As partners in the Design/Build (D/B) delivery of the structural and steel component of this project, Ruby+Associates worked closely with the fabricator/erector to design and construct this four-story, 144,000 square foot facility for the St. Vincent Mercy medical campus. All design and construction team members contributed to the development of the schedule, budget and scope of the project, which shaved 17 weeks off of project schedule and reduced structural steel costs by over $500,000. Ruby adopted electronic document sharing to seamlessly join the steel design and fabrication elements of the project, facilitating “real time” collaboration on the structural design and shop fabrication drawing development.

The design/construction team for Mercy Health Partners incorporated several greengineering practices into their project approach. The design of the exterior building envelope system was jointly developed by the architect, structural engineer, and construction team which allowed the trades to be more efficient in the field and minimized conflicts. By assembling the design teams for each of the structure’s systems, the resulting overall design maximized use of floor-to-floor height, which had a significant impact on the overall space requirements and construction cost. The project also used electronic document sharing, which made it possible to maximize shop labor and minimizing field labor — and greatly reducing construction material and labor costs. Implementing these greengineering practices saved over 130 tons of structural steel, four weeks in the steel fabrication and erection schedule, and over 200 tons of CO2.