How Lexco Is Using Construction Data to Bring Next-Generation Healthcare to the Caribbean

Advanced construction data is leading to the delivery of higher quality projects across the globe. Better buildings lead to better quality of life, and nowhere is this more evident than with healthcare, where projects are leveraging technology and the data it produces  to construct next-generation hospitals and raise the standard of care facilities.

Leading the way in the Caribbean and Central America is the construction of the Nueva Ciudad Sanitaria Dr. Luis Eduardo Aybar (New Luis Eduardo Aybar Hospital), currently underway in the Dominican Republic. Projected to open at the end of 2019, the state-of-the-art hospital will serve both the local population and medical tourists from around the globe. The project is led by Lexco, a pioneer in construction management who lead health-care facility projects across the Caribbean and Central America.
 

_{This state-of-the-art hospital in the Caribbean project is led by Lexco}

Lexco: Leading The Way in Construction Data

Founded in 2007 by industry veteran Jorge López, Lexco has become one of the region’s foremost authorities on BIM (building information modeling) and construction data. Lexco’s use in the construction of the CEDIMAT Cardiovascular Center in the Dominican Republic, the most comprehensive heart center in the Caribbean region, is one of the first projects in the country designed using an integrated construction data platform. Lexco has played a key role in introducing BIM to builders in the region. For the Aybar Hospital project, Lexco integrated construction data and modeling in the design and construction process from the beginning. To help overcome  the lack of familiarity of BIM in the region, Lexco worked with TriArt Group, a local Autodesk reseller,, to train all 32 of its subcontractors in the principles of BIM and Autodesk Revit.

_{Lexco fully leveraged construction data to achieve their ambitious vision}

Lexco knew they needed to fully leverage construction data to achieve the ambitious vision for the project. Once complete, the Aybar Hospital will be the second biggest hospital in Central and Latin America, with 12 buildings spread across a whopping 1.6 million square feet. It will also be one of the most modern, designed to attract international patients seeking high-quality treatment at an affordable price. To meet this vision, the project had to meet rigorous standards, including the World Health Organization (WHO), the American Institute of Architects, the Joint Commission International, and more. The hospital is also the only hospital in the Dominican Republic that complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project also aims to achieve LEED-level energy efficiency and sustainability requirements.

7 Ways Construction Data Improved The Execution of the Project

_{Using construction data on in integrated platform helped Lexco improve the execution of their massive project}

So just how did Lexco use construction data to improve the execution of the Aybar Hospital project?

• Faster design process. Using a construction data platform from the beginning allowed a faster design process. Seeing how much faster the process was compared to 2D modeling helped align the many stakeholders of the project, which included the medical community, government ministers, and even the president of the Dominican Republic, at an early stage of the project.

• Learning from previous projects. Lexco looks at data from previous projects to identify process gaps and improve them for  future ones, a factor that has been key to their vision of long-term success. For the Aybar Hospital project, the company analyzed data from its work on the CEDIMAT Cardiovascular Center, a project of similar size and scope

• Reduced change orders. By looking at data from previous projects and by using the BIM model to gather and track information about all the materials and products from the beginning, Lexco is better able to preempt changes from stakeholders. This leads to less uncertainty , which in most cases, means less changes.

• Faster procurement. Because Lexco knows early on in the process exactly what materials and equipment it will need, it can order them much sooner, reducing the time it takes to get them to the jobsite by 28%. This is especially important for long-lead items like air conditioning, which can take up to six to eight months to receive.

• Tracking productivity. Lexco tracks the performance of site labor, allows them to assess the most efficient work processes and schedules.

• Improved decision making. This data then informs the broad range of choices to be made. For example, when it came to materials, Lexco was able to apply that data to choosing the flooring that would be the most cost-effective while meeting their rigorous standards, urethane, a durable polymer floor coating that can withstand heavy traffic and is seamless enough to comply with strict hygiene requirements.

• Handoff and building operations.  After construction, the project’s BIM model will be used to manage building operations: the first project not only in the Dominican Republic but in the whole of the Caribbean and Central America that will use a construction data model not only during design and construction but also in facility management.

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