Harmony Cancer Center Heads into Third Phase of Construction

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — University of Colorado Health has started Phase III of a three-phase project to construct the expanded outpatient Harmony Cancer Center in Fort Collins.

The $10.7 million, 44,390-square-foot project is being built in multiple phases to allow the cancer center to remain operational throughout construction and continue meeting the needs of its patients from northern Colorado and southern Wyoming.

“It has been a three-phase project and we’ve completed Phase I and Phase II, and Phase III began construction about a month ago,” said Mark Johnson, design vice president for Heery International, based in Atlanta, who planned, designed and oversaw the project. “Way out in the future they may choose to do other phases or additions. There is a master plan that can accommodate more phases beyond the first three.”

The project had many challenges, including site constraints, tight deadlines and the health system’s desire to remain open throughout construction, according to Johnson.

“We led an intense, interactive one-week LEAN 2P design process that involved all the stakeholders,” Johnson said. “The result is a state-of-the-art expansion and renovation that was delivered for a fraction of the cost of building new.”

The design 2P process generated not only the design and engineering concept plans and direction, but it also laid out a complex phasing and sub-phasing construction schedule.
Phase I consisted of a 4,400-square-foot renovation of the existing and fully operational radiation oncology suite. The second phase included construction of a 32,150-square-foot, two-story addition and interior renovation that converted the existing lobby into an area that connected different oncology departments with the cancer center addition. Design for Phase III phase started in August 2014. A 7,840-square-foot renovation, this phase will integrate a survivorship center, physical rehabilitation, alternative medicine department and flexible conference zone into the center.

“It’s a rather large clinic. The three-phase project is based on a true integrative way of delivering cancer treatment. Phase III is the rehabilitation area primarily. It’s where infusion used to be,” Johnson noted. “Plans for the renovation started back in 09’ or ‘10 for phase one. The reason is because this is an outpatient campus for Poudre Valley Health System, based in Fort Collins, which is now part of University of Colorado Health. The population in Fort Collins is aging, so aging resident demands started to increase along with the demand for outpatient cancer treatment, which has made great strides in being a very valid treatment. With that, growing along with the older population, the retirement community and the population growth in general, [Harmony Cancer Center] was bursting at the seams.”

Also part of the cancer center is a pharmacy project. Heery is providing design services for a new 30,000-square-foot addition on the Harmony Outpatient Campus. As part of the project a $280,000, 1,050-square-foot pharmacy is being built.