A Technical MRI Installation with a Tight Squeeze in Stanford, CA

Devan Mairose Calhoun
Aug 6
2 min read

One of our latest projects for the Stanford School of Medicine featured a heavy lift (literally) with a VERY tight squeeze for a new state-of-the-art MRI machine.

Before we could begin the process of bringing the machine into the existing building, we worked with Cal Med Installations to remove their existing machine with an 80k lb crane. To prepare for the installation of the new machine, we had to widen the shaft opening – involving saw cutting and pouring new concrete – to make barely enough room for the new MRI.

Once the building was ready, this 37,000 lb magnet had to travel through a 40-foot tunnel with a pinch point that allowed just 1 inch of clearance on each side. Every single obstruction — sprinkler lines, lights, conduits, fire alarm devices, process piping had to be removed to allow the MRI to fit.

Another large challenge came after the delivery: we had just 5 days to get the MRI on “life support” which meant reconstructing walls and restoring all the utilities we had just removed. This included working through the weekend with multiple trades running simultaneously due to this project not having an open wall for “path of travel” which required us to remove a wall containing ALL utilities.

While the initial hurdles have been cleared, the full project isn’t complete — the MRI is currently being calibrated and confirmed ready for use.

Our team has decades of experience with technical and unique projects like this one – reach out today if you have an upcoming project that would benefit from having an experienced partner like MAI Construction.