Fast-tracking on the bayou

Cardiovascular Institute's new facility consolidates offices into central location

By Sam Barnes

The Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Houma received an early Christmas present when its new $7.5 million medical building opened for business in December.

The facility, built by Carothers Construction Inc. of Pearl, Miss., consolidates several of the institute's facilities into a two-floor, 33,000-sq.-ft. structure off the Intracoastal Waterway.

David Mann, project manager with Carothers Construction, said crews broke ground and completed the facility in the same year.

"That was always looming on the horizon - the compressed construction schedule," he added.

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The tenant was driven by economic reasons to have the building opened quickly, which left no room for error during construction.

"One thing we found out is that every little quirk or delay in time has consequences," Mann said. "Generally, when you have a construction schedule you have a little leeway with time. But here time was of the essence and every little delay was cumulative.

"There was no slack."

Breaking ground during the winter was the deadline's biggest potential obstacle.

"We had to break ground in February, perhaps the wettest time of the year," Mann said. "But the weather turned out rather dry. We were able to get the project out of the ground on schedule."

The weather turned nastier in the summer.

"We had a lot of wet weather in June and the site became mired in mud," Mann added. Even though the contractor liberally used wood mats across the site, deliveries into the building by heavy construction equipment caused the mats to sink.

A depletion in skilled labor came next.
"All the other projects across the region were clamoring for their subcontractors to be on their jobsites," Mann said. "We are greatly affected by our proximity to the New Orleans area."

"Since the squeaky wheel gets the grease, we learned how to squeak."

When crews broke ground, existing parking lot, fencing, curbing and underground drainage were first removed and the site was raised with offsite fill.

"Once we removed the substructures, we had to fill the voids left by the old drainage pipe with the select fill," jobsite superintendent Eddie Harrison said.

Boh Bros. Construction of New Orleans drove more than 200 composite piles for the building to 60 ft. deep, followed by the pouring of perimeter footings, pile caps and a 6-in.-thick concrete slab.

Despite the site's close proximity to the Intracoastal Waterway, there were virtually no problems with underground water seepage during the foundation phase.

"But there were some stormwater runoff restrictions that we had to deal with," Harrison added. "Only stormwater on the canal side of the building could drain into the canal. For other areas of the site, we tilled the soil and operated pumps."

The canal and adjoining streets created a confined site, which meant deliveries had to be made "just in time" to prevent delays.

The site's limited space was particularly evident during the erection of structural steel.

"That was closely coordinated between our jobsite superintendent and our steel erector (Lafayette Steel Erectors)," Mann said. "They worked out the order of deliveries from the anchor bolts on up."

The building's second floor consists of a concrete slab on a steel metal deck with 3,500 psi, lightweight concrete.

Inside the building, metal studs were installed by Aladdin Construction of Biloxi, Miss., and drywall by Boudreaux's Masonry of Houma. An area within the building for diagnostic imaging equipment required the specialized installation of lead-lined gypsum board in an area measuring about 40 ft. by 15 ft.

One of the more aesthetic architectural features of the building is a "nicely designed" two-story entrance atrium, which includes a roof skylight.

"The architectural appointments are above standard throughout the building and there's a nice steel-framed porte-cochere with a standing-seam roof at the entrance," Mann added.

Other architectural features include two brick towers at the front corners of the building, as well as a second-floor boardroom that has a decorative balcony that overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway.

"The balcony can be accessed directly from the boardroom," Mann said. "The boardroom comes with architectural appointments, light fixtures and electronically controlled drop-down, audio-visual equipment."

Ceiling heights of 10 ft. made it challenging for the mechanical contractor to install mechanical, electrical and plumbing components within the building.

"The specialty subs were practically working on top of each other," Mann added. "Every subcontractor needs an adequate time to install, so we had to coordinate everything with all the trades in the same room.

"While there is a critical path, we often had two or three trades working simultaneously above the ceiling. There's no way to avoid that." About 100 crewmen, including subcontractors, were working in the building at the peak of construction.

Mechanical installations also included four rooftop air-handling units.

Connie Rochel, administrative services manager with the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, said the new building has consolidated the various departments of the institute into one facility.

"Before, we had six different buildings," she added. "We had surgery down the street, and other departments were all in different buildings. So now we're all together, which greatly improves our ability to function well."

Thirty-six doctors are on the institute's staff.

"We just started cat scan services - that's something new for us," Rochel said. "Before the building was finished, we used the hospital. We now have nuclear medicine, ultrasound, scanning, all in one building." The building's first floor contains examination rooms and the second floor contains administration and physician offices.

The facility, designed by HKS Architects of Baton Rouge, is connected to Terrebonne General Medical Center by sidewalks.

Useful Resources

For more information about the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, go to: http://www.cardio.com/