Carle Foundation Hospital
Carle at the Fields Administrative Office Building
To meet an expeditious schedule without incurring significant costs, Berglund identified a cost-effective construction process, pre-fabricated wall panels ahead of time and streamlined materials installation.
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  • Project Type
    • Building
  • Status
  • Delivery Method
    • Construction Management At-Risk
  • Services
  • Location
    • Champaign, IL
  • Duration
    • 18 Months
  • Size
    • 281,000 sqft
  • Architect
    • LCM Architects

Project Overview

Located at the I-57 and Curtis Road interchange in Champaign, the Carle at the Fields development brings various Carle and Health Alliance administrative and support functions under one roof. The building houses more than 1,200 employees who were previously spread across 10 locations throughout the area. Under a single three-story, 281,00-sqft office-based facility, operations can now benefit from improved efficiencies, collaboration and productivity.

Approach

During the preconstruction phase, the hospital established the goal of completing the project within an aggressive 18-month schedule without incurring substantial cost increases from its budget. The hospital initially specified a traditional brick veneer exterior wall construction. Preliminary cost and schedule exercises suggested that due to the size of the building, this type of construction could not be completed within the schedule without a substantial increase in costs.

Berglund set to work devising alternative strategies to meet the hospital's goals and developed an innovative solution: We proposed using brick inlay precast wall panels that could be fabricated ahead of time off-site. These 10-foot by 14-foot panels, were then shipped to the project site and quickly set in place with a crane. This solution not only shaved five months off the schedule, but also saved money on the cost of the total project.

Berglund identified further schedule efficiencies by establishing a lean sequence of work for steel erection, concrete and precast wall panel installation. Rather than wait for each trade to complete its installation, we sequenced the installers as close behind one another as possible for an efficient workflow.

Ultimately, these strategies allowed us to complete the project under budget while saving time on schedule.

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Progress Shot of Site Framing
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In Progress of Elevator Bank
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Aerial Drone Shot of Entire Site Plan
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Aerial Drone Shot from Southeast Corner of Site
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Final Installation of Entrance Signage

Outcomes

Carle employees who moved into this building found plenty of first-class amenities awaiting them, including computer rooms for on-site training, eight lactation rooms for nursing moms, several multipurpose rooms, a gift shop that sells Carle apparel and work accessories and an in-house cafe called Betsy's Bistro by Hendrick House that serves locally-sourced foods and beverages.

The building marked the first of several planned developments on this undeveloped site. Berglund's continued work for the hospital includes a new surgical center and two additional medical office buildings.

From the Team

Berglund’s inno­v­a­tive strategy of using brick inlay precast wall panels cut five months off the initial schedule and brought the project under budget.

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