Synergy Consulting Engineers and McLaren Announced as Innovative Project 3rd Place Winner

The Innovative Project Award is designed to honor projects that break the mold of standard building construction, design, and operations. The projects in question exemplify innovation and astute practices that reflect the goals of U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan (USGBC-WM)’s programs. The Innovative Project winner this year was chosen in a close vote between our Board of Directors and Staff. The USGBC-WM was excited to announce Synergy Consulting Engineers and McLaren as the third place winner for their McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital project.

In March of 2022 McLaren Greater Lansing Hospital opened its doors to the community. The project, which broke ground in 2018, was a $600 million health care campus located on the Michigan State University campus in Lansing, Michigan. McLaren partnered with Synergy Consulting Engineers as their Commissioning (Cx) Agent to achieve their goal of creating safe and efficient facilities.

The facility provides a long list of services to the community, including a Level III Trauma Center/Emergency Department, Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute, comprehensive cardiac programs, medical/surgical units, and state-of-the-art women and children’s health services including a modern birthing center. Also located at the healthcare campus is the Karmanos Cancer Institute at McLaren Greater Lansing and Outpatient Care Center. The 562,000 square foot facility combines the functions of their previous Greenlawn and Pennsylvania Avenue campuses.

As the owner’s advocate, Synergy approached McLaren with an innovative form of Monitoring-Based Commissioning (MBCx) that would not only provide them with an unprecedented Cx during design and construction but would also set up the campus and Facility Management team for proactive optimization year after year.

Traditional Cx approaches a percentage of the facility’s systems and equipment to ensure they are functionally tested; however, those tests typically only happen at a single point in time during the construction process. With Synergy’s technology-driven approach to Cx, which includes professional engineering and integration expertise combined with Automated Fault Detection & Diagnostics and Reporting (AFDDR), McLaren was able to test and monitor all systems and equipment consistently throughout the construction process and into the acceptance phase. This unique approach to Cx allowed McLaren to verify the intent of the original design and confirm it was performing as designed. Synergy’s technology also empowered the McLaren teams to diagnose and fix issues in real-time before they become urgent and expensive problems later in the construction and acceptance phases.

With Monitoring Based Commissioning (MBCx) connected throughout McLaren’s infrastructure, systems and equipment will continue to be monitored and trended. The MBCx function will be performed yearly to keep the campus safe, optimized, and efficient. The McLaren Facility Management team will be empowered with data and root cause analysis to proactively monitor and maintain the facilities while extending the life of all their critical equipment assets. These functions will allow the McLaren team in line with their mantra of “Doing What’s Best.”

The USGBC-WM Leadership Awards promote outstanding green building initiatives by recognizing projects, organizations, and people who have made extraordinary contributions to achieving healthy, energy-efficient green buildings in the state of Michigan.

“Our built environment should be a conduit to our wellness and vitality. In most cases, an employer's largest operating cost is its people,” said Cheri Holman, Executive Director of USGBC-WM. “Investing in those people by providing them with an indoor environment that is safe, comfortable, and inspiring is a key way to attract and retain a flourishing workforce.”

Synergy Consulting Engineers and McLaren were honored at our 2022 Annual Party & Leadership Awards Ceremony on December 8, 2022. Hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan, the evening event was held in the Ballroom at the LEED-certified CityFlatsHotel located in downtown Grand Rapids. The program included a keynote address by Jeremy Orr, Director of Litigation and Advocacy Partnerships for Earthjustice, an Awards Ceremony, and the introduction of our new Board of Directors nominees.  

To learn more about the event and to read our 2022 Annual Report visit our Annual Party & Leadership Awards Ceremony page.