Construction Management

Case Study:

Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Clinic

Five years ago a team of Veterinary medical specialists had a dream. They were working in 4,000 SF of leased, strip-center space on Metcalf Avenue in southern Overland Park, Kansas. Their clinic no longer accommodated their specialty practice. They were dreaming of building a state-of-the-art care facility, unlike any other practice in the area. Their benchmark was a facility that would provide emergency, surgical and special medical procedures found only at major institutions for advanced studies in veterinary medicine such as the University of Tennessee, Kansas State University, the University of Missouri and the New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania. This facility would not be for routine veterinary care; rather for services that would be referred by other practitioners across the entire Mid-West. The dream became reality in February of 2002 with the opening of Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center, or VSEC in Overland Park. The new clinic/hospital is open every day, 24 hours per day.

The Veterinary Hospital was designed by Schwerdt Design Group, of Topeka, Kansas. Fogel-Anderson was selected at the beginning of the design phase to be the Construction Manager and General Contractor. Along with these responsibilities Fogel-Anderson also provided an array of pre-construction services such as assisting in obtaining the real estate for the building site, securing financing for the Owner, and navigating the process for changes in zoning and permitting. Ultimately, the relationship with the owner went beyond construction as Fogel-Anderson served in aid of the Owner’s leasing for spaces in the lower level.

The 20,000 SF facility is located on a 2-acre tract west of Quivira on 110th Street. The brick architecture of the building makes it a very attractive addition to this highly visible area. The building includes a full, 12-foot basement with the main floor consisting of an elevated slab/column/and beam system. The exterior walls are constructed of 2x6 dimensional lumber and the roof system is wood truss construction. The design included a 4,000 SF pad site for future expansion.

The main level of the hospital is divided in four sections, one quarter of which is a state-of-the-art Veterinary Eye Clinic. The Eye Clinic includes a Laboratory, Pharmacy, several exam rooms, an area for special eye procedures and an operating room where conventional and laser eye surgeries are performed. Aside from the Eye clinic, the hospital has over 1,500 SF devoted to surgical procedures containing one double operating room where two surgeries can be in progress simultaneously. There is one separate operating room for orthopedic surgeries such as hip and joint replacements. Adjacent to the surgical ward is a 1,600 SF Intensive Care Unit including an X-Ray Lab. Eight Exam Rooms approximately 8’X10’ EA flank the surgical and critical care wards. The Waiting and Reception Area is second to none and makes many professional building waiting areas for doctors, lawyers, dentists, and consultants pale in comparison.

An elevator in the Intensive Care Unit allows animals in critical condition to be moved quickly to the lower level for a variety of additional, advanced veterinary procedures. One area in the lower level of VSEC provides for Radiation Therapy for the treatment of cancer. The ward is constructed entirely of concrete to prevent the transfer of radiation. The walls and ceiling are 3’ thick concrete. The 5’ wide steel door is lined with lead bricks, is 8” thick and weighs over 7,300 pounds. Adjacent to the Radiation Therapy Ward is the CAT scan area which is constructed of 8”concrete masonry units. The Cat Scan Area also includes a large X-Ray Lab. The lower level also contains 1,100 SF of conference space, a break room, several offices, restrooms with full shower facilities, and 3,200 SF of leased space. One tenant specializes in physical therapy for animals and utilizes a 400 gallon underwater treadmill for aqueous therapy. Another tenant area is utilized by a Veterinary Laboratory which includes a Pathology Department. A centralized oxygen gas service manifold, medical waste gas vacuum manifold, and house keeping vacuum system are located in the lower level. Each system is piped direct to all treatment areas on both levels.

Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center is truly state-of-the-art. The design and construction of this special-use facility utilizes numerous structural and architectural products, including epoxy flooring and wall coatings, stainless steel wainscots, brick, glass block, lead lined oak doors, copper rain gutter systems, ceramic floor and wall tile, welded seam vinyl flooring, lead lined gypsum panels, a variety of products to control acoustics, and literally thousands of cubic feet of laminated cabinets.

Project Manager Mike Wilson and Superintendent Warren McGill led thirty-seven different subcontractors in the construction of this hospital. Site access was limited, due to existing commercial buildings on two sides and an apartment complex on a third side. Weather was not helpful, so a series of sequential de-watering systems were devised to allow foundations to be completed. Two framing crews erected perimeter walls and the roof structure in short order. The intricate detail of the masonry and stone veneer required masons of skill and pin-point accuracy in layout. The interior, with its myriad of materials and literally miles of piping necessary for medical work, was a scheduling challenge. Due to the differential climate conditions, the building required both a wet-pipe and dry-pipe fire sprinkler system. Prior to “buttoning up” the walls, one workman remarked that the piping and framing made the building look “like a worm challenge on one of those Reality shows”. The final hurdle was to deliver the building for use without loss of service at either the old or new locations. Fogel-Anderson’s staff devised a schedule of equipment location and hook-up that enabled both sites to continue to provide care simultaneously. The complex project was delivered to the owner eight months from the date of permit and substantially under budget.

With over fifty employees and sixteen board-certified veterinary physicians, the demands on the building and its systems are exactly the same as on any hospital or medical center. One of only fifty 24/7/365 veterinary hospitals in the United States, the requirements for certification by participating agencies exceeded the norm many times over. Please access the link below to view the completed Project.

Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Clinic