Wexner Medical Tower at Ohio State University had a Portion of Its Exterior Replaced due to a Cracked Column

Inspectors found cracking concrete between the first and second levels of The Ohio State University’s $1.9 billion Wexner Medical Center Inpatient Hospital, causing construction to be halted for several days.

The university does not anticipate that the delay will significantly affect the project’s schedule.

Project Description

In 2018, Ohio State University was granted permission to begin providing professional bot services for the project. Shortly after, a bid was put out for the project, and Henningson and Durham & Richardson (HDR) kept working on refinements to the design.

Additional expert bot services were added to the project in November 2019. Moreover, building permits were authorized. Total bot construction approvals were granted for the Wexner Medical Center Inpatient Hospital the following year.

Construction began in September 2020 under the direction of construction manager Walsh/Turner, a joint venture that had previously secured all necessary approvals for the project. Thorton-Tomasetti and Magnusson Klemencic Associates, two renowned structural engineering firms, are also involved.

When finished, the Wexner Medical Center Inpatient Hospital, which will occupy about 1.9 million square feet, will have 820 beds, all of which will be private. According to reports, the design decision was made to better prepare future healthcare workers, improve patient safety, and prioritize the patient’s needs.

It has also been reported that the building’s top three floors will be dedicated to housing for women and children. It is also planned to build a brand-new NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).

What Happened

Cracks on columns connecting the ground and upper floors were discovered last month. When the problem was found, the crew stopped working on site until they could bring in a second engineer to evaluate the situation objectively.

A compression problem was reported as the cause of the cracking, and at the time of reporting, local repairs had been made. The team is committed to continuing the repairs and was planning to build a steel jacket around the column to provide further support.

As cleanup continued, it remained a restricted zone until the job was done. There are 150 more columns, either of concrete or steel, in the structure. Besides that one column, nobody has mentioned any problems. Completion of the project is still anticipated for 2026.

source: paintsquare.com