Case Study: Penn Medicine achieves a world-class LEED Gold hospital delivery with Southland Industries

Penn Medicine opens the world’s largest LEED Gold healthcare project with Southland Industries

Penn Medicine faced the challenge of constructing the world's largest LEED Gold healthcare facility, the Penn Medicine Pavilion, while also needing to drastically accelerate parts of the project by 15 months to provide critical care space in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Southland Industries served as a key partner within the integrated project delivery (IPD) team, providing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing expertise to meet these dual demands of sustainable, large-scale construction and rapid pandemic response.

Southland Industries implemented Lean construction, prefabricating 25% of materials offsite, including over 570 MEP racks and all patient bathrooms, to increase quality and efficiency. For the accelerated COVID-19 response, they leveraged enhanced project management, direct communication, and strategic work prioritization. The result was the successful opening of the 1.5 million square foot pavilion in 2021, which cuts indoor water use by 30% and reuses over 20% of HVAC water from captured sources. Southland also provides ongoing mechanical and plumbing staffing to ensure the facility's long-term operational integrity.

Penn Medicine