A Healthy Addition to Munson Healthcare
As Munson Medical Center continues to grow, the healthcare organization embarked on its biggest expansion yet – with a new surgery addition and a Family Birth and Children’s Center totaling 50,000 sq. ft. As a trusted partner, Windemuller was excited to kick off another project with Munson Healthcare to help them create their new four-story surgical addition.
Overview
Munson Healthcare is a prominent medical provider headquartered in Traverse City, the largest and leading healthcare system in northern Michigan. As they continue to put their patients first with superior quality care, Munson decided to pursue the hospital’s largest expansion featuring a four-story surgical addition.
This addition includes a surgical floor, mechanical area and shell space. The new facility added two hybrid operating rooms, two standard OR rooms and a Bi-Plane exam room. The Windemuller team was also tasked with installing a duct bank system and one new generator. A 20,000 above ground fuel storage and 660 gallon day tank were also included onsite, totaling 20,660 gallons of fuel on hand at all times.
The Challenge
A common challenge with many projects during this time frame was the shutdown period due to COVID-19. After being shut down for two months, our team had to manage a complicated schedule while completing work at the hospital, which was fully operating throughout the pandemic. This made certain tasks difficult to complete, including taking a one Mw generator offline during hours of operation. Not only was this challenging because the hospital cannot be without power, but our team was responsible for fitting a two-Mw generator into a one-Mw space.
Our team experienced scheduling setbacks as well as delays in shipping of equipment needed for this project. Not all equipment needed for the hybrid rooms was selected in advance of the design phase, so when it came time to pull the rooms together, the equipment was too large for the space. The rooms that housed this equipment had to be gutted, while still maintaining the original schedule.
The Solution
Windemuller’s strong, long-lasting relationship with Munson was crucial to the success of this project. Our crew was able to effectively communicate with the hospital staff, while remaining transparent regarding any issues that surfaced. We developed a plan to ensure one of the one-Mw generators could handle the facility’s power while our team got the two-Mw generator online.
Windemuller reached Munson’s goal of staying on schedule thanks to our amazing team. One attribute of success was working with our operations department to ensure the right staff was brought onto this project. By having skilled team members who were experts at the work needed to be performed, helped our crew complete the job correctly and in a timely manner. Our team was willing to work outside of standard work hours to help meet the schedule put in place. In regards to equipment delays, our team adjusted their schedule based on what work could be performed with the equipment on hand. Thanks to the amazing partners with whom we collaborated on this project, Munson is set to open their new facility this November 2021.
