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Trades operate in new surgical addition at Oakwood Hospital

Date Posted: November 12 2004

Operations are ongoing at Dearborn's Oakwood Hospital - both the kind with scalpels and the kind with shovels.

Construction manager Barton-Malow and the building trades are erecting a $62 million, 180,000-square-foot North Surgical Addition that will allow Oakwood to expand its medical services. The trades are building 17 new operating rooms in the addition, which is a two-year project expected to be completed in the fall of 2005.

The addition consists of two levels atop a basement - and the basement sits atop 134 concrete foundation caissons that extend 90 feet below ground. That's a lot more caissons than a building this size would normally require, but the high level of moisture in the clay soil decreases the stability of the ground. Getting out of the ground was the job's biggest challenge to date, said Jay Harshe, senior project manager for Barton-Malow.

"That's a lot of concrete down there," he said "But we're building on what was a swamp at one time."

The addition will tie into the existing hospital on two levels. Mounir Karam, senior construction administrator for project architect SSOE, said the modern medical applications in the north addition will "touch nearly every area of the building code."

"Since these are operating rooms, the building will be crowded with different mechanical systems," he said. "Vacuum, medical gases, oxygen, waste, lighting, you name it. When you build to hospital standards, the rules are very stringent."

Karam said the addition's design team spent many hours with Oakwood doctors and medical staff, to find out what they want and don't want in a surgical environment.

The North Addition will also include room for an additional CT scanner, office space and expansion of diagnostic imaging and laboratory services, according to Oakwood. The building trades are also erecting a 300-plus spot parking deck on the site.

In August iron workers substantially topped out the project, having place 1,700 tons of steel on the job. Overall, said Barton Malow Project Supt. Bruce Belisle, about 135 Hardhats will be on the project in the coming weeks, which will be peak employment.

"The trades and the subs have been outstanding," said Jay Harshe, senior project manager for Barton-Malow. "We've worked with a lot of them before, so it's a huge advantage."

OPERATORS Sal Patrico, left, and Mike Stuben of Local 324 move dirt at the new North Surgical Addition at Oakwood Hospital.
GET YOUR MOTOR running - Gary Antonelli of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1 pull-starts a troweling machine at the Oakwood Hospital project.