Construction is Underway on Todd Cancer Institute Pavilion at Long Beach Memorial

July 24, 2012 - PRLog -- McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., one of Southern California’s preeminent healthcare builders, has recently begun construction of the new $31 million (development cost) MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute Pavilion at Long Beach Memorial. Located in an existing building on the Long Beach Memorial campus in Long Beach, Calif., the new pavilion is scheduled to open early in the summer of 2013.

Serving as general contractor for the project, McCarthy’s scope of work includes transforming 65,000-square-feet on the second and third floors of an existing four-level administration building into a dedicated cancer treatment center. The project also includes construction of a two-level, 1,913-square-foot lobby addition which will serve as the entrance to the new pavilion. As a hands-on builder, McCarthy will use its own labor for the structural concrete work and construction of the site retaining walls for the new facility.

The nationally recognized MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Memorial treats more than 1,800 newly diagnosed patients per year, and is one of the largest cancer centers in Southern California.  Once completed, the new state-of-the-art medical facility will increase the institute’s capacity allowing medical professionals to serve more patients and to provide leading-edge cancer care and research. It will also consolidate cancer programs and cancer support services under one roof, thus providing a more convenient and efficient facility for patients and staff.

“The Pavilion is an exciting step forward for cancer treatment in Long Beach,” says Dr. Phillip DiSaia, MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute. “It will be a dedicated cancer facility that will house the many cancer programs and support services, giving patients access to all of their care needs under one roof.”

Designed by c|a ARCHITECTS of Long Beach, Calif. the Todd Cancer Pavilion is dedicated to the early diagnosis, treatment, research and education of patients with cancer or serious blood disorders.  The new facility will house the latest cancer treatment technology within a healing environment.  From the light-filled, two-story lobby, to the warm and calming stone and wood interior finishes in the reception spaces and treatment areas, the design of the facility will invoke a feeling of a unified institute and a healing environment.

The building’s exterior skin is comprised primarily of glass curtain wall complemented by structural steel, plaster and stone finishes.  The new Ambulatory Infusion Center, located within the new pavilion, will feature a spacious, patient-focused atmosphere for chemotherapy treatment complete with access to a rooftop healing garden. The building will also house exam, mammography and consult rooms as well as a pharmacy and office space.  

McCarthy is currently demolishing a portion of the existing building which will be converted into the cancer pavilion.  After the demolition work is completed, construction of the footings for the new lobby and building entrance will commence.

“The most challenging aspect of this project is that the new pavilion will be constructed above a loading dock, the main data center for the campus and a lab that services the hospital 24/7,” said McCarthy Project Manager Ileana Holguin.  “McCarthy has developed a comprehensive plan to maintain infection control in the sensitive lab environment and to mitigate any disruptions to the existing hospital operations while conducting work on the new facility.”

McCarthy is using Autodesk® Navisworks 2012 and Revit 2012 to create 3D representations of some of the elements in the existing facility for construction coordination. “The use of 3D models help to eliminate any field conflicts and aids in the quality of construction,” said Holguin.  “Other quality procedures include the implementation of an electronic plan room and in-place mock-ups for portions of the project requiring special attention such as the various infusion rooms and restrooms with specific ADA requirements and detailed finishes,” she added.

Additional project team members involved in the Todd Cancer Pavilion project include: MHP, Inc. - structural engineer; Pfeiler & Associates Engineers, Inc. - civil engineer; Donn C. Gilmore & Associates, Inc. - electrical and mechanical engineer; and Cummings Curley & Associates, Inc. - landscape architect.

About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the nation’s eighth largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2012) and has been ranked among the premier national healthcare builders by Modern Healthcare since the magazine began its annual ranking more than 30 years ago.  As the largest American-based healthcare builder in the country, the firm has completed over $2.4 billion in healthcare work in Southern California alone.  In addition to Newport Beach, McCarthy has offices in San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Dallas; Houston; St. Louis, Collinsville, Ill., and Atlanta.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com .