When Richard Group was awarded the Hines Medical Center Ambulance Bay project in 2019, it was prepared for the typical adventures and surprises that occur in the course of managing large-scale construction.
First came the owner-initiated changes to the façade. And then additional changes to the mechanical designs, plumbing designs, and fixtures. Without a designer of record, Richard Group took the design-build responsibility for re-designing the foundation system on the project.
On their own, keeping the project on budget and on time with these changes would have been commendable. Then COVID-19 happened.
And what was originally a fairly routine project for our talented construction teams became an essential piece for fighting a global pandemic.
“Knowing they were about to get inundated with cases and with limited ambulance bays available at the hospital, the team at Hines Medical came to us to see how we could safely accelerate the construction schedule,” said Superintendent Michael Lenczycki. “And our teams at Richard stopped at nothing to accommodate.”
With several teammates and local craft workers rising to the call, Richard expanded crew sizes and increased shifts to speed up the construction schedule while never compromising on safety and quality.
“Knowing the dire need created by the pandemic and the quality health care our veterans deserve, the Richard team took an all-hands-on-deck approach to ensure the desperate needs of the facility were met,” added Lenczycki. “I’m proud to report that we were able to complete the project three months ahead of schedule, on budget, and to exact specifications of the customer.”
The Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital provides health care to more than 56,000 Veterans in the Chicago area and, like many healthcare heroes, has been active and proactive on the frontlines of the pandemic. As a Veteran-owned business, Richard Group is proud to provide ongoing service and support to our nation’s heroes—both medical and military—as we face (and overcome!) COVID-19 together.
