As the only medical school in North Dakota, the state-of-the-art University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences building provides students with a variety of programs to prepare them for a future in health care. The facility includes a mixture of classrooms, office space, wet and dry research labs, simulation labs, a vivarium, cadaver anatomy lab and event spaces.
The school is a critical component of the University’s Healthcare Workforce initiative, which focuses on training more practitioners, attracting rural students, enticing a larger number of graduates to stay and practice in-state, and improve the state’s health care system. With an eye for the future in health care, PCL’s team worked relentlessly to bring a modern, cutting-edge facility to the University, one that enables them to educate and train the best and brightest medical practitioners.
Our team was determined to find cost savings in every aspect of the project to further drive value for the University. The original foundation design specified the project be built on large concrete-filled piles. However, after intensive testing and analysis of results, it was recommended to move forward with locally sourced piles to leverage the schedule and North Dakota’s warmer months. This solution saved two months on the schedule and more than $400,000 on the piling scope of work alone. The cost-saving solution enabled the University to focus its saved funds on the building to further enhance student’s education.
Along with training the next generation of physicians, surgeons, nurses and researchers, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences allows current health care professionals to stay up to date on the latest medical technology, methods and medicine. Students can rest assured they’re prepared to take on the challenging and meaningful careers with opportunities to make a difference in North Dakota’s health care system.