John C. Hoelscher, AIA Todd Reynolds Architects, Planners RTA Inc. Colorado Springs, Colorado

Sometimes innovation is not a new product or a piece of equipment but it is rather a new way of seeing an old problem. By viewing with a new perspective we are able to use existing technology in an entirely different way. This was the case in a recent construction project at Penrose Hospital in Colorado Springs. The Penrose Facility Department was faced with the problem of a severely aging infrastructure for an active surgical suite. The existing hospital campus did not allow for the construction of new facilities. The only practical option was the renovation of the existing OR suite.

This conclusion was brought to the design team to solve. The traditional approach whereby the architect and engineers prepare design drawings for a select list of general contractors to bid was quickly discarded. While this approach might have been yielded a "ower bid cost, it was felt that it did not allow sufficient flexibility and would ultimately lead to a much higher roject cost. Bob Fling and David Howard with Penrose understood at the outset that for this project to be successful the contractors and subcontractors had to be equal partners in the development of the design.

This decision to partner paid immediate dividends. The general contractor brought a new perspective to an old problem. Initially great concern was expressed as to how the extensive demolition process could be accomplished in this sterile environment. The design team and owners were viewing demolition in the classic sense. G.E. Johnson suggested that demolition needed to be viewed in an entirely different light. They suggested that we think of it as disassembly not demolition. Disassembly implied a thoughtful and strategic removal of unwanted items. It meant workers in surgical masks carefully removing old piping in much the same way as the surgeons in the OR might remove a malignant tumor.

The development of the disassembly concept was a breakthrough for the design team. It lead to a series of design decisions, predicated on new construction techniques centered around the strategic and careful removal of unwanted items.

The design team was off and rolling, and each player now had a vital stake in the success of the project. The result of this partnering can be seen in an extremely successful project. One that seemed at the outset almost impossible to accomplish.

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