Retractable Temporary Building Enclosure for Active Healthcare Facility Construction
Try building a multi-story healthcare facility… while leaving part of the building open on purpose.
Sounds like a problem, right?
Not when you need to:
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Move massive mechanical equipment
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Keep the schedule tight
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And protect the jobsite from weather at the same time
Welcome to the Medpace 300 project—where flexibility wasn’t a “nice to have.”
It was mission-critical.
Industry
Healthcare
Main Purpose
Provide reliable temporary weather protection so construction could stay on schedule and on budget.
Inside Look
Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Medpace 300 project is part of a large-scale campus expansion—featuring a nine-story healthcare and office facility built over a multi-year timeline (2024–2027).
Led by Skanska, this project brought together:
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Complex structural sequencing
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Tight coordination across trades
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High expectations for safety and performance
And like any healthcare construction project:
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Schedule matters
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Safety matters
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Protection matters
But this build had a twist.
At a critical expansion joint, the team needed something most enclosure systems can’t do:
Stay closed when needed… and open when required.
The Challenge
This is where things get interesting.
1. A Building That Needed to Stay Open
At the expansion joint, crews needed to:
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Move large mechanical equipment (like AHUs) into the building
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Maintain access during key installation phases
Traditional enclosures?
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Block access
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Require removal
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Slow everything down
That wasn’t going to work.
2. Weather Exposure During Active Construction
This is Ohio.
Which means:
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Rain
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Wind
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Temperature swings
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And the occasional “what is even happening right now” weather day
Without protection:
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Interior work gets delayed
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Materials get exposed
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Productivity drops
3. Safety at Elevated Edges
Working at height introduces real risk.
The project required:
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Fall protection systems
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Safe access at leading edges
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Integrated safety—not bolt-on fixes
Because in healthcare construction?
Safety isn’t negotiable.
The Solution
This is where RWES separates itself from everything else on the market.
Instead of a static barrier, RWES delivered a retractable building enclosure system—installed at the expansion joint to provide both protection and flexibility.
Let’s break that down:
Closed = full weather protection
Open = full equipment access
No dismantling.
No delays.
No workarounds.
Just a system that adapts to the job.
Retractable = Real Flexibility
RWES allowed crews to:
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Open the enclosure when bringing in large equipment
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Close it immediately after
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Continue work without interruption
Exactly what your doc highlights:
Moving AHUs without dismantling the enclosure
Built for Real Weather
This wasn’t temporary plastic.
RWES functioned as a true enclosure system, protecting against:
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Wind
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Rain
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Severe weather events
And performing reliably through all of it.
Integrated Safety System
RWES didn’t just protect from weather—it supported safety.
The system integrated with:
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Parapet clamp fall protection
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Leading edge protection
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Safety rail systems
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Edge guard systems
Which means:
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One system
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Multiple layers of protection
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A safer jobsite overall
The Game Changing Benefits for the Client
1. Access Without Disruption
This is the headline.
RWES allowed:
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Large equipment installation
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Continuous access
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Zero need to remove or rebuild enclosures
That’s time saved.
That’s labor saved.
That’s momentum maintained.
2. Schedule Protection Through Flexibility
Instead of choosing between:
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Protection OR Access
The team got both.
Which means:
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No delays during critical installs
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No waiting on enclosure adjustments
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No stop-start workflows
3. Reliable Weather Protection
Through high winds and severe conditions, RWES:
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Maintained enclosure integrity
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Protected interior work
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Reduced environmental impact
Exactly as your doc states:
Reliable performance during severe weather events
4. Built-In Safety Advantage
Instead of layering separate systems, RWES:
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Integrated fall protection
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Supported safer working conditions
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Reduced risk at elevated edges
Which is huge on a multi-story build.
5. Better Than Traditional Tarps (And Everyone Knows It)
Let’s be honest:
Traditional methods =
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plastic sheeting
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insulated tarps
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temporary fixes
RWES delivered:
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durability
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reusability
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real performance
Even the GC said it best:
It outperformed traditional methods used elsewhere on campus
Why It Matters
Healthcare construction isn’t forgiving.
You’re building:
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Critical infrastructure
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Long-term facilities
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Environments where precision matters
And delays don’t just cost money.
They impact timelines, operations, and outcomes.
At Medpace 300, the team didn’t compromise.
They didn’t choose between:
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safety
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access
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protection
They found a way to have all three.
The Real Takeaway
This project proves something important:
Not all enclosures are created equal.
Some slow you down.
Some get in the way.
Some force tradeoffs.
RWES?
Eliminates them.
And gives you control over:
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your environment
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your schedule
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your outcome
Working on a healthcare, high-rise, or complex construction project?
If your job requires:
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access AND protection
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flexibility AND performance
Then you need more than a temporary fix.
Book a demo. See RWES in action. And build smarter from day one.
“We chose the RWES system for the Medpace 300 expansion, and it’s proven to be a solid choice. It outperformed traditional methods we’ve used elsewhere, especially when bringing in large equipment like AHUs. It’s held up through high winds and tough weather, and overall, it’s been a reliable solution for this project.”
Dustin K. Hopkins, Senior Superintendent of Skanska USA Building Inc.