Spotlight on the West Coast: A Look Back at Completed SurePods Projects

SurePods got its start in the Northeast almost 20 years ago, our production plant expanded to the Southeast in the decade following, and completed SurePods projects can be found up and down the West Coast. As modular construction methods continue to gain momentum, we’re excited and eager to continue working with forward-thinking developers who recognize the advantages of bringing speed, superior quality, simplicity and safety to projects with prefabricated bathroom pods.

To showcase the spectacular hospitality, residential and healthcare projects we’ve already been a part of on the Western side of the United States, we’re taking a look back at SurePods’ successes in the Pacific Northwest, Southern California and Colorado.

Washington

Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA

TGB Architects and Skanska USA Building general contractors were the first to partner with SurePods on a “shell and core” building method; the team turned to SurePods early in the design and preconstruction phase to prefabricate bathrooms for Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center. Opened in 2015, the non-profit hospital features 51 SurePods bathroom pods.

Embassy Suites by Hilton, Seattle, WA

The Emerald City’s construction and real estate market has been hot for quite some time, as evidenced by dozens of cranes throughout downtown and the impressive growth of tech companies headquartered on the West Coast. Seattle-based American Life, the developer of the 23-story Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle Downtown Pioneer Square, enlisted SurePods to prefabricate 282 bathroom units to shorten its construction schedule amid a tight local skilled labor market.

California

LA Live by Marriott, Los Angeles, CA

Opened May 2014, Marriott’s dual-branded Courtyard and Residence Inn LA Live rises higher than 20 stories and is situated in the heart of Los Angeles. To decrease traffic and community disturbances during construction of the property, GBD Architects, SODO Builders and developer American Life elected to have the hotels’ 400 bathroom pods delivered at night.

Wilshire Grand Intercontinental Hotel, Los Angeles, CA

Opened February 2017, the Wilshire Grand Intercontinental Hotel engaged SurePods to prefabricate 698-bathroom pods for the 73-story upscale hotel, which is recognized as the tallest building east of the Mississippi River.

Colorado

Exempla Saint Joseph Heritage, Denver, CO

Over in the Rocky Mountains, Davis Partnership Architects & H+L Architecture enlisted SurePods to prefabricate 440 SurePods bathrooms for Exempla Saint Joseph Heritage, the very first healthcare project to feature modular bathroom pods on the Western side of the United States. The faith-based hospital opened in Colorado’s capital city of Denver in 2015.

Military Barracks, Fort Carson, CO

The Army Corp of Engineers, Mortenson Construction and TranSystems achieved a LEED Gold project certification and earned the National DBIA Award for the military barracks in Fort Carson, Colorado. SurePods was honored to prefabricate 120 bathrooms for the unique multi-unit residential project that opened in 2012.

If you’re a West Coast-based developer, designer or construction industry pro, let’s talk. Contact us at [email protected].

An Interview with Dave Curry, Preconstruction Director, Consigli Construction

To meet the growing demand for centrally located housing in Cambridge, Mass., Alexandria Real Estate Equities partnered with Consigli Construction and Boston-based architecture firm DiMella Shaffer to develop Prism Apartments at 50 Rogers Street. With limited inventory for new construction, complicated transportation logistics and a tight skilled trade labor market, cost certainty, accelerating construction timelines and optimizing trade labor resources were top priorities for the design and construction teams.

After analyzing key schedule drivers for the multifamily residential project, Consigli Construction enlisted SurePods to prefabricate Prism’s bathrooms offsite. To learn more about how SurePods saved the project team valuable time and resources, we sat down with Dave Curry, preconstruction director, Consigli Construction, to get the inside scoop.

SurePods: When did Prism’s project team decide to engage SurePods and why?

Curry: In 2017, we engaged SurePods early in the pre-con phase and gathered substantial data. Our findings proved that SurePods could deliver exactly what we were looking for: a high-quality, finished bathroom unit efficiently designed to our exact project specifications.

SurePods: What was the design process like?

Curry: The design process was very collaborative; SurePods proactively offered ideas to bring the project architects’ design goals to life and presented solutions to address challenges during the pre-con phase. The streamlined communication and lean manufacturing methods also made it easier to stay on budget and on schedule. The pods arrived on time and in perfect condition.

SurePods: How did working with SurePods help Prism’s project team accomplish its goals?

Curry: SurePods helped us accomplish what would traditionally require 100 hours of labor per bathroom in 10 minutes. Our estimates show that prefabricating bathroom pods offsite saved $2,500 per bathroom compared to built-in-place bathrooms and also eliminated 10 days of on-site labor per bathroom.

SurePods: Any other advantages of working with SurePods come to mind that you’d like to share?

Curry: Even though we knew SurePods would accelerate our construction schedule from the pre-con phase, we couldn’t have imagined the unusual circumstances brought on by the pandemic. Because the bathrooms were manufactured offsite, tradespeople had safer, more efficient working conditions onsite. This also made it easier to adhere to health and safety regulations without having to sacrifice valuable time.

If you’re a developer, designer or construction industry pro working in the multifamily residential space, let’s talk. Contact us at [email protected].

Spotlight on Healthcare: A look back at SurePods Projects from Coast to Coast

As building owners, construction industry leaders and facility designers alike take inventory of lessons learned over the past year, there’s no doubt that priorities in healthcare design and construction processes will change.

According to Consigli Construction’s latest Market Outlook Report (published March 2021), 71% of surveyed subcontractors and suppliers reported they had seen an increase in requests for design-assist proposals, which Building Design + Construction (BD+C) notes is “a strong sign that speed-to-market is a priority.”

With speed-to-market becoming increasingly important across the board, BD+C also observes that, “the survey’s respondents are also more receptive to cost-saving material management software, tool upgrades, and robotics that improve efficiency.”

Underscoring the importance of speed and efficiency in the future of healthcare design, a Construction Executive feature (published September 2020) titled “Health Care Construction in the Post-COVID Era” dedicates an entire sub-section to the concept of “build efficiency.” Construction Executive explains that “by collaborating with clients and leveraging technology, construction teams can overcome the hurdles brought by COVID-19 to build post-pandemic facilities in an even more safe and efficient manner.”

Healthcare has become one of SurePods’ fastest-growing market sectors over the past year for all the reasons mentioned above. Not to mention, bathroom construction typically requires the complex coordination of hiring and scheduling 8 – 12 construction trades, ranging from plumbing, electrical, painting, tiling and drywall.

To highlight the healthcare industry’s early adopters of SurePods’ modular prefab bathroom pods, we’re taking a look back at trend-leading projects with notable “firsts” for modular construction in this field. From the Western Rockies in Denver to the Gold Coast of South Florida, below are three healthcare projects featuring SurePods modular bathroom pods:

Wellington, FL

Opened in 2012, Wellington Regional Medical Center was the first SurePods project to receive AHCA (Agency for Health Care Administration) approval. Designed by HKS, the South Florida-based acute care hospital features 80 SurePods bathrooms.

Denver, CO

Over in the Rocky Mountains, Davis Partnership Architects & H+L Architecture enlisted SurePods to prefabricate 440 SurePods bathrooms for Exempla Saint Joseph Heritage, the very first healthcare project to feature modular bathroom pods on the Western side of the United States. The faith-based hospital opened in Colorado’s capital city of Denver in 2015.

Seattle, WA

TGB Architects and Skanska USA Building general contractors were the first to partner with SurePods on a “shell and core” building method; the team turned to SurePods early in the design and preconstruction phase to prefabricate bathrooms for Seattle’s Virginia Mason Medical Center. Opened in 2015, the non-profit hospital features 51 SurePods bathroom pods.

If you’re a construction industry pro working in the healthcare space, let’s talk. Contact us at [email protected].