Two major renovation and expansion projects to be completed by Spring 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., one of the top healthcare builders in Texas and nationally, was recently awarded two renovation and expansion projects at Houston Methodist Hospital. A demolition, renovation and expansion of the Houston Methodist Research Institute’s imaging suite and a build out of a new GMP cleanroom in the institution’s Outpatient Center. Construction on both projects is expected to be complete in Summer 2019.
Within Houston Methodist Research Institute, McCarthy will undertake a complete demolition on the first level, 16,500-square-foot imaging suite. The suite will be reconfigured and expanded, the project will include significant mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure upgrades, structural upgrades and finishes to accommodate new equipment. When completed, the unit will house three new state of the art pieces of imaging equipment including a Siemens 7 Tesla MRI, Siemens 3 Tesla MRI and a PET/CT. The 7T MRI scanner will be the first of its kind in Texas. Texas Medical Center will be revolutionized with the addition of this new equipment.
The size of the 7T MRI magnet – which weighs 45,000 pounds – and the opening space required to bring it into the facility poses several logistical and construction challenges for the McCarthy team. Positioning of the magnet will require removal of a portion of the existing building curtain wall façade, demolition of an interior stone/concrete masonry wall and 50 tons of magnetic shielding to be in place in the suite’s floor, ceiling, and walls. Furthermore, it will require re-routing of existing mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure. All of which will happen while the facility is 100 percent occupied.
“McCarthy values, and is proud to continue, our successful partnership with Houston Methodist Hospital on such transformational and high-profile projects,” said Preston Hodges, McCarthy Houston Division Vice President. “We look forward to the lasting impact that these projects will have on the institution and the community it serves.”
McCarthy will also work on a 5,000-square-foot demolition and build out of a new cleanroom on the third floor in the Outpatient Center. This project will include approximately 1,500 square feet of a pre-fabricated GMP cleanroom space and 3,500 square feet of support spaces including quarantine areas, storage spaces, offices and three mechanical rooms; and upgrades to the mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure. Additionally, renovations on level two and four will be required to add a new air handling unit and exhaust fans to support the new cleanroom environment.
Specific challenges will include erecting 40-foot scaffolding in the atrium for underfloor plumbing, building three new mechanical rooms and running overhead MEP infrastructure on three occupied floors for new HVAC. The project will require heavy coordination with the cleanroom manufacturer, owners and trade partners to ensure lab equipment is positioned correctly. New HVAC and plumbing equipment will also be required for the project including seven new exhaust gas scrubbers, a new Fluoride Removal System, RO/DI System, new bio safety cabinets and new lab wet benches.
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About McCarthy
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is the oldest privately held national construction company in the country – with more than 150 years spent collaborating with partners to solve complex building challenges on behalf of its clients. With an unrelenting focus on safety and a comprehensive quality program that span all phases of every project, McCarthy utilizes industry-leading design phase and construction techniques combined with value-add technology to maximize outcomes. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work and Healthiest Employer, McCarthy is ranked the 15th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2017). With approximately 1,800 salaried employees and offices in Houston, Dallas; St. Louis, Atlanta; Collinsville, Ill.; Portage, Ind.; Kansas City, Kan.; Omaha, Neb.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Denver; and San Diego, Newport Beach, San Francisco, San Jose and Sacramento, Calif. McCarthy is 100 percent employee owned. More information about the company is available online at the website or by following the company on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. | 
