Project Highlights

Completed in 2007, Levine Children’s Hospital is a new 11-story structure that will house The Children’s Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center (CMC). Located adjacent to CMC’s Dickson Heart Tower building, the new children’s hospital facility continues Carolinas HealthCare System’s investment as a teaching and research facility while promoting a positive and healing attitude. Designed to care for both the physical and emotional needs of children and their families, Levine Children’s Hospital provides a state-of-the art facility that leads the region in offering a comprehensive range of specialized pediatric services, including cardiac and cancer care, neurosurgery, rehabilitation services, the highest designated level of neonatal intensive care, and kidney, liver and heart transplants.

Construction at Carolina’s Medical Center also includes expansion of the existing ICU (intensive care unit) at the Kings Street Campus. This project calls for construction of four new levels atop the existing ICU and expands the new addition vertically to 14 levels.

S&ME performed a comprehensive geotechnical evaluation of the site. The scope of our services included conventional soil test borings and coring of rock. Laboratory testing included soil index property tests and shear strength tests. The buildings were supported by drilled shaft foundations bearing on competent rock. The residual soils and partially weathered rock along the shafts contribute skin friction to the shaft load capacities. S&ME performed detailed lateral load capacity analyses of the drilled shaft foundation due to the relatively high wind and seismic horizontal loads. Other recommendations included underpinning of existing shallow foundations of adjacent central utilities plant and shoring of temporary excavations as deep as 15 to 20 feet.

S&ME also performed seismic cone penetrometer testing with shear wave velocity measurements and provided a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis and site specific ground motion analysis for seismic design of the 11-story hospital building. The results of these analyses saved approximately $100,000 to $200,000 on the construction cost of the structure compared to using the building code default values.

S&ME also provided construction materials testing and special inspection services for the Levine Children’s Hospital and ICU. Our services include welding inspection, rebar inspection, floor flatness, concrete sampling, reinforced concrete inspection and drilled shaft construction monitoring. Construction of the ICU expansion continues while the existing ICU remains in operation. Building vibration issues are carefully monitored during construction. Drilled shafts have been installed at depths up to 80 feet at a distance of less than one foot from the existing structure. With the foundations installed, construction of the ICU superstructure continues to be dependent upon access to the very constrained site and the form work of the concrete sheer walls, and proceeds in sequence with the children’s hospital.