Cardiovascular Systems Inc. (CSI), based in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a developer and manufacturer of devices that treat cardiovascular disease. CSI needed a Houston area facility to service their clients in the Texas Medical Center. Their move into Houston, dubbed “Project Heartbeat,” was planned as a one story, 135,000 square foot build-to-suit structure developed by the City of Pearland Economic Development Corporation for CSI.

The completion schedule for Project Heartbeat redefined the term “fast-track.” The project was kicked off by the design/builder, Linbeck, in late March 2009 and the building needed to be ready for occupancy by October 1st, 2009, leaving only 6 months for design and construction. Haynes Whaley Associates was engaged right out of the gates by providing Linbeck and the architect, Philo Wilke Partnership, with several bay studies for layout and pricing so that the most economical and architecturally efficient scheme could be chosen.

Due to the long lead-time for structural steel, it was decided to issue an early structural package in mid- April. The rest of the structure, including foundations and concrete tilt-up panel drawings, was issued three days later.

Just as the initial dust settled, an unexpected twist was thrown into the mix. The afternoon before drilling commenced for the foundations, Haynes Whaley was notified that the building square footage had been reduced. Haynes Whaley quickly responded and produced a revised foundation plan by the end of that day, as well as a revised roof plan and panel drawings a few days later.

The resulting project has been a success and is on schedule. It is instinctive to think “it can’t be done” when presented with what seems like an insurmountable task. Project Heartbeat serves as a great example of how a team can really work together and do the “unthinkable.”