On Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s main campus, access to diagnostic imaging is essential. With demand for MRI services at an all-time high, Wise Construction was tasked with an accelerated, highly complex renovation on the third floor to remove an existing MRI, prepare the space for a new magnet, and keep the surrounding clinical environment fully operational throughout the process.

“This project has been driven by one thing,” says Jeremy Holbrook, Superintendent. “The demand for imaging is so high it is essential that the new MRI is brought online as soon as possible. We’ve made the work fit around patient care.”

Led by Holbrook and delivered in close coordination with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MDS Architects, BR+A Consulting Engineers, Indigo REM, and a tightly coordinated group of trade partners, the project has required adaptability and real-time problem solving at every stage.

Working Backwards from a Fixed, Critical Schedule

The pace of the project was impacted early on by a major logistical challenge. The new MRI magnet was scheduled to arrive just 12 weeks after kickoff, while a critical supporting system, the Filtrine cooling unit, carried a 28-week lead time.

“The magnet was coming long before the cooling equipment,” Holbrook explains. “So, we had to figure out how to support the new magnet while waiting for a system that would arrive months later.”

To bridge that gap, the team developed a temporary cooling strategy that allowed the new magnet to be installed and commissioned without delay. The existing Filtrine unit was relocated to a temporary position and plumbed back to its original hookups, allowing continuous operation until the new unit arrives later this winter. Because the existing unit alone could not meet the cooling demands of the upgraded magnet, the team engineered a secondary heat exchanger into the system.

“All of this equipment is temporary,” says Holbrook. “Once the new Filtrine comes in, we’ll swap everything over without interrupting MRI operations.”

When Existing Conditions Rewrite the Plan

As planning continued, another challenge emerged: the existing MRI magnet had been retrofitted into a hybrid system roughly eight years ago, posing a challenge in obtaining specifications on what was installed.

“We didn’t know exactly what magnet we were dealing with,” Holbrook says. “That affected everything when it came time to remove the MRI; exact dimensions, rigging equipment, and even how the magnet would be ramped down to the crane platform.”

Once the team confirmed dimensions in the field, they began mapping a clear path for removal only to discover that the route intended during the original installation no longer existed. Years of building upgrades had filled that path with infrastructure.

“We had to physically create a new path to the magnet,” says Holbrook.

To clear the way, Wise coordinated the removal of sprinkler mains, ductwork, lighting, ceilings, chilled beams, chilled water piping, and fire alarm systems through corridors and adjacent spaces — all inside an active healthcare environment.

The MRI Removal: One Night, No Room for Error

Due to delayed access to the MRI’s procedure room, the team compressed nearly three days of demolition into a six-hour window.

“The MRI was being removed on Saturday, and we didn’t get the room until late Friday afternoon,” Holbrook recalls. “So, we did three days’ worth of work in about six hours because we didn’t know when we’d get access.”

Once demolition inside the room was complete, work immediately shifted into the corridor and exterior façade of the building, including the removal of glass and mullions to create a clear crane path. Throughout the night, Wise maintained full building supervision while sprinkler and fire alarm systems were temporarily taken offline.

“At that point, everything had to move fast, but safely,” Holbrook says. “We removed every service in the path of travel in one night, and we had to be ready to put it all back just as quickly.”

By early Saturday morning, the site transitioned again; crane pick zones were established, pedestrian routes were rerouted, fire egress paths were adjusted, and patient circulation was carefully managed around the operation.

Once the magnet cleared the corridor, sprinkler crews mobilized immediately to restore systems. Within hours, the MRI was safely removed from the building.

“Immediately following,” Holbrook adds, “we reinstalled ceilings, lighting, and fire alarms; built temporary barriers; cleaned everything; and left the space like we were never there.”

Temporary Systems Supporting Permanent Care

With the new magnet scheduled to arrive before all permanent systems could be installed, the team continued to engineer temporary solutions that maintained momentum.

Temporary cooling for the MRI procedure room was developed using portable air-conditioning units ducted above patient corridors, paired with a remote humidifier and inline fan to control airflow and humidity.

“We couldn’t penetrate the magnetic shielding, and the door needed to stay closed,” says Holbrook. “Everything had to tie into existing ductwork and still meet startup requirements for the magnet.”

A new lighting package was introduced just weeks before magnet delivery, requiring extensive rewiring through a fabric ceiling system that could not be altered.

“We had to find pathways that didn’t interrupt shielding, use non-magnetic materials, and still make it work in an already crowded equipment room,” Holbrook explains. “Though this was an unexpected add in scope, we made it work for Dana-Farber.”

Solving the Details That Make the System Work

Behind the scenes, other critical upgrades were underway. In the equipment room, an obsolete raised floor was removed and replaced with a concrete infill, completed in under four hours despite limited space and strict dust-control requirements.

“We brought in 120 bags of concrete,” says Holbrook. “Normally that would take more than a day. With the right tools and planning, we did it in under four hours.”

Wise was also tasked with tracing and documenting the existing MRI quench vent to confirm FDA compliance. The team removed insulation and traced the ductwork from the procedure room through the roof, recording precise measurements and elbow radii.

“It had to be exact,” Holbrook says. “Siemens reviewed everything, and it met their requirements.”

A Team Effort Under Pressure

With little margin for error, the project has relied on tight coordination across all teams. Trade partners including E.G. Sawyer, T.G. Gallagher Fire Prevention, and Maxim supported extended overnight and weekend operations, while Wise’s self-performing carpenters and laborers played a central role throughout both crane picks.

“Our field crews were the backbone of this,” Holbrook says. “They were the largest contributors to making sure everything happened safely, and on schedule.”

With the existing magnet removed and critical infrastructure in place, the team successfully completed the delivery and installation of the new MRI, marking a major milestone in an otherwise still-active renovation. The process mirrored the complexity of the removal, requiring tight coordination, overnight work, and careful management of building systems, all while maintaining a heated, controlled environment during frigid winter conditions. Despite unexpected snowfall during the installation, the operation was executed safely and without disruption to surrounding clinical spaces.

While the new MRI is now in place, the project remains actively under construction. Renovation work throughout the suite is ongoing, with final build-out, permanent system installations, and commissioning continuing over the coming months. The project remains on schedule, with each phase carefully sequenced to support uninterrupted patient care. The work completed to date reflects what it takes to execute complex healthcare construction within an active hospital, where progress happens overnight, behind temporary walls, and through hundreds of coordinated decisions that allow patient care to continue uninterrupted.

Project Partners: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MDS Architects, BR+A Consulting Engineers, Indigo REM

Wise Team: Jeremy Holbrook, Herb Pitts, Kerry Pavey, Nick Fanjoy, Nick Gore, Ty Foley, Brendan Cary

Self-Performing Carpenters and Laborers: Rannyer Vicente, Luigis Reyes, James Stanley, Hoober Alverez, Robert Mullaney, Herman Pffaffenzellar