Bellows Byline Winter 2013

Bellows

TEXAS CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL Pavilion for Women

UPDATES

Bellows Senior Management Team Mike Kacal | Project Superintendent

PROJECT PREVIEW Texas Heart Institute

Byline Winter 2013

Greetings

A confluence of invigorating change and continuing, solid management has brought a buzz of energy and excitement throughout Bellows. I have named Tony Mansoorian, a longtime employee of Bellows, as Executive Vice President. Tony joins me in my expanded role as President in supporting our senior management team which continues to run the key functions of our company. Tony will continue to serve as Director of Operations for Bellows’ Medical Center Renovation Team (MCRT) as well as assist me in the management of Bellows’ headquarters office.

Our hands-on senior management team has also increased. Vice Presidents Charles Kubin, Jack Roberts, David Morris, Paul Oliver, Thomas Kubin, Steven Imburgia, and Safety Director Tommy Lee have been joined by Ray Mancias and new Vice Presidents Russell Jones and Brent Miller.

Laura Bellows, President and Chairman of the Board Tony Mansoorian, Executive Vice President

With an average tenure of 34 years at Bellows, our senior management team has diverse talent and a proven record of giving our clients incomparable service and the best value for their dollars. You can’t quantify that kind of depth. I am thankful for each Bellows management team member as well as for the rest of our dedicated, expert personnel who together comprise the strong foundation upon which our company continues to build. We continue to earn the respect and trust of our owners as well as everyone involved in our projects. n

We understand the importance of getting it right — on basic to the most complex construction projects.

n We know how to finish projects, and to do so to our owners’ satisfaction.

n We respond promptly and thoroughly to our owners’ requests.

Strong relationships and exceptional client service remain the pillars of that foundation as we enjoy exciting, dynamic growth.

On the Cover: Texas Children’s Hospital Pavilion for Women Photography: Craig Dugan Photograpy Slyworks Photography

Bellows Byline | WINTER 2013

UPDATES Introducing Mike Kacal, Project Superintendent Mike Kacal has been a project superintendent for Bellows since 2008.

At a recent safety meeting, Mike shared his thoughts regarding his employment at Bellows.

“Superintendents are the face and the voice of the project in the f ield. We have a signif icant impact on the owner’s and general public’s perception of what I think makes Bellows stand out among our competitors. We know how to get the job done, get it done right, and satisfy the needs of the owner while building it.

We exude conf idence because we know what we’re doing.

People may say this industry is scheduledriven or money-driven, but very few people say construction is a peopledriven business. Construction is a people and relationship-driven business.

Customer service is key for us. Anyone can build a building, but what I think differentiates us from other general contractors are the special relationships we have built with our owners, architects, engineers, subcontractors, and everyone else we come in contact with over the course of our projects. Our relationships are the reason we build some of the most signif icant projects in Houston, Texas and beyond.

For me, each job is personal. Because my name is on the project, Bellows and I will forever be associated with any project I complete. The projects that I am a part of often go on to have a signif icant impact on the lives of others — in some cases, forever. This is what drives me and this is what I believe drives us as a company.”

Bellows Senior Management Team 2012

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The Pavilion for Women introduces a new era of healthcare for women and their babies, not only advancing care for the Houston area, but also for the nation and beyond.

A new era of healthcare for women As the fourth largest city in the United States,

aggressive construction schedule – all in a dense,

with the third youngest population and one of the

urban environment.

fastest growing pediatric populations in the nation, Houston is an ideal location for a comprehensive center where the most advanced treatments and technologies are combined with family-centered, compassionate care for women and their babies.

Through the Pavilion for Women, Texas Children’s Hospital is addressing this critical unmet need in

The 56-foot excavation required digging 11 feet below sea level which increased the difficulty of the dewatering process. Initially, dewatering wells were drilled around the perimeter of the site, but that system did not keep the excavation dry due to a natural underground water source. At

the Houston community.

approximately 50 feet down, a second dewatering

Situated at the southern gateway to the world’s

270 gallons of water per minute as other crews

largest medical center, the Pavilion for Women was

poured concrete slabs to seal the excavation.

designed by FKP Architects and constructed by

Although the dewatering challenges affected the

W.S. Bellows Construction. The 15-story,

schedule, the team was able to make up the time

1.3 million-square-foot facility includes a 106-bed

later during the project.

maternity center, clinics and office spaces built over a four-level, sub-grade 1,000-car parking garage. The facility was built to accommodate an initial 5,000 births per year with future expansion to serve an estimated 7,000 births per year.

Connected to Texas Children’s West Tower and Clinical Care Center via a landmark, two-story sky bridge, the Pavilion for Women expands the existing Texas Children’s main campus to nearly

system was installed. Crews pumped more than

Great care and planning was required to construct the two-story, elliptical 20,500 square-foot sky bridge over Fannin Street, a busy and critically important route to the medical center, as well as over the light rail transit line. The bridge, the largest of its kind in Texas, had to be constructed in eight segments over 12 weekends, with six weekends requiring complete METRO rail closures.

5 million square feet.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) along with

The Bellows team successfully managed significant

large cranes would be able to lift the sections of

challenges during construction. These included

the bridge despite urban constraints. The team

performing one of the deepest excavations ever

worked closely with neighboring institutions, the

done in Houston, constructing the complex, two-

Texas Medical Center, the City of Houston and

story sky bridge over a highly-trafficked roadway

Houston METRO to carefully schedule construction

and light rail transit line, and adhering to an

closures to minimize disruptions to traffic and

construction logistics helped determine how

inconveniences to the public.

Bellows Byline | WINTER 2013

A New Era of Healthcare for Women

sion to serve an estimated 7,000 births per year.

As the fourth largest city in the United States, with the third youngest population and one of the fastest growing pediatric populations in the nation, Houston is an ideal location for a comprehensive center where the most advanced treatments and technologies are combined with family-centered, compassionate care for mothers and their babies. Through the Pavilion for Women, Texas Children’s is addressing this critical unmet need for the Houston Community.

An iconic elliptical sky bridge connects the Pavilion for Women to the rest of Texas Children’s Hospital, allowing rapid access to additional specialized care via a two-tiered, climate controlled walkway across Fannin Street. The upper level of the bridge is dedicated for staff and patient movement, providing a safer and more private way of transporting fragile babies. The signature oval sky bridge is a new landmark in the Texas Medical Center with an elevated area measuring 980 square feet in circumference. Now the heart of the campus, the bridge utilizes a structural truss design that gives it an unobstructed, floating look. Illuminated by 136 lighted columns, the bridge appears to glow in the evening. The bridge’s bold design is a symbol of Texas Children’s Hospital’s continuum of care from preconception to infancy, while ensuring that mothers and their babies receive the highest quality of care in one centralized location.

Designed by FKP Architects and constructed by W.S. Bellows, the Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women is a 15-story, 1.3 million-square-foot facility that includes a 99-bed maternity center, clinics and office spaces built over a four-level sub-grade 1000-car parking garage. The facility connects to Texas Children’s West Tower and Clinical Care Center via a landmark two-story sky bridge, the largest of its kind in Texas.

Creating a southern gateway to the world’s largest medical center and expanding the existing Texas Children’s main campus to nearly 5 million square feet, the facility is built to accommodate an initial 5,000 births per year with future expan-

Expanding upon its world-renowned reputation in fetal and neonatal medicine, the addition of the Pavilion for Women at Texas Children’s Hospital enables a full continuum of family-centered 2012 | B ellows B yline S pring S pring 2009 | 95 th A nniversary

Providing the full spectrum of healthcare

The distinctive sky bridge connects the

Medical Center and now the heart of

Pavilion for Women to the rest of Texas

Texas Children’s campus.

Children’s Hospital and allows rapid access to additional specialized care

The addition of the Pavilion for Women

via a two-tiered, climate-controlled

enables Texas Children’s Hospital to

walkway across Fannin Street. The

expand upon its world-renowned

upper level of the bridge is dedicated

reputation in fetal and neonatal

to staff and patient movement which

medicine by providing family-centered

provides a safer and more private way

care for women and babies. With high-

of transporting fragile infants. With an

risk births on the rise nationally, the

elevated area measuring 980 square

Pavilion for Women team addresses

lineal feet in circumference, the bridge

the increasing need for obstetrical

utilizes a structural truss design that

research and treatment and ensures

gives it an unobstructed, floating look.

patient access to the most advanced

Illuminated by 136 lighted columns, the

technologies and treatments available.

bridge appears to glow in the evening.

The Pavilion for Women cares for

The bridge’s oval design is a symbol of

women through all stages of life

Texas Children’s Hospital’s continuum

by offering services in obstetrics,

of care of families from preconception

gynecology, maternal fetal medicine,

through the childhood years, while

reproductive endocrinology and fertility,

ensuring that women and their babies

urogynecology, gynecologic oncology,

receive the highest quality of care in

genetics, women’s and fetal radiology

one centralized location. The iconic sky

and more.

bridge is a new landmark in the Texas Bellows Byline | WINTER 2013

“

Building Information Modeling (BIM) played a signif icant role in approval and coordination with the Texas Medical Center and METRO. The BIM models were crucial as the bridge was erected over the Medical Center’s busiest street as well as being the f irst structure built over an active METRO light rail line.

“

Tommy Kubin Vice President

The Maternal and Fetal Center, now

for women and their babies, not only

housed in the Pavilion for Women, is

advancing care for the Houston area,

one of the few in the world to provide

but also for the nation and beyond.

comprehensive fetal intervention

This facility is one of few in the world

therapies. The addition of a targeted,

to offer the full spectrum of diagnosis

high-risk obstetrics program within

and treatment of unborn and newborn

the Pavilion for Women allows Texas

infant abnormalities, making it an

Children’s to identify issues and solve

international destination for high-risk

problems prior to birth. By viewing the

births and the sickest of babies. It raises

mother’s womb as the natural starting

the bar for the future of children’s

point for specialized treatment and

hospitals and what they will be. For the

care, the team at Pavilion for Women

first time in Houston, Texas Children’s

is striving to increase the number of

Hospital brings together a complete,

healthy births, thereby reducing the

comprehensive team to care for

need for neonatal surgery or intensive

women and families beginning before

care after birth. The Pavilion for Women

conception, continuing after birth and

anticipates that 25% of its estimated

through all the years of a woman’s life.

5,000 annual deliveries will be high-risk cases.

The Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women introduces a new era of healthcare

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W. S. Bellows Construction Corporation Post Office Box 2132

H o u s t o n , T e x as 7 7 2 5 2 - 2 1 3 2

PROJECT PREVIEW Texas Heart Institute Texas Heart Institute’s mission is to reduce

the devastating toll of cardiovascular disease through innovative programs in research, education and improved patient care.

Dr. Doris Taylor is a world-renowned cell therapy researcher and her new lab is located

Bellows Byline | WINTER 2013

on the ninth level of Texas Heart Institute.

The project scope includes 7,400 square feet of self-processing laboratory buildout, building out the existing shell space with a biorepository and renovating the existing wet labs. The lab was completed on November 19, 2012.