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well as onsite and of site improvements. The Oakland Medical Center opened its doors to patients in July 2014. The project site was situated at a busy intersection, next to an existing acute care hospital and commercial and resi- dential neighborhood. Space limitations made fi nding adequate space for the large team a challenge. When an empty of- fi ce building became available for lease near the site, the building team quickly developed a modest renovation of the 19,202-square-foot of ce space into a co- location hub that became the nerve center for the project from 2009 through 2014. A successful co-location approach involved building seven conference rooms and a large open work area, along with preserving separate areas for the major onsite stakeholders. McCarthy occu- pied the ground fl oor and NBBJ and the Kaiser Permanente teams shared sepa- rate halves of the second fl oor. In addi- tion, all major subcontractors worked out of this location, including mechani- cal, plumbing and electrical. This format had the advantage of being close enough to be collaborative and interactive but still allow a modest amount of privacy. Co-location goes beyond the physi- cal commitment and entails a philosophy of shared ownership. Breaking down the silo mentality and acting as a single enterprise is critical to the successful implementation of the strategy. On the Oakland Medical Center project, which was broken into several subprojects, the focus on building cohesion and shared ownership through integrated teams on each project segment was a priority. This ef ort was taken to the next level with the implementation of functional teams, which were identifi ed to provide support across all of the projects in areas such as scheduling, change management, accounting, startup and commissioning. The team also developed a shared meet- ing calendar reviewed in an "all-hands" check-in phone call every Monday morn- ing. These initiatives facilitated shared investment in the project and camaraderie, and provided consistency of process for the several phases of construction dur- ing the medical center rebuild project. Co-location is bringing great value to hospital projects around the country by saving on costs and time, while delivering a better facility to the owner. Over the years, best practices such as co-location have evolved to address common challenges, providing clients with the valuable benefi ts of experience. Kevin Lew is preconstruction director for McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. in Northern California and can be reached at klew@ mccarthy.com. Chris Nickle is vice president of operations in McCarthy's Southwest region and can be reached at cnickle@mccarthy.com. From top: Team members of the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center project collaborate in a co-located offi ce space. > The project team's co-located offi ce site for the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center project. > The exterior of the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center. Kaiser: Mikki Piper Imaging 42 Medical Construction & Design | M A RCH /A PR IL 2015 | MCDM AG.COM