A Successful Operation

Joint-venture group nears completion of MUSC hospital in Charleston, S.C., that blends the latest technology with elements reminiscent of the historic city.

By Debra Wood

The commitment of Charleston, S.C., to preserving its history and cultural legacy is well-known, so when the Medical University of South Carolina wanted to add a new hospital to its campus on the historic downtown peninsula, the city and concerned residents had a say in how the $200 million Ashley River Tower project would look.

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“It’s a pretty handsome building and not as tall as I thought it was going to be,” says Eddie Bello, city architect and director of the city’s architecture and preservation division of the planning, preservation and economic innovation department. “Height’s a big deal in Charleston. You can see the tower from different vantage points, but it’s not overpowering. It’s more of a strong statement. We’re happy.”

Architects NBBJ of Seattle, which assumed responsibility for design of the exterior and major public spaces, and LS3P Associates of Charleston, charged with clinical and support space design, met with city officials and residents to ensure they would conceptualize a building the community would accept.

The city rezoned and raised allowable building heights and street-level design requirements to accommodate the seven-story, 156-bed patient tower.

“It helped us not having small houses directly across or adjacent to us,” says Greg Soyka, executive project manager for LS3P. As the city expands, “it wants to continue the historic fabric and wants the overall peninsula to retain the same kind of charm as the old part.”

Breaking the building mass into two distinct sections – a four-story diagnostic and treatment center and a seven-story bed tower – helped it blend in, Soyka says. He calls the hospital’s entry garden the most significant historic tieback. Many preserved homes in Charleston include gardens.

“There is a blend (on the exterior) of more traditional components, like brick and stone, with more contemporary components like glass, metal panels, curtain wall,” says Rodney Crumrine, senior associate and project manager with NBBJ. “Its stylistic design components acknowledge the residential style of Charleston.”

Construction manager BGKS, a joint venture of Brasfield & Gorrie of Birmingham, Ala.; and M.B. Kahn Construction and Southern Management Group, both of Columbia, S.C., began the project in 2005 and expect to complete it this month. That’s not quite as early as once anticipated but still three months ahead of the original required completion date., says Steve Mann, senior project manager for BGKS. Mann estimates that the early completion saved the owner about $4 million in overhead and capitalized interest on the loan. To bring it in early, BGKS divided the project in two, with separate crews and supervisors working on the bed tower and the diagnostic and treatment center.

Jack Darnall, central region vice president for health care for Brasfield & Gorrie, says the dual approach sped up the job by seven months.

Chris Malanuk, director of the phase 1 hospital replacement project for MUSC, says the university specified the use of fiberglass-coated drywall, which allowed crews to start hanging it while the building was open.

Finishes throughout the 641,000-sq-ft facility link it with the surrounding historic city. A four-story atrium with skylights serves as an entryway and connects the building’s two sections. Honed blue stone covers the atrium and entryway floor, and a textured grade of the same stone carries out onto the sidewalk and matches other sidewalks in the city.

“It brings in the historic feeling of Charleston,” Mann says.

White columns, topped with a fabric, connect with the atrium’s skylights. Guests looking out the mezzanine windows will see the Ashley River and downtown.

In contrast with the historic look, the building’s functional components embrace the latest technology and infection-control practices. For instance, a seamless vinyl flooring covers the floors, and tucks underneath Dupont Corian-covered walls attached to the sheetrock with glue and booms hold computer screens, cameras and other tools in the operating rooms.

“It’s impressive,” Mann says. “The OR ceiling is always crowded, but now, with the booms, we had to put structural steel supports in an already crowded area.”

Preparing for Opening

For months before MUSC will admit the first patient to Ashley River Tower, BGKS focused on testing hospital systems.

“With health-care construction, the biggest aspect is getting through certifications and final inspections,” Mann says. “It’s extremely more complex than an office building.”

BGKS and associated subcontractors check smoke and heat detection systems on each floor as they are completed. Different teams ensure everything from medical gases and hand-wash dispensers are in place and operational on each floor and that the special HVAC systems function properly in the operating rooms.

“Everything is interconnected,” Mann says. “If anything does not work, it needs to be fixed immediately.”

All systems must check out before the team will schedule a state inspection.

“It’s pass-fail,” Mann says. “We’ll either hit it or we won’t.”

Useful Sources:

MUSC Ashley River Tower
http://www.muschealth.com/ashleyrivertower

MUSC Ashley River Tower Project Team:

Owner: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston
Construction Manager: BGKS, Charleston, a joint venture of Brasfield & Gorrie of Birmingham, Ala.; M.B. Kahn Construction of Columbia, S.C.; and Southern Management Group of Columbia
Architects: NBBJ of Seattle and LS3P Associates of Charleston