COAA-TX Hard Hat Tour - Dodson Specialty Clinic Expansion

Cook Children's Health Care System in Fort Worth, Texas, hosted a COAA-TX Hard Hat Tour on August 4th, 2023 to showcase the Dodson Specialty Clinic Expansion. The project was a 240K square foot expansion designed to provide a world-class patient experience for pediatric patients and their families.

The tour began with a presentation by Sam Werschky, the Assistant Vice President of Planning, Design, and Construction at Cook Children's, and his team who provided insights into the project's challenges and innovative solutions. The Cook Children’s team discussed their experience using pre-fabricated exterior wall panels and their integrated technology stack during construction. 

HKS, the architect for the project, discussed their user-centric approach during design, collecting feedback from previous patients, staff and operations personnel to enhance every aspect of a patient's visit.  They went so far as to do a cardboard mock-up of their initial design and brought in future users to provide even more detailed feedback.  

Linbeck, the general contractor, gave a presentation about their approach to execution management using Lean construction techniques.

During the tour, participants explored various areas of the expansion. Starting from the parking garage, they moved through the main lobby and up to the fourth floor of the original building, where Linbeck is overseeing an ongoing remodel for the joint specialty clinic. 

Overall, the COAA-TX Hard Hat Tour provided a valuable opportunity for owners, architects, contractors, and vendors to witness the thoughtfully designed and executed project aimed at elevating the patient experience.