If there’s one thing that excites the team at Kienlen Constructors, it’s a challenge. And when Kienlen was competitively selected by Alberici for portions of the SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital Campus Renewal Project, that’s exactly what we got.
A project of this size is no small undertaking for any construction company. Featuring a 802,000-square-foot hospital with 316 patient rooms, trauma center and ER, sizable ICU, 115,000-square-foot ambulatory care center, 950-space precast parking garage and green spaces, the new hospital will markedly advance the standard in patient care.
Collaboration and Lean Construction Lead to Success
Once the steel was at the site, Kienlen’s team was able to work quickly to set each of the 9,000 individual pieces. The final steel beam was placed atop the new 10-floor hospital on August 16, 2018 — two months ahead of the original eight-month timeline. Thoughtful design of the steel, a commitment to accelerating the hospital’s timeline and careful planning allowed the pieces to be erected faster and more efficiently.
“We were able to provide a quality project on time and under budget in part due to the high quality of personnel management,” said Earl Ming, Project Manager.
Demonstrating Self-Perform Capabilities
Kienlen has proven itself a successful partner to SSM Health in the past, most recently by setting the precast concrete and steel on the parking garage of a new outpatient center in St. Charles, Missouri. The Campus Renewal Project is an exciting opportunity to work with SSM Health again.
“Overall, it’s a great project for us,” said Ming. “It’s a huge plus to receive support from players who are all on the same side…It also lets us showcase the experienced team that we have at Kienlen while growing new talent within the company, which will benefit our steel and concrete work in the future.”
With the steel work complete, Kienlen’s crews have moved on to setting the 800 pieces of pre-cast concrete for the 950-car parking garage. The successful acceleration of the timeline has allowed the hospital’s completion to be slated for autumn of 2020.