Turner Team Delievers Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Center

“The real hallmark of this project is the sense of pride and ownership the entire team feels having delivered on our promise to Cleveland Clinic,” said Cliff Kazmierczak, vice president and construction executive. “The concept of teamwork was central from the outset, as Turner engaged with designer Stantec, and engineers to develop a fast-track approach to the job. And throughout construction the co-location trailer, which we shared with the client, architect, engineer, and other design-assist partners, was a place where the team could come together and share ideas and perspectives in an environment of mutual respect.”

According to Cliff the selective Integrated Project Delivery approach, also sometimes referred to as IPD Lite, was integral in setting the tone and driving the collaborative culture on the project. “Very early on, we helped facilitate a phase-pull schedule with the architect and engineering teams, identifying key milestones and the tasks required to achieve them, and developing early packages,” he added. “With the architect in San Francisco, and the engineer in Boston, that early scheduling agreement was critical to implementation of design development drawings, construction documents, and early design packages. It got us all on the same page, committed to a set of common dates.” He also added that an important element of the process was engaging Turner Logistics to negotiate, on behalf of Cleveland Clinic, the purchase of all major mechanical and electrical equipment not only for this project, but for two other Cleveland Clinic capital projects.

The feeling of common interest, camaraderie, and mutual respect permeated the entire project team – from the owner to the laborers apprentices. In fact, the environment on the job was so remarkable, the drywall foreman was moved to contact the Turner project manager to remark on it. “I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to you and your team for allowing me the privilege of being a part of something so tremendous and groundbreaking,” he wrote. “Never in my life have I felt so respected, valued or important to a project as I have here.”

The project consolidates the hospital’s outpatient cancer treatment facilities which were previously spread across four separate buildings. It adds 125 exam rooms, 98 infusion rooms each with floor to ceiling windows, and large below-grade imaging suites with six linear accelerators, one MRI and three CAT scan machines, and a Gamma Knife, all flooded with natural light from a 35-foot by eight-foot skylight. In addition to these diagnosis and treatment areas, the facility prominently features a pharmacy, a blood lab, a café, a wellness center with massage rooms and a Reiki therapy room, space for reflexology, art and music therapy, a spiritual area for prayer and meditation, and support spaces for other hospital service offerings, such as free wigs, caps, and scarves, and prosthetics.?