Healthcare guidelines provide prescription for good business.

Healthcare facilities are among the most challenging types of projects for construction companies. Because these types of build-outs generally occur in occupied and operational facilities, extra care is required to protect the patients, doctors, staff and equipment by minimizing contamination from dust and mitigating noise.

The one advantage of the meticulous planning required for healthcare projects is that it can benefit construction in virtually every other industry.

Many of the laboratory projects we have worked on have been located within healthcare or educational facilities. In both circumstances, they are implemented in areas where there are people, whether patients, medical staff or students, and include special electrical and plumbing installations, dust and noise mitigation and timed phasing.

In addition, there are strict EPA and ADA guidelines to which we must adhere.

ACC recently completed the $18.5 million renovation of the Heart Center at Stony Brook University Hospital, which included a laboratory build-out in addition to the renovation of the Heart Center. The project was carefully phased over several months, with heavy construction occurring at specified hours in order to lessen the noise disruptions to patients and staff.

In addition, we were required to implement Life Safety Procedures and, at each phase, assembled elaborate protection enclosures to contain airborne debris and keep the surrounding areas spotless.

In a similar way, strict coordination was integral to the laboratory build-outs in New York Medical College's Basic Science Building, a project that also included extensive exterior and interior work.

The interior work was scheduled around special lab studies to provide "quiet time" while classes were in session. In addition to the construction of laboratory facilities, the project entailed the renovation of student lounges, conference rooms, lavatories and student recreational areas and the installation of underground facilities.

The exterior work was equally involved, and included the construction of a new parking facility and connecting roadway and extensive landscaping.

Our long history with Columbia University, for which we have constructed dormitories, student union centers and parking lots over the years, resulted in our being awarded a major build-out of the Bio-Medical Laboratory.

Once again, the project was constructed within an active area and required heavy protection to contain the dust and noise and minimize any disruption to the students.

The project entailed the demolition of an existing 1,500-square-foot laboratory and the complete renovation of the space with custom millwork. In addition, ACC installed acid waste lines, medical gas lines and medical equipment.

All of this was accomplished within an aggressive, fast-track schedule to complete the build-out by a grant-specified date.

We worked closely with Columbia University's stellar in-house project team, architect and the professor for whom the lab was built.

Smaller private laboratories in doctors' offices require the same level of planning used with larger healthcare facilities. ACC was responsible for the renovation of a 3,700-square-foot medical office on the ground floor of a high-end cooperative on the Upper East Side that included four examination rooms, waiting room, x-ray room, offices and a laboratory.

Although doctors' offices are generally vacant during construction, many of these offices share building space with the residences. Working around people and their homes requires the same thorough planning, customer service, and careful consideration as with hospital personnel and patients.

As with hospitals and laboratories, a key factor in the construction of doctors' offices is precise planning. Our teams mapped out each step of the process to ensure that the tight schedule was met and that all equipment was safely and properly installed, while keeping the residents of the co-op in mind at all times.

ACC's extensive experience with medical facilities and laboratories has had a positive effect on every other job we perform.

Using the same guidelines, and incorporating the concerns of tenants, residents and patients, has benefited all of our projects, ranging from corporate interiors to hospitality and retail renovations.

BY MICHELE MEDAGLIA, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ACC CONSTRUCTION