Sutter Health Mills-Peninsula Medical Center: Seismic Safety and Sustainable Concrete Solutions
Key Insights:
Quick Facts:
- Name: Sutter Health Mills-Peninsula Medical Center
- Location: Burlingame, California
- Customer: Central Concrete
- Client: Sutter Health
- Size: 450,000 square feet
Challenge: Sutter Health required a state-of-the-art facility that complied with California’s stringent seismic safety regulations. The new Mills-Peninsula Medical Center needed to be constructed using a material that could meet seismic standards, minimize structural load, and enhance pumpability for easy construction.
How Arcosa Helped
- Our Solution: Arcosa supplied Hydrolite®, a vacuum-saturated lightweight aggregate from its Boulder, Colorado plant. This allowed the concrete mix to meet both strength and seismic safety standards, while minimizing structural load and improving ease of use.
- Why Lightweight Works: Hydrolite®’s vacuum saturation process minimized the need for additional moisture, allowing for efficient “ship it – use it” inventory control. This enhanced the pumpability of the lightweight concrete and supported the high demands of a seismically safe structure.
Final Results
- The facility was built using 5,500 cubic yards of lightweight concrete, with a maximum fresh density of 125 pounds per cubic foot and a dry density of 116 pounds per cubic foot, easily meeting the engineer’s specifications.
Key Quote
“This process enabled ‘ship it – use it’ inventory control, significantly enhancing the pumpability of the lightweight concrete while providing improved inventory management capabilities to the ready-mix producers.”
Context:
- Considerations: Seismic safety was a key concern for the project. The use of Arcosa’s Hydrolite® lightweight aggregate ensured compliance with California’s strict seismic and fire safety standards.
- Lesson to Learn: Pre-saturation and the ease of handling lightweight aggregate improve both construction efficiency and long-term structural performance, particularly in regions requiring seismic resilience.
Explore Further
Arcosa Lightweight offers tailored solutions for large-scale infrastructure and healthcare projects, ensuring compliance with seismic, fire, and safety standards while reducing overall structural load.
Sutter Health Mills-Peninsula Medical Center: Seismic Safety and Sustainable Concrete Solutions
California’s Sutter Health Mills-Peninsula Medical Center (MPMC), completed in 2011, is a state-of-the-art 241-bed, not-for-profit general medical and surgical facility located in Burlingame, California. The six-story, 450,000-square-foot facility offers a wide range of services, including emergency care, ICU, inpatient, and outpatient services. Designed to meet the community’s growing healthcare needs, MPMC also had to comply with California’s strict seismic and safety regulations.
In a June 2012 interview with Health Facilities Management magazine, Sutter Health’s facility and property services representative noted, “The medical center is designed to withstand an 8.5 magnitude earthquake centered in Burlingame.” They continued, “Hopefully, we won’t get the seismic occurrence that would do extreme damage to our neighborhood, but if we do, I think we’re in a situation where we will continue to operate and provide the medical care that the community will need after a seismic occurrence like that.”
Lightweight Concrete Specified
Central Concrete, a subsidiary of Vulcan Materials Company, is a major supplier of both lightweight and standard weight concrete in the region. Central Concrete delivered 5,500 cubic yards of lightweight concrete for the project. Arcosa Lightweight’s Boulder, Colorado plant supplied nearly 30 rail cars filled with vacuum-saturated structural lightweight aggregate, which were transported to the site to meet the project’s needs.
Arcosa’s Hydrolite®, a vacuum saturation process, allows for immediate saturation of the lightweight aggregate, minimizing the need for “maintenance moisture” at the customer’s batch plant.
Dramatic Gateway
The Mills-Peninsula Medical Center was designed by Anshen & Allen, a San Francisco architectural firm acquired by Stantec Inc. in 2010.
The facility provides a dramatic gateway to the city of Burlingame, combining aesthetic appeal with essential healthcare functions. The structural and seismic engineering for the project was overseen by Rutherford + Chekene (R+C), one of California’s leading structural and geotechnical engineering firms. Engineers Dominic Campi, Thomas Lauck, and William Holmes ensured that the facility adhered to the fire and seismic safety standards set by The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).
Today, Mills-Peninsula Medical Center operates as a not-for-profit organization affiliated with Sutter Health, delivering compassionate and innovative healthcare to the residents of San Mateo County.
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