Despite four hurricanes during construction, the design and construction team delivered a $499-million medical complex that brings lifesaving care to a metro area of a half-million people. Built on a 57-acre site, the campus includes a 10-story, 264-bed hospital; a six-story, 178,000-sq-ft medical office building; a 48,000-sq-ft behavioral health hospital; and a central energy plant.

During construction, tropical storm Claudette severely damaged the underground storm retention system, causing pipes to jut out from under the flooded parking lot. The team enlisted a third-party engineer and worked with its sitework contractor to prevent major time loss. In preparation for future severe weather events, the campus was constructed with an emphasis on life safety to ensure the facilities’ continued operation.

Drone technology was used consistently throughout the project. From construction start, the team sent the owner weekly videos and photos documenting the project’s progress. That included project highlight videos, area-of-interest inspection photos, high-resolution aerial maps, elevation maps, 3D models and 3D point clouds.

Completed in 48 months—on time and on budget—the campus project represents the single largest investment in health care facilities, services and programs in northwest Florida history, according to the project team.

The project is estimated to have generated 4,261 construction jobs and nearly $201 million in direct construction labor income.