When completed, Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, will be the second-largest pediatric hospital and research center in the nation. It is expected to serve up to 1 million patients in 2012, it says.

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Scheduled for completion in 2012, the new $480 million, 750,000-square-foot Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, will provided updated facilities and equipment to patients, and make the 12-story facility the second-largest pediatric hospital and research center in the nation. For example, the hospital currently handles 759,000 patients visits a year, and that number is expected to increase to 1 million in 2012.

Constructed by Turner Construction with Smoot Construction as its construction manager associate, the new facility will have a new hermatology/oncology/blood and marrow transplant unit; a theater with advanced audio/visual equipment; family lounges; indoor and outdoor dining spaces and on-demand room service; a expanded emergency department with 62 exam rooms with increased support for Ohio’s first Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center; and a separate pediatric, intensive care, cardiac intensive care and transplant floor with 30 beds.

The hospital will have 469 beds, and the patient rooms will average about 300 square feet. The private patient rooms will include sleeping accommodations for parents, personal space, private showers, Internet access and entertainment systems, and patients can control their own lighting systems.

The site also has a six-acre brownfield development that will be converted into green space for families, employees and local community members. Also, storm and rainwater will be recycled into site irrigation systems, and its courtyard will reduce the heat effect of the building and provide outdoor access to patients, it says.

Construction began in October 2008. Turner Senior Project Manager Charlie Egbert recently spoke to Construction Today about the project, its challenges, some of its unique aspects and how it will benefit the community.

Construction Today: What phase is the project in now?
Charlie Egbert: (As of November) We are currently erecting steel and beginning the exterior systems installation.

CT: What has been done so far?
CE: All demolition, excavation and foundation, and superstructure concrete are complete. Overhead utility rough-in and masonry partitions are being installed in the lower level basement. The exterior envelope systems have begun, starting with the curtainwall system and will be followed by the architectural precast concrete, metal panels, cement plaster and roofing systems.

The utility tunnel below the basement level is being equipped with piping and conduit, which brings utilities from the new central energy plant that is under construction by another firm for the hospital.

CT: What still needs to be done?
CE: Completion of the exterior systems and interior build-out.

CT: So far, what are some of the challenges you have encountered?
CE: Some of the design components are constantly changing in an effort to maintain the most state-of-the-art facility that the hospital industry has to offer. The equipment, procedures and finishes evolve over the course of construction and have to be updated to provide the best facility Nationwide Children’s Hospital can offer to its clients. It is difficult to keep pace with the changing plan but it helps produce an amazing project.

CT: What has been done to overcome and meet those challenges?
CE: We overcome these challenges by setting collective project goals that motivate all of the stakeholders to work towards the same end. Providing the children and the families who rely on this hospital with the best facility they could hope to have is what we focus on to overcome the obstacles.

CT: Why is the project focusing so much on green and sustainability?
CE: It is not a LEED building, but (Nationwide Children’s Hospital) is conscientious about sustainability in its projects.

CT: How is this project different from other ones you have participated in?
CE: Personally, this is the first project I’ve worked on in Ohio. I have found the subcontractor community to be excellent based on my experience and the weather to be often uncooperative for construction. The excavation and foundation work was hindered by the cold, ice and snow during the winter months.

CT: Is there anything special about the project that you wanted to mention?
CE: The Nationwide Children’s Hospital is a sophisticated client who knows what they want. They have assembled a first rate group of designers and consultants to translate their vision into a design. They have assigned TurnerSmoot (Smoot Construction) the task of transforming this design into a new facility that is within their budget and within their schedule needs. Turner has a long relationship with Smoot and has work on several projects together here in Ohio.

CT: How did you get involved in the project and what were your responsibilities?
CE: I was selected by Turner to be the project leader. I manage the project for TurnerSmoot with an average staff of 30 employees. I am responsible for meeting the owner’s needs and coordinating with their designers and consultants.

CT: How do you expect this project to benefit the community?
CE: The local neighborhood community gets the enhancement of having the newly constructed hospital and green space. The increased capacity, resources and services that the hospital will be able to provide will benefit children in Ohio, the United States and all over the world.