Owner:
Greater Baltimore Medical Center
General Contractor: DPR Construction
Architect: Hord Coplan Macht
Civil Engineer: Site Resources, Inc.
Structural Engineer: Morabito Consultants
The Sandra R. Berman Pavilion created a centralized home for cancer care at GBMC in Towson, consolidating outpatient oncology services in a two story, 70,000 square foot medical building set above a four level, 400 space parking garage. The program accommodates infusion, imaging, genetics, medical and gynecologic oncology, and supportive services so patients can access comprehensive care in one place. Construction finished in late 2024 with phased opening into early 2025, following a campus ribbon cutting in November 2024. The site presented notable geotechnical complexity, including a terraced topography, sloping gneiss bedrock, and permanent grade separations requiring excavations greater than 40 feet in some areas.
D.W. Kozera, Inc. served as the Geotechnical Engineer of Record and provided construction observation and testing. Based on the subsurface profile of fill, residual soils, disintegrated rock, and competent gneiss, the foundation strategy used spread footings bearing on bedrock at the south row of columns and drilled shafts socketed a minimum of one foot into intact bedrock for the central and northern rows, with conservative end bearing criteria and minimum shaft lengths to manage settlement and variability. The excavation and earth retention approach included permanent tied back support using soldier piles, lagging, corrosion protected tiebacks, drainage panels, and shotcrete facing, with soil nail walls referenced in the structural documents. DWK also recommended underfloor and perimeter drainage due to groundwater above the bedrock surface and provided full time monitoring of footing and shaft installations to confirm bearing conditions during construction.
DWK’s involvement provided steady technical leadership through each phase of the project, helping the team adapt foundation and shoring strategies to match changing field conditions without interrupting hospital operations. By maintaining an active presence during construction, DWK offered timely guidance that allowed design and construction decisions to be made with confidence, minimizing rework and keeping excavation and foundation work on track. This collaboration supported the successful delivery of a complex healthcare facility built directly into challenging terrain, reinforcing DWK’s reputation for practical solutions and dependable partnership on high profile medical projects.