health care facilities. That was the case with DPR Construction, an ABC member firm based in Columbia, Maryland when they were working on a vertical expansion project and northwest tower for Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster, Maryland.
DPR Construction’s work consisted of building a new 40,000 square foot infill building, including a 11,000 square foot cafeteria that was built on the roof of the emergency department. The northwest tower required extensive sheeting and shoring, as well as deep foundations to accommodate poor soil conditions, prior to starting the concrete structure.
The basement level consists of a new mechanical space, the ground level is the new Clinical Decision Unit. The first level is radiology, and level two is the new critical care unit.
There were numerous challenges along the way. The main one: DPR Construction had to do perform all of its while at an active hospital during the COVID 19 pandemic without impacting the schedule or budget. The new elevators serving the space as well as the new roof had to tie into existing critical care unit rooms which posed schedule challenges.
To mitigate the risks of COVID, the team coordinated with multiple hospital staff daily communicating work activities and getting permission from staff so that workers could safely perform work in specific areas. The above ceiling electrical and plumbing work in the emergency department COVID unit presented the biggest challenge requiring constant communication between the ED charge nurse and the DPR superintendent
For their focus on communicating with medical management, their ability to overcome unforeseen obstacles, and their dedication to protecting the critical ongoing activities of hospital personnel, DPR won an ABC Excellence in Construction Award in the new project over $20 million category.