McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., one of the nation’s leading healthcare builders, recently topped out on The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Albert B. and Margaret M. Alkek Hospital expansion in Houston. The scope of this $220-million project will add 12 levels to the existing 12-level Alkek inpatient tower.
“This ceremony marks our progress toward the successful completion of a hospital expansion for a facility that has a rich tradition of continually working to find a cure for cancer,” said McCarthy’s Texas Division President, Mike McWay. “We are excited to surpass this construction milestone as we top out the Alkek Hospital Expansion, which will have a lasting impact on the area.”
“As the demand for inpatient beds continues to rise, we are seeing occupancies in excess of 100%. Achieving this milestone resonates with everyone at M. D. Anderson as we seek to meet the needs of our growing patient population,” said M. D. Anderson Cancer Center ‘s Project Director, Janet Sisolak.
The Topping-Out ceremony marked the completion of the highest point of construction on the job site. Instead of the traditional Topping-Out ceremony of placing an evergreen at the highest point of the structure, M. D. Anderson faculty, staff and patients had the opportunity to sign their names and write messages on three steel beams to be used in the construction.
The 500,000-square-foot vertical expansion will be completed in multiple phases. The first phase prepared the existing Alkek Hospital for the vertical expansion and included selective demolition, temporary waterproofing activities and the installation of a tower crane and a personnel/material hoist. The second phase consists of the core and shell construction. The third phase will include the construction of the first three inpatient floors and is expected to be complete in 2010. Five additional patient floors will be built as shell space in addition to the construction of a mechanical floor and the renovation of several areas within the existing building, including level 12, which contains special air filtering systems dedicated to patients with compromised immune systems.
McCarthy is one of the most experienced builders of healthcare facilities in Texas. In addition to the M. D. Anderson Alkek Hospital expansion, McCarthy’s roster of healthcare projects includes work for United Regional Healthcare Systems in Wichita Falls, the Carillon Point Plaza in Lubbock, as well as numerous renovation and expansion projects at the Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco, including a $25 million hospital tower expansion, a $5.8 million addition of a 28,000-square-foot emergency department, a $5 million conference center and a $2.2 million renovation of 14,000 square feet of outpatient services.
The M. D. Anderson Alkek Hospital expansion began in January 2008 and is scheduled for completion in 2010. The architect for this design-build project is HKS, Inc. of Dallas.
About The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Celebrating more than six decades of Making Cancer History®, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is located in Houston on the sprawling campus of the Texas Medical Center. It is one of the world’s most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. M. D. Anderson Cancer Center was created by the Texas Legislature in 1941 as a component of The University of Texas System. The institution is one of the nation’s original three Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Act of 1971, and is one of 39 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers today. In 2009, U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” survey ranked M. D. Anderson as the top hospital in the nation for cancer care. M. D. Anderson has achieved the top ranking six times in the past ten years and has ranked as one of the top two hospitals for cancer care for 18 years, since the magazine began its annual survey in 1990.
About McCarthy
Celebrating nearly 30 years of building in Texas, McCarthy is one of the nation’s oldest privately held construction firms. An employee-owned company, McCarthy offers general contracting, construction management and design/build services for the following project types: parking structures, healthcare, educational, office buildings, bridges and highways, laboratory, biotechnology, entertainment, retail, microelectronic, and industrial facilities, tenant interiors, mixed-use and multifamily residential. In addition to Dallas, McCarthy has offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and Newport Beach, Calif.; Phoenix; Las Vegas; St. Louis and Atlanta.
