Location:
Bend, Oregon
Client:
St. Charles Health System
Services Provided:
Geotechnical Engineering
Environmental Consulting
Sitework Monitoring
Special Inspection
Construction Materials Testing
Project Overview:
To meet the growing health care needs of Central Oregon, St. Charles Health System constructed a $66 million, three-story Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Patient Tower expansion at its Bend hospital campus. The addition nearly doubled the hospital’s number of ICU beds and reduced the need to send patients to Portland. The 96,000-square-foot, steel-framed structure connects to the hospital’s north end via a breezeway at all three levels and overlooks the former north parking lot. To accommodate the loss of parking, a new 300-space parking facility was constructed south and east of the new tower.
Scope of Work:
Wallace Group was the project Geotechnical-Engineer-of-Record, providing the design team with foundation design, utility relocation and improvements, storm water disposal, site grading, and landscaping recommendations. When construction commenced in December 2017, Wallace Group provided special inspection and testing of earthwork, reinforced concrete, structural steel welding and bolting, spray-applied fireproofing, fire-stop penetrations, and post-installed anchors. The ICU & Patient Tower project was completed in 2019.
Challenges:
Shallow basalt bedrock presented an excavation challenge with conventional earth-moving equipment. Wallace Group’s site characterization supported structural and seismic engineering analyses that reduced footing sizes and eliminated the need for a deep foundation system, resulting in substantial cost savings for the owner.
