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Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of touring the new Exempla St. Joseph replacement hospital in Denver. The project is known there as St. Joe Heritage or simply “Heritage”. Designed by ZGF with local architectural participation, and constructed by Mortenson, with local construction participation, it is massive—at one time the largest healthcare project in […]
February 21, 2014
According to SquareTrade, a warranty company, broken smart phones have cost Americans $13 billion over the past five years. Of those accidents leading to phone death, over half most recently occurred in the home. Along with SquareTrade’s data, Fast Company included a graphic in a recent issue that showed where our latest iPhone or Android home-based […]
May 23, 2013
I am a LEED AP, BD+C, HIJK, and have been such for nearly ten years. I believe in the top and bottom-line benefits of sustainable design, and think green design provides a superior built environment for both individual and community…which is why I have had such a hard time reconciling my own conflicted feelings after […]
October 8, 2012
Depending on who you ask, hospital beds are either something worth stockpiling, or more likely to sit vacant in the next few years. Those who think beds will be empty cite a huge transition from inpatient to outpatient care, while those who desire more beds cite the sheer numbers of aging Baby Boomers. This is one example […]
October 4, 2012
In his hilarious stand-up, “For What It’s Worth”, comedian Dave Chappelle set up a humorous routine on judgment and capabilities of kids in the news when he famously asked: “How old is fifteen, really?” Borrowing Chappelle’s approach, in regard to judgment and capabilities of A/E/C teams (but with all humor aside) I now ask: how […]
March 2, 2012
Last month I met with a Director of Planning and Design at a four-hospital health system. We were having a philosophical debate on the role of design-build in healthcare. He argued it was not wise on large projects. I questioned why, and he related from painful experience how he inherited some facilities within his system that […]
February 22, 2012
As Republican presidential hopefuls square off in primaries across the U.S., a lot of talk is on how much money candidates are spending to position themselves as the most attractive. The longer the primary process stretches on, the more resources are needed. Political pundits note that candidate “super PACs” bring in millions a month yet can spend […]
October 20, 2010
Hospitals make money in three ways: payments for service (Medicare, Medicaid, private payment), increases on investments, and increased philanthropy. In this economy, many projects are left in suspended animation due to reduced income from all three sources. Design and construction professionals are not in business to make donations or cut fees, but postponed healthcare projects hurt everyone. Instead, design-builders […]
August 10, 2010
The first cost of a building, which is the cost of design, construction and outfitting it for occupancy, is commonly measured as only 20% of a building’s entire life cycle expenses. This leaves 80% of a building’s total expense as roughly operations (energy, utilities) and maintenance (repairs). These stats strongly support sustainable design tactics that reduce […]
July 2, 2010
Competition is always beneficial to elicit a fair price, but does selection by price make any sense? No, because price is as arbitrary as the weather, and not a reliable criterion on who can do the best job. For discussion, let us over-simplify the numbers behind a bid. Assume all subs are providing roughly the same prices to […]
Owner's Toolbox 
July 8, 2014
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