MRI Architect Selection - Full Service
Architect Selection: Expert Assistance with selecting a Knowledgeable Medical Architect for your MRI Construction Project. - Module # 7
It all starts with the interview and Architect selection for the buildout of your MRI Imaging Center Project.
Architects, Builders, and Remodeling Contractors are specialists with specific areas of experience needed to build an MRI Imaging Center.
I recommend that you select an Architect to design and build out your MRI Imaging Center project site or remodel your MRI project site who has significant previous experience with the design and buildout or remodeling of the MRI Imaging Center site. There are many highly skilled architects out there do not have experience designing and building an MRI imaging Center, and we can certainly work with them on your behalf if necessary, as we have done elsewhere. However, I can tell you from experience that the learning curve will be shorter and the discussions easier if, from the beginning, you retain a medical architect with significant experience in the design and buildout of MRI imaging facilities.
In addition, some architects will have design experience with larger hospital imaging site design but have no experience in the siting of an MRI in a smaller non-hospital medical office building.
They may have no experience with MRI in the private practice office setting or in the remodeling of a commercial building for the placement of an MRI unit in buildings that were not initially designed to accommodate an MRI unit.
For your MRI Imaging Center, you should ideally seek to retain an architect who has designed, built, or remodeled an MRI site like the one you require. We routinely work closely with exceptionally well-regarded Medical Architects and can recommend their specific services. Working closely with medical architects on behalf of clients requiring an MRI imaging center and resolving design-build and construction means that questions are quickly answered before they become a problem or add expense.
The final Medical Architect considered for the design and construction of your MRI Imaging Center should be familiar with MRI-related Electromagnetic Interference, Structural Engineering requirements, MRI chiller placement, Subsurface and concrete nonferrous metal considerations, RF shielding and Magnet room buildout requirements.
They must consider Vibration and Seismic Testing, Soil compaction testing, Magnetic Gauss field design considerations and associated limitations for building equipment placement (NEC requirements) employee and patient safety, as well as Cryogen Venting design, safety, and buildout considerations.
Design and Build issues related to MRI Imaging Center site planning, Structural Considerations, Image Quality Considerations, and RF Shielding, Vibration, and EMI Interference specifications are not insignificant. Inexperienced site planning and design can result in possible errors and rework, adding unnecessary expense, time and possibly risks.
In the design and build process for an MRI Imaging Center, you do not want rework, compromised employees, patient safety issues, or image quality issues, and you cannot afford failure to meet regulatory guidelines.
In the design and build process for an MRI Imaging Center, we work to keep project delays and failure from occurring and avoid rework by employing a knowledgeable Medical Project Architect. This means they will have specific experience in the design and buildout of an MRI Imaging Center, and the utilization of a solid OAC (Owner, Architect, Contractor) design and build model.
Discussion of the work to be accomplished by the Architect under consideration should include a breakdown of their fees, billing stages, and the work product they will deliver related to their fee payment intervals. The Architect should discuss their adherence to AIA standards and an Associated Standard Form of Agreement Between the client Owner and the Architect to be utilized for the project. The professional references for the Architects and their work in the MRI Imaging Center project area can and should be clarified and verified. Preliminary timelines for the buildout of the MRI project can be provided by your Architect when they are engaged in the project.
It will be essential to know if your lead Architect will also provide an on-site construction review or if you will need to utilize the services of another on-site architect.
In my experience, hiring an architect with experience designing and building MRI Imaging Centers is not more expensive than hiring the same tenure-level AIA Architect without such knowledge.
In the design and build of an MRI Imaging Center and the decision to hire a knowledgeable Medical Architect to do so, I offer the guidance of an advertising mantra used in other business sectors, which applies here: If you think the price of education is high, you should see the cost of ignorance…………
In this Module, we will address
- Collaborating to identify and assist with the interview process for competent Architect Candidates. Provide interview criteria to assess the architect candidate's experience, familiarity, and possible competency in an MRI imaging center's design/build process. Identify and obtain references from previous clients for whom the Architect had done similar projects.
- How and where can an Owner Consultant provide real value in working with the Architect on behalf of the Owner client and in the OAC (Owner, Architect, Contractor) construction meetings.
- What might a client experience when working with an Architect who has experience with MRI Imaging Center Projects, compared to working with an Architect who does not have this additional experience.
- Understand the pricing structure, payment amounts, and percentages for the various stages of work your Architect will complete.
- How to work with and negotiate fee amounts, payment percentages, and intervals for payment with your Architect.
- What a reasonable fee agreement and structure looks like.
- Understanding and intelligently sorting through the sometimes detailed Architect AIA agreement to determine if it works on your behalf and where we should negotiate a modification.
Contractor Selection – Full Service – 8