The project consisted of reconstructing an existing 100,000 SF Bank of America building into a state-of-the-art Outpatient Center for the Veterans Affairs by expanding the building 25,000 SF. Adjacent to the facility is a new poured-in-place 4-story, 395 stall parking garage. The facility was constructed over 19 months, finishing ahead of the anticipated completion date by more than four months. The project remained on budget during construction amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, material delays, and increased material pricing.  

The Outpatient Center houses an array of medical services including dental, physical therapy, women’s health, prosthetics, mental health, radiology, eye clinic, pathology and audiology. 

The design and preconstruction process started with Lusardi, Ware Malcomb and Protea Properties in 2016. The integrated project team worked together for two years developing the drawings and working through multiple rounds of budget pricing to make sure every dollar was spent judiciously. Because the project was not a new ground-up building, Ware Malcomb and the design team worked closely on multiple value-engineering efforts regarding the structural integrity of the building. This benefited the Owner in cost, schedule and met all compliance standards for the VA.  

Building Information Modeling (BIM) was a critical component on the project starting in the early stages of design. It elevated the 2D drawings to 3D and helped the project team use every inch of ceiling space, interstitial space and cavity space. Because the building was a retrofit, all MEP, fire sprinkler systems, low voltage and framing coordination was critical. BIM brought the engineers and contractors into a platform to iron out design and construction related clash detection before walls were demolished and rebuilt.