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Although smaller in footprint than several otherAdventHealth offsite emergency departments in Florida, AdventHealth Westchaseexperienced no relief in the number of challenges it faced during construction. At $11.2 million and 15,000 squarefeet, the one-floor facility has 12 beds and seesabout 35 to 40 patients a day. It fills a vital geographic gap in the area’s emergencycare continuum, lightening the load for its parent hospital some 30 miles away.

At the Westchase location, Robins & Morton’sexperience with the client proved invaluable, as well as their knowledge ofconstructing other offsite emergency departments. That quickly became evidentas the team began their battle with site logistics.  The freestanding facility was essentiallybuilt in a swamp, making demolition and equipment access nearly impossible. Andfollowing the removal of nearly 200 massive live oaks, an undetected amount ofgarbage from an old landfill was discovered beneath the site. Robins &Morton spent an additional $35,000 for the trash removal alone. While therewasn’t a lot of rain during construction, it didn’t matter – the ground wasalready saturated. It became a struggle every morning simply to get the waterout. The contractor ultimately raised the elevation four feet over the four-acresite, requiring approximately 40,000 cubic yards of fill.

Once the sitework was complete and thestructure was underway, there were other hurdles to overcome. Early designtweaks to the facility’s MRI suite delayed certain phases of the work by threeweeks because it changed the layout of the below-ground infrastructure. The teamwas also asked to finish one of the laboratory spaces a full three months earlyto allow time for equipment permitting. That called for the complete buildoutof the lab, including mechanical, electrical, interior finishes, IT wiring, andtechnology. Tool thefts and break-ins were another frequent problem, promptingthe contractor to hire a full-time security officer.

Despite the hurdles, Robins & Morton founda way to keep the project on the critical path.

Despite a challenging start, the project wasconclusively a success due to Robins & Morton’s nimble scheduling,commitment to quality management, and quick adaptations to plan aroundAdventHealth’s service needs. Through innovation, technology, and thepioneering Building Forward® approach, the team collaborated effectivelythroughout the project, engaging all contractors as true partners, and overcameeach challenge together.