Safety and Coordination

Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) chose our firm to manage the construction of a consolidation and modernization project at the Hammer Health Sciences Center. Spanning three levels and encompassing 39,000sf, phasing and logistics were of key importance to this project’s safety program and to the overall schedule. Working in a fully operational, occupied academic environment required complex phasing and egress plans so that the safety of staff, faculty and students was protected at all times.

The complexities of phasing all activities to keep the library open throughout construction demanded the provision of safe passage to students, staff and visitors. Alternate access routes were created by the use of temporary walls and partitions.

We devised an incremental strategy during each phase for rerouting utilities in affected areas in order to keep the power and data going at all times throughout the construction process. There were zero recordable incidents in over 90,000 man-hours—a testament to our firm’s commitment to safety.

Sustainable Design

In keeping with CUMC’s sustainable goals, the renovation incorporated eco-friendly and recycled materials. The hallway floors are covered with terrazzo, a composite constructed from recycled stone and glass, and the classroom floors are topped with linoleum tiles based on renewable linseed oil. The wall paneling in lobbies and study rooms is constructed from bamboo, a fast-growing grass noted for its superior ability to sequester carbon. Old metal shelves from the original library stacks were reused in the construction of new, space-saving mobile bookshelves.

In addition to selecting subcontractors experienced with the installation and reuse of these materials, the project team handled the special disposal of fluorescent light tubes and lamp ballasts, and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps, which all contain mercury. We also sourced local materials when feasible.