The project involved building a 1-million-sq-ft-plus outpatient hospital on Virginia Commonwealth University’s health campus in Richmond. Visible on the city’s skyline and one of the university’s tallest buildings, the project includes the Massey Cancer Center.

The contracting and design team overcame a host of challenges inherent in building a large project on a tight urban site that includes the Virginia Treatment Center for Children. The project, which was also in the direct path of the hospital’s emergency department, required the team to work closely with city officials and VCU Health onsite logistics.

Using design-build helped streamline wall assemblies. Flight patterns for medevac helicopters were closely monitored to prevent collisions with the two tower cranes. A safety team incorporated all the trades and included two full-time site representatives. During the height of the pandemic, QR codes were used for all safety administrative tasks to eliminate physical contact.

Creative design and engineering strategies allowed for the construction of linear accelerator machines—used to destroy cancer cells—in a more uplifting, natural-light-filled, above-ground space instead of the subterranean locations typically used. Innovative construction techniques were also employed, including using a robot to frame exterior walls and the use of a prefabricated glass and aluminum frame.