UCSF, Smith Cardiovascular Research Building

Following an integrated project delivery model with Lean construction methods, the use of BIM technology and an incentive program, Rudolph and Sletten completes University of California, San Francisco’s new Smith Cardiovascular Research Building in Mission Bay 10 weeks early.

The new, five-story, 236,000-square-foot collaborative center for the world-renowned UCSF Cardiovascular Research Institute and the new UCSF Center for Prevention of Heart and Vascular Diseases with an outpatient facility will focus on advancing ways to predict and prevent these devastating illnesses. The facility brings basic research scientist and clinicians together under the same roof, thereby accelerating their efforts to understand cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke.

“UCSF achieved substantial completion 10 weeks earlier than the original as-planned schedule. This achievement has been facilitated by the University’s Integrated Project Delivery model. Incorporating Lean construction, use of BIM technology and Incentive programs --- and of course an exemplary Project Team of Design and Construction Professionalism who have worked so diligently on this project.” Michael Bade,
(Interim) Assistant Vice Chancellor, Capital Programs,
University of California San Francisco

Designed by the SmithGroup, along with San Francisco-based Jim Jennings Architecture, the L-shaped center features flexible lab space spread over three floors for nearly 500 researchers. The layout generates office “clusters” on each floor. The offices were placed together to promote interaction among building users, enhanced by a centrally located glass-enclosed area where researchers will be able to meet and dine together.

Innovation on the project began early when UCSF chose to use the best value selection process as a standard in the procurement of the general contracting services as well as the design build subcontractors. The best value process recognizes that there is value in experience, team members, safety records, and other aspects of the job rather than just cost. This holistic approach to selecting a contractor leads to a higher quality product, fewer change orders, and promotes a team atmosphere.

Lean construction techniques, such as the big room and Last PlannerTM, added value by reducing waste. The big room trailer gathered all designers, contractors, and the owner in one location to promote communication and teamwork. Last Planner provided a framework that promoted scheduling input from many levels, all the way down to the foreman in the field.

“Through the implementation of the Last Planner system and collaborative planning, the project was completed on time and within budget,” said Danielle Douthett, Senior Project Manager for Rudolph and Sletten. “The phase scheduling techniques that were employed allowed the field foreman to be invested in the outcome of the project and make a real commitment about their performance.”

Last Planner started with the master schedule covering the entire project, followed by a detailed phase schedule emerging from collaborative planning and a very detailed weekly work plan. This process identifies the critical activities and best sequence of tasks for the entire team not just one individual party. Throughout these sessions, Rudolph and Sletten implemented 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) for coordination between trades, sequencing of tasks and to fully understand the scope of each trades’ work within an area. From the schedule, weekly work plans were measured for percent plan complete thereby providing for accountability and learning from every experience. When negative trends are identified, questions were asked to locate the root of the problem so that changes could be implemented to improve the percentage for subsequent weeks.

“Planning was key in the successful on-time completion of such a complex building, The exterior skin alone was a complex undertaking consisting of eight different materials installed by different subcontractors.” Danielle Douthett,
Senior Project Manager,
Rudolph and Sletten

The $25.5-million exterior system is made up of different materials and systems procured from many different sources around the world. The building’s skin boast travertine stone from Italy; terracotta tile and baguette’s from Germany; metal panels from Colorado and Pennsylvania; a polycarbonate wall system and mechanical roof screens from Pennsylvania; aluminum curtain-wall system and a unitized curtain-wall system from Fremont, Calif.; glazing from Minnesota; glass from China; and aluminum sunshades from Texas. To help keep track of the many different materials and systems, Rudolph and Sletten implemented a design-build delivery method for the exterior skin.

The building is pursuing LEED gold certification. The project’s LEED features include:

• green roof
• low-flow fixtures and waterless urinals
• an Energy Star reflective roof
• 75% of construction waste diverted from landfills
• the usage of 20% of recycled materials
• 3ft-thick underground stormwater control gravel basin

Designed to be UCSF’s first LEED certified building, the project provides open laboratories for 48 principal investigators with flexible enclosed support areas and offices spaces spread on the three middle floors. The first floor contains administration, common and meeting areas and the top occupied floor houses the vivarium. The building’s architecture facilitates, encourages, and enhances the principals of collaboration and efficiency—cornerstones of success in research.