Innovative construction methods saved time, cost for new Delbert Day Cancer Institute on the campus of Phelps County Regional Medical Center (PCRC) in Rolla, Mo., according to an article on the Health Facilities Management website.
The project team employed Lean construction techniques, including the construction of prefabricated mechanical, engineering and plumbing (MEP) systems directly from building information modeling to reduce site waste, the article said.
The construction team used advanced technologies, such as a semiautomated robotic mason used to apply mortar and lay bricks.
The robot is loaded with bricks and mortar by hand. Using laser guidance and preprogrammed software, it precisely applies mortar to bricks and lays them with a robotic arm. A human mason follows the robot to fine-tune and finish the process.