The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Academic Office Building and Parking Structure
Oklahoma City  
Best Project & Excellence in Safety Award of Merit

Owner: University Hospitals Authority and Trust
Lead Design Firm: Bockus Payne Associates Architects
General Contractor: Manhattan Construction Co.
Civil Engineer: Smith Roberts Baldischwiler LLC
Structural Engineer: Zahl-Ford Inc.
MEP Engineer: Alvine Engineering
Subcontractors: Cantera Concrete Co.; Basden Steel Co.; Advance Masonry; Green Country Interiors; Lithko Contracting Inc.; NAC Mechanical; Oak Cliff Mirror and Glass

The College of Medicine Academic Office Tower is nine stories tall with a three-story atrium, two elevated pedestrian bridges and a suspended building connector that stretches from a 700-car parking garage to the tower. The team employed close collaboration and innovative solutions to complete the $58.88-million project under budget and on the substantial completion date in January 2017.

A logistics plan helped crews execute work without impeding operations at the active medical center. Other challenges included excavation of a subgrade, 30-ft basement and retention system to address the slope of the site. Crews also had to contend with an unidentified oil wellhead and contaminated soils without affecting the overall schedule.

A 70-ton crane placed a structural steel skywalk over an existing parking structure that had to be closed temporarily. The lift was complicated by an extremely limited work radius. For the skywalks, the team had to determine the exact location of connection points and then erect structural concrete columns that aligned perfectly with the new segments, which were then lifted into place.

The tight work area—in the middle of a health sciences campus—presented safety hazards and demanded increased communication to ensure safety. The safety team implemented a tool called Hazard Scout to increase efficiency and prevent potential hazards by tracking safety observations. Work was completed with zero OSHA recordable incidents.

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