June 20, 2019

This paid piece is sponsored by Journey Group.

When Jacob Bunde, in-house project architect at Avera, wants to check on the progress at the system’s new Human Performance Center, he doesn’t need to drive out to the Avera on Louise campus.

Instead, a look at what has been happening is as close as his smartphone, where an app connects him with a complete and updated view of the work.

“I’m able to see the entire 3-D site from my phone,” Bunde said. “It’s really impressive. I can see all the details and progress on the site from my office, or when I’m traveling to other places within the Avera system, I can log in and talk through any questions.”

The images are delivered thanks to a 360-degree camera, corresponding software and Journey Construction project engineer Colin Simons – who literally attaches the camera with a magnet to his hard hat daily.

“I walk around the site and try to hit every single room,” Simons said. “I walk around the exterior of the building, and it takes pictures as I walk around.”

This photo was taken with the new 360-degree camera.

He then heads to the construction trailer, uploads the images, and they’re ready to be viewed.

This photo was taken with the new 360-degree camera.

“It’s pretty new technology,” Simons said. “We believe we’re the first company to implement it in this area, so it’s exciting for us, and it will be interesting to see how it evolves.”

Journey’s in-house team also can view the images, and data is stored in case anyone wants to look back at how far the building has come, project manager Aaron Eich said.

This photo was taken with the new 360-degree camera.

“This allows the whole design team to see the progress, look for any issues in the field, and our safety people can use it to look for any concerns,” he said. “You also can convert a photo to a PDF file and note if there are issues. Then those notes get pushed to the team.”

The photos reveal a project that’s “coming together really well,” Bunde said.

“Journey is doing a great job dealing with all the wet weather we’ve been having. They’re a little ahead of schedule and under budget.”

The almost 62,000-square-foot building is south of the Avera on Louise hospital and medical center.

Its first phase brings together many functions currently spread around Sioux Falls and aims to serve a wide range of patients, including athletes, from prevention to injury diagnosis, treatment, recovery, strength and conditioning, and maintenance.

A sports medicine space will include a clinic offering nonoperative treatment, biomechanical evaluations and specialized instructions after an injury or concussion.

There also will be a modern therapy gym with an antigravity treadmill, Pilates equipment, isokinetic balance equipment and a gait-analysis treadmill with a 3-D motion-capture system.

Some of the unique construction elements involve aquatic therapy.

There will be an in-ground pool similar to this, with different stairs and elevations that includes a treadmill.

A separate above-ground aquatic treadmill will allow therapists to adjust water levels and resistance.

“These can be used with neurological patients, orthopedics patients, those recently receiving joint replacements and athletes,” explained Ann Heiman, assistant vice president for orthopedics, therapy and sports medicine.

“During the transition from therapy back to strength and conditioning, a lot of athletes or weekend warriors want to continue to be in the pool and progress and train. It’s something unique we wanted to bring to the market.”

The building will be home to Athletic Republic, Avera’s sports performance training program in Sioux Falls. This area includes a biomechanics lab, cardio equipment room, performance weight room, cycling room, turf and plyometrics floor.

Specialized equipment includes super treadmills and a hockey treadmill. The space will include a room for movement classes such as Pilates, tai chi and more. It will be home to AR-FIT classes for active adults of all ages.

Sports psychology and sports nutrition also will be included in the new center.

The facility will house features for the general population too, including a nutrition bar, cycling center and mind-body fitness center.

A gym will provide space for seven volleyball courts and become the new home of the Avera Sports Kairos elite volleyball program, which reaches 3,500 athletes.

The next phase of construction will include sheetrock, painting and continued work on mechanical, electrical and plumbing. The plan is for Avera to move in late this year and open to the public in early January.

“We’ve got a great team,” Bunde said. “We do weekly and biweekly meetings at the job site, and everyone works together really well to keep the project moving. It’s going very smooth.”