Caro Psychiatric Hospital
Caro, Mich.
Merit Award
Sent by: Granger Construction Co.
Owner: Michigan State (DTMB/DHHS)
Main design company: Integrated Design Solutions
Construction Manager: Granger Construction Co.
Civil engineer/landscape architect: Beckett & Raeder Inc.
Structural Engineer: SDI structures
MEP Engineer: Integrated Design Solutions
Interior architect: Architecture +
Subcontractors: Ace Asphalt & Paving Co.; Acoustical Arts Inc.; Boettcher Mason Contractors; Commercial Contracting Corp.; C. Byers
After months of planning, this originally $115 million, 200-bed project stalled due to budget, location and staffing issues. Work eventually restarted under the leadership of the new owner, but this time with half the bed’s scope, requiring a complete redesign to meet the new budget and building requirements. Despite this, the $69.56 million project was completed on time and on budget in June 2023.
This is the first new state facility of its kind to be built in more than 60 years, replacing the aging Caro Center that was built in 1913. The complex addresses a shortage of psychiatric beds in the been for decades. Most of the building is single-storey, with administration and training areas located on the second floor. The building consists of four independent patient units of 25 beds.
MEP system redesign shops reduce costs by 34%, while using pre-fab exterior walls to streamline building enclosure, minimizing accompanying structural systems and further reducing project costs. The team also navigated supply chain issues related to the pandemic and weather, overcoming an eight-week delay in structural steel resequencing work. In response to national delays for roof insulation, the team decided to change the entire roof system, thus avoiding slowdowns. The packaging of early bids for civil and utility work eliminated conflicts between utilities and critical road construction work. The team overcame an eight-week delay in the delivery of structural steel by resequencing the work.
