Controls Expertise Solves a Healthcare Construction Challenge

In the heart of McKinney, Texas, a new five-story, 125,000-square-foot medical office building was nearing completion on a hospital campus that has served its community for over a century. As part of the healthcare construction effort, TDIndustries was entrusted with building the mechanical and plumbing systems—and with solving a last-minute challenge that threatened to delay the project timeline.

When the fire alarm contractor couldn’t deliver a critical DDC controller for the stairwell pressurization system, TD’s controls and building automation experts stepped in to source, design and install the needed system. TDIndustries mobilized a cross-functional team to deliver a solution that kept the project on track and the customer’s trust intact.

Challenges & Opportunities

The TD construction team faced a significant challenge: executing a new controls project scope in two weeks that would typically take months to complete. The two driving factors for keeping the tight deadline were pressure from the customer to occupy the building and a scheduled visit from the fire marshal to inspect the building. There was no flexibility in the timeline. So, the urgency of the situation left little room for delays or missteps. The project’s complexity and tight schedule made it uniquely difficult, requiring rapid coordination and expert problem-solving.

TD Solutions

The critical problem at hand provided an opportunity for a unified approach to the situation. It became a full-team effort, integrating teams across TD’s areas of expertise and collaborating to swiftly develop a solution and plan.

TD brought its controls team on board to procure a controller that would help modulate the fans in the stairwell as needed. TD places value on maintaining strong relationships with its vendors, leveraging that for the benefit of customers. When they reached out to controls vendor Distech, requesting a UL listed controller that would meet project specifications, the part was shipped and in the team’s possession in just three days.

To stay on schedule, TD’s controls team went above and beyond, working 10-hour days and on weekends. They installed weather-proof enclosures for dampers that were located on the roof. They also brought on TD’s service team to install over 1,000 feet of conduit and wire and provide the additional skill set and labor needed to expedite the project.

The controls technicians created new red line drawings for conduit and wire paths and connections and indicated where the controllers were to be installed. The team’s ability to adapt and innovate under pressure was key to overcoming the project’s hurdles.

Results

Thanks to TDIndustries’ comprehensive approach to best serve our customer, the team was able to meet the deadline and deliver a successful outcome to the GC and owner. TDIndustries was instrumental in:
 
- Keeping the project on track through efficient problem solving.
- Ensuring system reliability and performance.
- Enhancing communication and collaboration across the project team.

TD's problem-solving expertise, including the controls team's quick thinking and technical expertise, was crucial to the team meeting customer inspection and building completion deadlines.

TD’s Integrated Solution

TDIndustries responded with a unified, cross-functional approach:

• Construction, controls and service teams collaborated in real time.
• Resources and expertise were shared across departments.
• A collective focus on customer success drove every decision.
• Employee-owners stepped up to meet the challenge together.