New six-story hospital tower is scheduled to open in summer 2020, thanks to construction efficiencies achieved through Lean principles and advanced technology.
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. joined Oklahoma Heart Hospital, Mercy and a group of community leaders at a May 7 ceremony commemorating the topping out of the Super West Expansion project at Oklahoma Heart Hospital’s south campus. This traditional construction milestone takes place as the final beam—signed by members of the project team—is hoisted onto the building to signify that the structure has reached its maximum height.
The $150 million Super West Expansion project includes the addition of a six-story, 228,338-sq.-ft. hospital tower on the campus’ west side. Both Oklahoma Heart Hospital and Mercy will share the facility, advancing a 15-year partnership between the two healthcare organizations.
As construction manager, McCarthy is overseeing construction of the new building, which encompasses 44 patient beds; eight cardiac care unit beds; a catheterization lab; two inpatient pharmacies; imaging, prep and surgery areas; a post-anesthesia care unit; a chapel; a lobby and registration area; and administration and shell space. The project also includes construction of a two-level central energy plant, surface parking, a helipad, and a two-level, 180-space parking garage.
The construction team’s use of advanced technology and Lean principles, including pull planning schedules, is maximizing construction efficiency and quality.
“We’ve worked hard to build a highly collaborative project culture focused on strong communication planning and engagement,” said McCarthy Senior Project Manager Joe Lewandowski. “The entire construction team is doing an exceptional job of weaving Lean principles throughout our processes.”
All construction work is being completed without negatively affecting the patients, staff and visitors using the adjacent hospital facility.
“We feel so fortunate to be able to serve this incredible community and bring the high-quality health care Mercy is known for to a growing area,” said Jim Gebhart, president of Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City and regional strategy officer for Mercy. “One of the most exciting aspects of this new facility is that we will have the ability to quite literally grow with the community. This hospital will have the space to be able to double our inpatient capacity in the future and expand services to meet the community’s needs.”
“We saw a need for additional health care services at our location in south Oklahoma City,” said Peggy Tipton, chief operating officer for Oklahoma Heart Hospital. “We knew this was a great opportunity to expand our partnership with Mercy and better serve our patients and community.”
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is serving as construction manager and general contractor, and WHR Architects/EYP Health is the project’s architect. Other project team members include Bernhard TME (mechanical/electrical/plumbing engineer and commissioning) and Cardinal Engineering (civil engineer).
Construction is expected to be complete in summer 2020. Weekly video project updates are available at the construction project website at https://sites.google.com/view/ohh-swe/home.
McCarthy is also completing an expansion to the current hospital’s Emergency Department to support new expanded capacity of the new tower.