Specifically, this project included:

• Replacing two (2) existing 2000 ton / 4800 gpm cooling towers (built in 1992) with new units - one cooling tower on the roof of each building
• Installing new Variable Frequency Drives
• Supporting electrical and software upgrades to the existing BAS system

The project team carefully coordinated the construction plan, as both 20-story buildings remained occupied and operational, and were located in a tight urban location. 

In order to minimze disruptions, the project was split into two weekends - one tower per weekend, each with a 56-hour shutdown window. The existing cooling towers were drained, demo'd and removed, with new cooling towers subsequently lifted and assembled using a 550-ton crane. 

DPR utilized lean manufacturing techniques in order to accomplish this large amount of work within such a short time frame. 

Lean techniques included:

• Reassembling the the cooling towers at the mechanical subcontractor's local facility
• Fabricating and fitting-up the supply and return piping with control valves before scheduled shutdown
• Disassembling the cooling towers along with the prefabricated piping
• Shipping cooling towers to the jobsite for just-in-time lifting to the roof

A few of the major project components included:

• 11 new Air Handling Units (AHUs) delivering 300,000 CFM Supply Air through a new SA distribution infrastructure
• New Steam System that delivers 60,000 pounds/hr steam through a new distribution system
• 10 new Lab Exhaust Fans that provide 370,000 CFM of exhaust, along with an Energy Recovery System
• New 2,000 KW Emergency Generator and new Emergency Electrical Distribution System
• New 430 GPM Reheat System including all pumps, heat exchanges, and distribution

All of the new equipment tied in to the University's campus-wide systems control infrastructure which allowed remote monitoring and control of all new systems. DPR worked with the team during preconstruction to devise temporary connections and bypasses in order to provide seamless environmental conditions to stakeholders.

The DPR team utilized 3D and 4D BIM to plan project phasing and perform conflict analysis. BIM enabled the identification and resolution of five major conflicts before construction began. The team also devised a plan for structural improvements that did not impact research operations by performing the work from the shaft side of the beams and columns. This work led to the discovery of unknown asbestos fireproofing in the columns and lead paint that had to be mitigated. By utilizing BIM, the project team was able to complete the project under budget and ahead of schedule.

With the renovated areas remaining in full operation throughout construction it was imperative that the renovations not disturb the ongoing operations for the emergency room, day surgery suites or the adjacent patient rooms.  ICRA plans were formulated well before the beginning of each phase and modified as necessary during the project in close coordination with the hospital’s infection control officer.  Due to the rapid turnover of each phase, it was critical that DPR not have a punchlist to allow the hospital to occupy the renovated spaces immediately upon completion.  Through our Zero Defects program we were able to turn over each phase the day following final inspections and immediately begin work on the next phase.

The data center includes access flooring, starline busway, gaseous fire suppression and extensive power monitoring and a state of the art security system. Supporting the data center expansion will be the construction of a new utility yard, consisting of a concrete soil retention wall, two 1.2 mega-watt generators, a chilled water storage tank, and two 160 ton chillers.

Modifications to the space included various electrical, architectural and miscellaneous structural upgrades.

The entire construction process was completed without ever compromising the day to day activities of the department.

The building consists of approximately 1/2 classrooms and 1/2 faculty and staff office space. The classrooms are being built with state of the art audio visual technology for distance learning classes. The building’s skin is comprised of two tone brick work, glass curtainwall and sunshades.  The building is designed to reflect the surrounding campus facilities as well as the landscape surrounding campus.  The final GMP, post-bid, came in under the original budgeted amount.  The Owner elected to add additional Audio-Visual scope into the project using the savings and supplemented the additional scope with additional Owner Contingency funds.

The Graduate School of Business features wide covered porches across the building’s front and sides, extending collaboration and community from the interior. Two lecture halls with tiered seating for 50 students and four classrooms for 25 to 40 students provide space for an expanding enrollment, while breakout rooms and a student lounge support focused teamwork and informal group discussion. The centerpiece of the building is a spectacular Gathering Hall, flanked by an exterior terrace and iris pond.

Multimedia technology-such as videoconferencing, podcasting, and wired and wireless areas-in “smart” classrooms and a state-of-the-art computer laboratory facilitate Internet access and information-sharing locally, regionally, and globally.

The scope included a total of (17) new fume hoods, oxygen and nitrogen piping at the lab benches and some of the labs are ISO 17025 certified. Much of the equipment, including a pilot beverage can production line, was relocated from existing remote facilities located out of state. This required many trips and careful coordination of highly specialized equipment and unique utility requirements that are duplicated in the new facility. The equipment required substantial MEP infrastructure. A majority of the equipment required substantial MEP infrastructure and significant base building modifications such as structural enhancement for overhead equipment, mechanical systems and roof top equipment.

DPR’s design-build partner on the project is PageSoutherlandPage. Together they have completed approximately $200 million in data centers in Texas.

Technical Details: The data center will be outfitted with 12 MW systems over 30,000 sq. ft. of white space with the following equipment set:

• 1 N Utility Feed At 161 KV (By Others)
• Single-Ended 161 KV Substation Rated At 20 MVA With Provisions For Double Ending (By Others)
• Tri-Bus 15 KV Switchgear With Auto Transfer Capability
• Underground Medium Voltage Distribution In Tri-Bus Configuration For Critical Power
• Overhead Low Voltage Distribution To White Space
• Underground Medium And Low Voltage Distribution In Traditional A/B Bus Configuration For House Power And Mechanical Loads.
• 3 Mode (Single Bus, Double Bus, And Tri-Bus) Medium Voltage N+1 Diesel Rotary UPS (DRUPS) Plant With 24 Hour Fuel Storage
• 120/ 208V Remote Distribution Panels (RDP’s) And Remote Power Panels (RPP’s) For White Space Legacy Equipment

The interior program contains open lab, support lab, office space and gathering areas, and includes a new 5,176-sq.-ft. CMU/steel framed mechanical mezzanine and exterior service yard. Additional scope encompassed an upgraded fire protection system and new mechanical systems, including a new central plant with a water-cooled chiller, counter flow cooling tower and all new electrical distribution. Completing the build-out, 20,000-sq.-ft. of Covered Parking was added to the existing area, including 100 spaces, 4 of which meet American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliancy.

Central Plant:
The newly installed Central Plant was built to accommodate a 41,150-sq.-ft. Lab/Corporate Office Build-Out for Caris Life Sciences. The HVAC mechanical systems design is based on a primary variable volume chilled water system for cooling, and dual gas-fired boilers for heating.  The chilled water side consist of (1) 293-ton chiller, (1) factory assembled 1-cell 927 GPM Cooling Tower with appropriate primary & condenser pumps.  Heating side consist of (2) 120 GPM Power-Fin Water Tube Boilers & associated primary and recirculation pumps. The boilers also feed two water-to-water heat exchangers, which provide domestic hot water and industrial hot water for the facility. Central Plant also houses domestic water booster pump & Triplex water softener system for the building.  In addition to the installed, appropriate planning for future expansion/future equipment was put in place.

Phase 1 facility features include:

• High-Availability, concurrent maintainability on all components
• Entire critical load fully Level 5 Commissioned
• 38,253 sq. ft. of data hall white space
• Supports average energy densities of 200 watts/sq. ft.
• Structurally Sound: FEMA 356 “Essential Facility” category
• Seismically Reinforced: Building and all improvements seismically reinforced to a 1.5 Structural Importance Factor
• Carrier-Neutral: Six Tier I carriers on-property: Level 3, AboveNet, CenturyLink (Qwest), AT &T, Verizon Business and Tata Communications.
• Low latency: 17 msRT to San Jose, 3.5 msRT to Seattle, 45 msRT to Chicago, and 87 msRT to Tokyo, Japan

Building I is a 15,000-sq.-ft. addition to the present school of architecture.  The addition consists of 3 studio spaces and a new auditorium.  There was no disruption in the architectural class schedule during construction.  In addition, to the 15,000-sq.-ft. addition, the project includes renovation of the 1st floor of the existing school of architecture.  This project achieved LEED® Gold Certification.

The project was awarded in April 2009 to the joint-venture partnership of DPR Construction and The Weitz Company as construction manager to build the Max Planck Florida Institute at Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, the same team responsible for construction of Scripps Florida. The facility consists of approximately 101,000-sq.-ft. of wet and dry bench research, instrumentation labs, computational research, core imaging and microscopy facilities, information technology services, vivarium, researcher offices, and support shops.

"The Max Planck Florida Institute will be a world-class facility for bio-imaging research in Palm Beach County, and we feel this team had the specific experience and knowledge plus profound capabilities to deliver on this promise," said Claudia Hillinger, VP of Institute Development for Max Planck.

Renovation work included, but was not necessarily limited to, refurbishment of existing
areas with paint, new base and flooring, wall coverings, new machine room-less passenger
elevator, projection screen and repair and refinishing of Portland cement terrazzo flooring.

To allow the facility to remain operational during the day; construction was completed during
the night hours from 6:00pm-4:30am Monday-Friday. The entire project was divided into
9-phases to maintain functionality of all existing areas.

New areas of the expansion/renovation consisted of the following:
Phase 1: New Doctor’s Wing
Phase 2: Health Promotions Area
Phase 3: Renovation/Relocation of Psychiatry Area
Phase 4: Expansion/Relocation of Medical Records
Phase 5: Expansion/Relocation of Pharmacy with new retail space
Phase 6: Expansion/Relocation of new North wing of Medical Clinic
Phase 7: Renovation of existing Administration Area
Phase 8: Renovation of existing Allergy Care Area
Phase 9: Expansion/Relocation of new South wing of Medical Clinic

The 50,000-sq.-ft., two-story wood and steel structure seamlessly blends into the surrounding natural environment, presenting an understated yet elegant aesthetic that belies the complexity of the design components and construction processes that went into the project. From the diverse array of exterior building materials including aluminum, glazing, copper panels, stone, stone veneer and wood siding – all carefully overlaid to form a highly thermal rated exterior skin – to the highly energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems, to the rooftop photovoltaic panels that generate on-site energy, every building component contributes to the net- zero energy goal. The design includes two slender daylit office wings flanking a beautifully landscaped courtyard. The regional architectural language and material selection brings local poignancy to a replicable prototype.

Throughout the process, the Foundation emphasized the importance of ensuring that the design of the building—and the idea of energy innovation in the workplace—would be replicable, opening the door for a new generation of more environmentally sustainable buildings. The Foundation estimates that replication would cost $477 per square foot to feature the environmentally-friendly technologies used in this building.

The building began with deconstruction. The 1.5-acre site, set among 1960’s era buildings, was cleared in a way that maximized landfill diversion. In fact, more than 95% of construction waste was successfully recycled or salvaged, which earned the project the maximum LEED Points for Construction Waste Management. Rainwater is collected for toilet flushing and irrigation, and stormwater is retained on-site. Inside, meeting rooms are outfitted for remote collaboration, promising dramatic reductions in travel-related carbon emissions. Additionally, a transportation demand management plan helped eliminate the need for an underground parking garage, further reducing the organization’s carbon footprint.   Through integrated building design and aggressive reductions in plug loads, the building’s energy use will be reduced by 65%. In addition, innovative use of roof-mounted photovoltaic panels will offset any energy used.

Occupying property immediately north and south of the Broken Spoken, which will continue to operate during the construction period, The 704 development will also include two pools, an extensive fitness center, dog run, bocce ball court, outdoor lounges, recreation and grilling areas, and a rooftop deck.

Construction of The 704 is scheduled to complete in spring 2014.

The 33-story, 1,266,202-sq.-ft. upscale conference center hotel will include 1,012 guest rooms, a 76,335-sq.-ft. Grand Ballroom, Jr. Ballroom and Exhibit Hall, 35,777 sq. ft. of meeting rooms, a 22,455-sq.-ft. kitchen, and a 3,243-sq.-ft. fitness area. The hotel sits on top of a three-level, 471-space parking garage.
 

The hardscape ties in with the downtown scheme, and the sky-line is improved by incorporating existing textures and materials with a more modern look, transitioning in the old with the new.

The project includes seven acres of earthwork, hardscape and landscape including a 900,000-gallon underground storm water detention vault. The project also includes an outdoor amphitheatre.

Terminus marked a new direction in development for this city, which has a rapidly growing business district but remains largely a commuter town. The dense development is rendered airy and accessible with predominantly clear glass cladding, multiple entryways, interior streets and courtyards and a pedestrian level that is devoted to store fronts and restaurants.

The building design incorporates a new twist on the growing popularity of mixed-use design by going vertical, rather than horizontal, with the 50-story structure.  The building exterior of all glass curtainwall was designed as a piece of art or sculpture to fit in with the site and skyline of the area.

The theatre is built in the style of traditional European theaters, yet features state-of-the-art comfort and technology. Sound acoustical joints keep all vibrations from the structure so no noise will disturb the shows.

The 36,000-sq.-ft. building is designed to bring construction and architecture professionals together to work and learn as a team. It also serves as a gathering place for members of the industry to meet and interact with each other and with students aspiring to join them in the industry.

The project is pursuing LEED Platinum certificaiton.

The project is a 6-story, cast-in-place concrete frame with PSI joist system; exterior skin consisting of architectural precast, curtainwall, punched openings, metal panels; and stucco/paint or other architectural finish system. The interior consists of classrooms, common areas and built-out wet and dry lab space. Other trades including miscellaneous metals, architectural woodwork and cabinetry, caulking and waterproofing, roofing, doors/frames/hardware, overhead doors, interior glazing assemblies and storefront, drywall assemblies and insulation, tile, carpet, resilient and sheet vinyl flooring, epoxy coatings, terrazzo flooring, acoustical ceilings, paint, acoustical wall panels, Division 10 Specialties, laboratory equipment and casework, elevators, and MEP/FP systems.

The project includes an emergency generator and a UPS system to support the facilities' 24 hour operation. A VRF (Variable Refrigerent Flow) System was also added to the space to supplement the cooling of the building's base system. The project was completed in 8 weeks, thanks to the team and subcontractors' commitment to the last planner system. Catalyst Rx began full operations at the facility as originally scheduled and is thrilled with their new space.

This project received a Zero Defects letter.

The project team installed 12 solar arrays at the school’s main campus and one at its satellite location in Chico, CA. The majority of the panels are mounted to canopies, carports and shade structures; additional panels are ground mounted.

Phase 3 allows Butte College to generate 6.381 million kWh per year, making it the country’s first grid-positive college.  Butte College is the largest solar producing college in the world with a system total of 4.5 megawatts of clean renewable energy generation capability.

The Health Sciences Education Building (HSEB) is part of the inter-institutional campus for health science education and research, and supports the colleges of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, allied health, and biomedical informatics. The new 268,000-square-foot, six-story facility consists of administration and faculty offices, lecture halls, learning studios, flexible classrooms, student and faculty services, clinical skills suite, simulation suite, gross anatomy facilities, class laboratories, learning resource center, cafeteria, student lockers, group study rooms, conference rooms and miscellaneous building support. HSEB and future research buildings are connected by a north-south structure that houses public functions and spaces for the occupants of these facilities as part of an effort to ensure that educators, researchers, students, and teachers meet and encourage an interdisciplinary approach to pedagogy and research.

A key characteristic of the program is a model of collective resources shared by the University of Arizona’s College of Pharmacy and the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, and by Northern Arizona University’s College of Health and Human Services programs. An interactive planning process, which involved educators from the cross-section of health sciences disciplines, has worked collaboratively to create an educational vision of a team-based continuity of care model.

Careful consideration of the site layout and grading allowed the team to conserve the proper adjacencies and site security while improving sustainability and significantly reducing site development cost. As a result of the initial planning process, the team was also able to reduce the construction schedule by two months.

The three-story, 66,000-sq.-ft., OSHPD Level 3 facility houses a diagnostic imaging center, non-invasive vascular lab, infusion center, endoscopy services and a pharmacy.

The project is a ground-up, structural steel building nestled into the hillside. The team had to excavate the site and remediate sink holes common to the campus. To further protect the structure, it is built on micropiles and utilizes Buckling Reinforced Brace Frames to withstand seismic activity.

The interior of the building is full of exposed concrete, ductwork and piping. The MEP coordination had to be perfect to ensure that these elements be aesthetically pleasing. The flex space sits on a raised floor and is designed with acoustics in mind.

Built in the middle of an operating campus in the middle of the school year, great care was taken to minimize disruption to student and faculty activities. Working closely with campus officials, disruptive activities have been timed to avoid affecting day-to-day operations. Additionally, the project team has taken great care to protect all trees on campus as well as design and implement a comprehensive Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP).

Despite significant changes to the electrical scope of work, DPR managed the schedule to achieve the original occupancy date for the customer’s move-in.

From the onset of the project, many strategies were utilized to achieve the goal of Silver certification. In order to manage and improve indoor air quality, materials were carefully selected and specified, including low-VOC carpets, paints and adhesives. To reduce waste and the demand for virgin materials, many of the existing architectural features of the showroom, as well as office furnishings, were maintained. The USGBC recognized these efforts by awarding the Innovation in Design LEED credit for exceeding the existing standards for incorporating re-used and salvaged materials. Furthermore, through careful consideration in design, each of the space's occupants has multiple access points to exterior views.

The complex entailed the addition of two stories to the south portion of the building, creating a three-story structure, totaling nearly 35,000-sq.-ft, as well as the addition of a 12,000-sq.-ft. underground parking garage. The existing north portion of the building retained its original single-story design, but the interior was completely revamped to accommodate the new use. DPR was able to recycle and salvage more than 93 percent of the materials form existing structure, just one of the green friendly elements of this project.

The building's new interior features a Kodo, or multipurpose hall complete with a chapel for Buddhist ministerial training. To accomplish the exacting work of creating and installing the altar components in the chapel, the owner brought over wood workers and installers from Kyoto, Japan, which added another layer of complexity to the construction process.

The stores are more than just a place to sell products; it encourages consumers to “come, touch and test drive the products." This is why the interior is introduced to create openness and visibility across the store--to the products on display and to the customer activity. Central to the two-story space are a series of structural glass elements (stair, bridge and skylight) uniquely designed for Apple's High Profile Stores.

The school relied upon DPR's reputation for delivering projects “on schedule” in order to open in the fall for its first class of students. To accomplish this task, DPR utilized a fast-track, design/build delivery system to construct four buildings in nine months for completion of the first phase. Despite incomplete design drawings, weather conditions and extremely difficult site work, DPR successfully met the September 1 deadline.

The second phase, consisting of the main administration building and kitchen and a classroom building, was fenced off and constructed during the school year. The total square footage for all 6 two-story classroom buildings is 152,474.

DPR held a training session with the city and its architect, Calpo, Hom and Dong, that included a Charette and a review of the existing facility. During the session, the customer was able to see potential value of using green building elements, many of which either had no initial cost difference over non-green materials or would produce cost savings in the long run turning the city's vision into reality. It was also important to the city, which is experiencing significant growth in its undeveloped area, that it not only promote sustainable building in new development, but lead by example.

The city quickly adopted the goal of targeting LEED® certification for the 40,000-sq.-ft. buildout of its new city hall, and with DPR's help both the architect and the owner began to drive toward implementing as many green building aspects as were possible for the project.

The end result of that effort was the first LEED-CI (Commercial Interiors) Certified city hall in Northern California and possibly statewide.

A one-stop counter was installed that streamlines processes such as getting building permits or passports. Additional features include meeting and conference rooms, city council chambers and large community meeting rooms. All totaled, the project earned 24 LEED® credits covering everything from building systems to educational signage. Just a few of the highlights include the following:

• A new white, single-ply roof was installed directly over the top of the existing built-up roof, lessening the need for cooling in the summer.
• More than 43 percent water savings were achieved due to the selection of water conserving plumbing fixtures.
• More than 77 percent of the construction waste generated from this site was recycled. That included more than 30 tons of existing materials that were removed and donated to Habitat for Humanity, while the existing HVAC units were removed and 98 percent of them were recycled.
• More than 53 percent shading was achieved by keeping the existing trees.
• All of the materials used were low emitting.
• The city has permanently installed building signage to point out various green aspects of the building. In addition, a building tour script has been written that includes details on the green aspects of the building and materials used in its construction, and the city in partnership with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District set up an energy efficiency information display in the main lobby of the permit and business development area.

Serving as construction manager, with the subcontracts held directly by the city, DPR kept the project on track despite myriad challenges along the way. Recycling and donating materials from the demolition also proved challenging, as did management of the cumbersome LEED certification paperwork, which required multiple parties involved to maintain documentation of the products and processes used.

A key architectural focal point at the building’s entry is a stylized open book feature, accomplished through a glazing structure. DPR’s ability to innovate has been critical as it contends with construction challenges that include a tight downtown site with very little lay down area. The building is surrounded on all four sides: two sides adjacent to existing buildings, and a city street and a utility right of way on the other sides. The system, which utilizes large, 50-ft.-long, 12-inch-diameter pipes to stabilize the below-grade walls, was chosen in lieu of the more common tie-back system in deference to adjacent property owners who did not want tie backs underneath their structures.

The project also included shell spaces for a future Library and future Dialysis unit.  Through intricate coordination, DPR was able to incorporate the finish out of both future units during the construction of the main project. General conditions were shared between projects, saving the facility considerable expense. These savings contributed to making the build-outs affordable to complete during the main project.

The project had several challenges, both expected and unexpected. Availability of manpower was an issue due to the after-effects of hurricane Katrina. DPR’s strong relationships with national subcontracting firms helped the team staff the project. The national firms supplemented the local forces that were available, and were instrumental to the success of the project.

What was unexpected was that Louisiana had the wettest, coldest winter in seven years.  This resulted in more than 142 rain days during construction of the tower.  The owner allowed a 20-day schedule extension; the remaining 122 days were made up through overlapping trade schedules, and off-hours and weekend work.

To allow ample daylight to reach all workstations, 18 20' X 20' windows were cut into the sides of the building, creating light-filled work areas in a previously dreary space. A complex Building Management System (BMS) includes more control zones than a typical system, allowing the tenants greater control of energy use.

Clean construction methods were used during construction to help eliminate the potential for "sick building syndrome." Equipment and ductwork were wrapped during installation to keep them clean; when air systems were started, passageways were clean and no construction debris entered into circulation.

More than 75% off waste was recycled or diverted, and the site included separate bins for steel, concrete, unpainted drywall and waste. All office furniture was made of certified wood products, and drywall—which was self-performed by DPR—was made from recycled materials.

The $50 million renovation project will be accomplished with true Integrated Project Delivery methods, with full support of the Owner through a multi-party Integrated Form of Agreement. This will be the most significant IPD project to date on the East Coast.

• Basement - consists of offices, mechanical rooms and storage areas.
• First Floor - consists of a large “Rehearsal Hall Room”, office, storage and multipurpose room.
• Second Floor - consists of mechanical areas.

The Rehearsal Hall will include a large rehearsal room sized to accommodate 250 musicians, band offices, and support spaces. The exterior materials palette will be primarily brick and glass with a copper-clad standing-seam roof.  The rehearsal room will have an extensive glass window area facing the Arts Commons, which will flood the rehearsal space with natural light and allow visibility from the exterior.

DPR's Self-Perform Group is completing the concrete work.

The project is located in the middle of an occupied campus. Limited space on site has necessitated the use of just-in-time delivery for all construction materials. Surrounded by dorms and classrooms, noise, smell and dust protection measures are in full force to protect building occupants and neighbors from the effects of construction. As an environmentally sensitive campus, the use of windows rather than forced air is common, increasing the need for the construction team's sensitivity.

The challenges of this project were many, including building in the midst of a congested academic setting, site constraints, and working in winter with excessive rainfall. Before one speck of the eventual 50,000 yards of dirt was exported or 1,100 tons of steel erected, 15 months were shaved off the traditional UC system timetable for projects.

Equally impressive was the project's safety record: The DPR team logged 300,000 hours without an injury and worked 12 months without a recordable incident. Furthermore, the owner's representative ranked DPR an average of 67 percent better than “Best in Class” in the areas of safety, quality, cost management, planning, job staffing, teamwork, responsiveness, cost control/billing, change orders, and closeout.

The conference center, with 1,800 seats for lectures or 700 seats for banquets, is the largest facility of its kind in Forsyth County. It was designed with maximum flexibility, providing 10 different configurations from 650 sq. ft. to 14,000 sq. ft. for college and community events.

The building is located in the center of the high-traffic campus. DPR’s project management team utilized the The Last Planner scheduling system to plan and phase the construction process to minimize campus interruptions and ensure student and faculty safety.

The project is targeting LEED Gold certification.

Highlighting the success and innovation achieved on this project was:

• An adaptable, solution-oriented project team that adjusted to changing cost factors to ultimately deliver a project that exceeded owner’s expectations;
• The delivery of a renewable building that achieived LEED Gold certification despite strict budget constraints; and
• Implementation of a “paperless” project management system.

Because of its unique nature, this 77,000-sq.-ft., two-story building was challenging in design and construction. It houses a diverse array of fine and performing arts spaces, ranging from a “black-box” performing arts theatre to music rehearsal rooms, photography labs and much more. The building has over 42 specialized instructional spaces, each of which was unique with its own specific construction requirements.

During the design phase, the preconstruction team comprised of DPR, architect, LPAS, and the owner faced a major challenge when the construction market was hit with a period of rapid cost escalation. The price tag for the project, which was to be funded under public bond monies, suddenly spiraled up several million dollars. Facing a deadline to obligate the bond funds, the school district looked to DPR to find solutions that would shave the extra cost to make the project buildable within its original budget.

The team met the challenge. One solution included an “out-of-the-box” approach to construct a new structure approximately 400 feet from the existing arts building rather than within its original footprint as had been planned. This option reduced the need to relocate occupants during construction and ultimately shaved approximately $1.5 million off project costs. The use of Building Informaton Modeling also saved $400,000 in architectural / structural change orders.   

The project received the "Energy Efficiency Partnership Program Best Practice Award in HVAC Design & Retrofit” from the  California Community College Chancellor’s Office. 

The space includes a fluoroscopy suite, x-ray rooms and multiple exam and clinical support spaces. Included in the project was the structural upgrade of the floor system to accept the x-ray imaging equipment and the fluoroscopy equipment. This renovation took place in an existing operational building and required coordination with staff and building functions.

The project, situated alongside critical patient care areas on the 14th floor of Lutheran Tower, required a disciplined approach to infection control. Constant communication with the facility’s staff, doctors and nurses was a necessity. DPR coordinated all activity with staff, working around the day-to-day needs of the patients, with their safety and comfort a driving focus.

Critically ill patients occupied adjacent floors. As part of a rigorous infection control plan, DPR sealed draft stops and ductwork to ensure debris from the construction area did not enter patient rooms. Negative pressure machines, tacky mats, HEPA filters and other barriers were used as well.

• The 183-bed UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital at Mission Bay with an urgent care/emergency department, pediatric primary care, and specialty outpatient care
• The UCSF Women's Specialty Hospital with 36 beds, cancer care, specialty surgery, and birth center
• UCSF Cancer Hospital at Mission Bay, Part of the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center which will house 70 beds and offer inpatient and outpatient surgery for cancer specialties
• A 207,400-sq.-ft. outpatient building
• 36,000-sq.-ft. energy center, helipad, parking and support services

DPR is working with UCSF, Anshen + Allen - part of Stantec Architecture, Cambridge CM, and 17 subcontractors at the Integrated Center for Design and Construction (ICDC) to deliver the ground-up, 878,000-sq.-ft. hospital complex. This project aims at LEED Gold certification and will feature 16 individual gardens, creating a total green space totaling 4.3 acres. Over an acre of these will be rooftop gardens which will help to reduce storm water runoff. The complex will deliver 100 percent outdoor air, rather than re-circulated, to every space.

The DPR team that recently completed this CCRC was well aware of the personal impact the entire design and construction process would have on its end users. That awareness set the tone from the beginning and increased the team's commitment to delivering a top-quality project, on schedule and budget, that met both the tenants' and the owner's needs.

Representative of DPR's increasing foray into the growing senior housing market, The Covington project for Episcopal Homes is a multi-building retirement community that provides a full continuum of care for seniors. The 460,000-sq.-ft. complex consists of the following, set within a campus-like atmosphere:

• A separate independent-living facility with 131 resident units, two guest suites and numerous amenities, such as pool, dining hall, full-service kitchen, arts room and fitness center;
• A 30-bed, two-story assisted-living facility;
• A one-story, 24-bed Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD)-regulated skilled-nursing facility;
• 24 private cottages; and
• A two-story, below-grade parking structure with 273 stalls.

When completed, the new Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Patient Care Pavilion will house 243 medical/surgical and acute rehabilitation beds. The Patient Care Pavilion building consists of two major components: a patient care tower and a basement and rooftop central utility plant. The new tower will be 13 stories tall, with 11 stories reaching approximately 184 feet above ground, and two levels below grade, wrapping around the existing Merritt Pavilion and providing approximately 230,000 sq. ft. of new space.

Construction of the new facility was adjacent to the existing Eden Medical Center, which remained in full operation until the new medical center was completed. The new Sutter Eden Medical Center opened to the public on December 1, 2012.

In addition to building a landmark regional medical center that will integrate the latest medical technologies, the project is truly breaking new ground in healthcare construction:

• Integrated Project Delivery (IPD): The team used an 11-party Integrated Form of Agreement (IFOA) contract. In previous cases, only the owner, architect and general contractor have signed the agreement and formed the core IPD team.
   
• Building Information Modeling (BIM): This was one of the first instances where model-based estimating was used to generate estimates quicker and more frequently, giving the team greater access to real-time cost information.
   
• California OSHPD phased plan review system: This was one of the first projects to use this system, resulting in an overall schedule savings of nearly 12 months.
   
• California SB 1953 earthquake safety law: This was the first new medical center in Alameda County to be built in compliance with this law.

• Remodeled emergency department with five additional treatment bays for a total of 13 and a much larger waiting area
• 4,000-sq.-ft. addition to the obstetrics wing that increased the overall square footage by 50 percent, providing the ability to offer some private labor/delivery/recovery rooms
• 3,000-sq.-ft. renovation and 10,000-sq.-ft. addition of a new outpatient surgical support center.

"It was a very complex project that required good communication and customer service skills by the entire project team," said Fred Ford, assistant administrator for Sutter Tracy Community Hospital. "DPR began working with the nursing managers, hospital staff and management to game plan safety processes and procedures and prioritized the most important issues as a team even before project start. This helped establish a higher level of trust and rapport over the course of the expansion. DPR rates among the best of the general contractors I have worked with."

Maintaining the schedule proved to be a major challenge and required ingenious thinking and flexibility from our team. By modifying our approach and/or the sequence of activities, DPR was able to maintain the original completion date. For example, in coordinating the above ceiling mechanical and electrical systems installations, DPR identified a conflict between the ductwork and the structure. We submitted the conflict to the design team and then worked with our construction team to resequence the actitivities to work around the delay.

DPR also found deficiencies in the millwork just before it was delivered to the site that required some redesign. DPR worked with our millwork subcontractor to reduce some of the installation durations and added craft people to our crew to keep the original schedule intact. We also identified major electrical needs with the owner's medical equipment, which required the design team to redistribute the power and make changes to the equipment power sources. After working through these changes with our electrical subcontractor, DPR was able to change the sequencing and add manpower where necessary to recover the schedule.

The facility houses new microbiology, cytogenetics, cytology, flow cytometry, special chemistry, and virology labs as well as a cold room, a new sterilizer room, staff lounges, a locker room, and a new administrative area. The project included the installation of a deionized piping system as well as medical gas systems for nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, oxygen, argon, nitrogen and three mixed gases. It also included a new generator. Due to the limited space in the ceiling cavity, intense MEP coordination was required to install 101 variable air valve (VAV) boxes and approximately 100 exhaust valves.

The greatest challenge was cutting four months off Stanford's already aggressive schedule. DPR received occupancy 14 weeks ahead of schedule by increasing the overlap between activities, tightening the durations, drilling down on the critical path and, in some cases, increasing the crew size to improve the efficiencies of the craft labor.

Working in a partially occupied space presented its own challenges. To accommodate the users of a laboratory on the second floor of the building, DPR provided a temporary generator during the five complete power shutdowns that were required to complete this project.

The footprint of the new patient tower was directly over the location of the original utilities' path to the hospital. Rather than shut the water off to the hospital while tying into the new line, the team used this new approach: temporary “saddles” were attached to the exterior of the 8-inch water main in two sections, and then connected to a nitrogen source. The water in the pipes in the work area froze, allowing workers to cut open the pipe and install the new line. Work had to be performed quickly, before the frozen water could melt, potentially sending hundreds of gallons of water through the open pipe.

To drill 20-foot piers inside the occupied pharmacy, DPR built temporary walls to encapsulate work activity within the partitions. A Bobcat was brought in to drill the piers and worked within the temporary walls. Exhaust from the Bobcat was released from the building via a 50-foot flexible steel tube attached to the muffler. The tube extended out of the work area, down the hall and out of a side door of the hospital.

To install the structural steel into the piers, a hole was cut in the roof for cranes to "fly" the steel in. To protect staff, DPR timed the incoming piers with the staff; each time a new piece came in, the staff would leave the area for 20 minutes (it is against OSHA regulation to allow major lifts over occupied spaces) then return when the coast was clear.

The project required the relocation of the employee parking lot. The owner's original schedule called for a new lot to be built prior to beginning construction of the new building. DPR recommended several approaches to “parking control” to allow work to begin on both phases at once. DPR built sidewalks, covered walkways, brought in a shuttle van and built a bus stop pavilion to make the employee's trek from an outer lot easier. By starting the new lot and building at the same time, six months were shaved from the schedule.

• 450-sq.-ft. C-Section addition
• 4,000-sq.-ft. Cardiac Catheterization addition
• 20 Med/Surg Patient rooms, 9,600-sq.-ft., buildout of shell space
• Relocation of existing utilities

The C-Section suite was tied into the building in an alcove space of the central courtyard of the hospital. Because of this “locked-in” location, cranes were used to excavate, dump in select fill and place structural steel – from the staging area in the parking lot, over the building, to the inside of the courtyard. To comply with OSHA and DPR safety requirements (which do not allow any load to be lifted over people), the team coordinated with the hospital to lift in and out when there were no scheduled C-Sections (the area under the lift path is the birthing center). DPR used spotters inside the hospital along the lift path to keep people from walking through during a lift, and to alert the team when an emergency C-Section needed to come through. In those instances, work was halted immediately and resumed only when the team could be sure there was no traffic.

One of the most critical challenges was removing exterior precast panels to expose the building substructure. Field measurements for steel tie-in points, exact dimensions of concrete edges, and structural openings all had to be verified. However, removing the panels left the building's exterior skin exposed to weather and environmental breaches to Infectious Disease Controls. This condition was more exaggerated in some cases because some of the panels were three stories tall, opening three floors at a time to the exposures referenced.

The DPR staff engaged in many creative methods to get this segment of work done and still keep the areas behind the precast in operation. It was necessary to constantly come up with new ways to install temporary weather protection and monitor the installations. Coordination with the facility and end user for shut downs of the space was continuous. The work was completed with no incidents to patients, staff, or the facility.

The team created an electronic model of the concrete structure using Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools. Because the details could be accurately modeled electronically, potential clashes were resolved before workers broke ground. DPR was also able to give the subcontractor a 3D view of what the underground work looked like, resulting in a higher level of quality.

The electrophysiology (EP) laboratory renovation project included the renovation of a PACU bay, isolation room, and two existing laboratories into new EP labs. One of the labs was particularly challenging as it required changing the function of the room and involved heavy major utility changes and coordination. The team also had to overcome space limitations in order to fit a state of the art imaging robot, lighting, HVAC, sprinklers, and other items, into the required 9-ft., 6-in. ceiling height with a concrete deck height of just 9-ft., 9-in.

Urban development on a zero lot line is not without its challenges. With the lack of a material storage area, DPR developed a "just in time" material delivery system. Materials were delivered and installed on the day needed and not a moment before. In addiiton, the project team developed a site specific safety plan that ensured the safety and minimal disruption to the residents of an apartment complex that was in close proximtiy of the site. 

The Mercy Midtown Medical Center, DPR's second project for the developer, is occupied by more than 91 doctors representing a full range of medical specialties. The six-story, 122,000-sq.-ft. building includes diagnostic imaging technology, an onsite medical laboratory, electronic medical records, administrative offices, and specially designed exam rooms.

DPR's collaborative spirit was evident from the onset and sustained itself through the duration of the project to ensure the owner's and tenant's interests were of utmost concern. One of the most important aspects of the preconstruction efforts on the Midtown Medical Center was the early selection of quality MEP design/build subcontractors. The preconstruction time period was sufficient for owner-driven changes to take place without affecting the project schedule. With the exception of a few owner-driven changes early in preconstruction, there were zero change orders on the project.

One challenge to the team was that the project was constructed on a “postage-stamp” site with a zero lot line making space extremely tight. DPR had to be creative when scheduling subcontractors. Just in time deliveries to the site were required as there was nowhere to stage or store the materials.

Another challenge to the project team was a four month delay due to permitting issues and owner/tenant contractual negotiations. With the delay, the building enclosure activities had to be performed during the rainy season. Schedule activities had to be re-sequenced so that the building would be water-tight to proceed with drywall and other interior finishes. Despite these challenges DPR delivered another successful project, again exceeding the customer's expectations.

The emergency department expansion added 25,000 sq. ft. and 16 additional ED beds to the facility. The two-story vertical expansion added 40,000 sq. ft. to be used for labs, offices, materials management on the first floor and four ORs, a 15-bed PACU and 27-bed ICU.

Both the vertical and horizontal expansions were built concurrently, increasing the already high level of importance on strict infection control procedures. The team constantly monitored particulate counts and enclosures around temporary walls. Throughout months of construction directly above occupied operating rooms and inside the active emergency department, no unplanned shutdowns occurred.

Project won Best of 2012 Healthcare Project by ENR Southwest Magazine.

Achieving this milestone was all the more notable in light of the highly challenging and intensive journey the team faced when it took over the construction management (CM) of the $660-million (construction cost) project in 2008, after construction had already begun in 2007. Even with reshaping the construction process midstream the team met the critical target date for delivering this landmark healthcare facility, which opened to the public in August.

Designed by CO Architects, and dubbed the “hospital of the future” for its many cutting-edge features, the 740,000-sq.-ft., 11-story Palomar Medical Center accommodates up to 360 patient beds, 12 operating rooms, a 50-room trauma center, a 60,000-sq.-ft. undulating green roof and a 40,000-sq.-ft. central plant, among other features. The hospital incorporates many sustainable design principles and reflects the owner’s commitment to creating not only a healing environment for patients, but one that also supports the well-being of the staff through features such as skylights and light wells that deliver natural lighting into employee-only spaces.

The team made a midstream shift to a hybrid integrated project delivery model and kicked of the process with a series of meetings between the owner, Palomar Health, the architect and engineering team, an outside facilitator, Lou Bainbridge, and key trade contractors to align goals and expectations and establish a high-performance team to focus on continuous improvement and project/team success.

The expansion and renovation project nearly tripled the size of the existing emergency department. As part of the 12,000-sq.-ft. expansion, the hospital added a new main entrance, waiting area and 16 new treatment bays. Included in the renovation was the patient registration area and direct elevator access to the second floor surgery rooms from the emergency department. Outside the hospital, improvements were made to the central plant along with the parking lot to accommodate the increased volume of visitors.

The biggest challenge to the hospital was maintaining access to the facility during construction, as all the main entrances were closed during construction. To assure uninterrupted access by visitors, DPR constructed temporary entrances to the hospital and the ambulance/emergency entrance prior to the start of construction.

• Medical office building
• New central plant and IT building
• Surgery center
• Onsite and offsite developments including street improvements

The campus includes a four-story medical office building including a basement level radiation therapy center which houses linear accelerators, a cat scan machine, and a Ximatron. The 131,000-sq.-ft. structural steel building was built to OSHPD 3 standards. The central plant and IT building, also built to OSHPD standards, consists of 11,000 sq. ft. of masonry construction. Also included in the complex is a single-story, 55,000-sq.-ft. steel and stud framing surgery center that will house outpatient care.