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.

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 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 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 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.

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 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.

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 soil in Clear Lake is sandy, requiring massive footings. Rather than dig individual footings, DPR excavated the entire area, poured footings and plinths, then backfilled around them. Excavating a single large area meant there was no risk of the cave-ins associated with digging footings in sandy soil, and two weeks were shaved from the schedule.

With three of four floors in place, the owner added two floors to the scope of the project. Designs were not complete, and rebar—which had a lead time of six weeks—is typically not ordered until drawings are farther along. Rather than push the schedule out, DPR pre-ordered the rebar, estimating quantities based on the previous floors and allowing for changes in the field to accommodate the larger ductwork required for floors five and six. The anticipated field changes were made quickly, ultimately saving time on the scheduled compared to ordering rebar when designs were complete.

The addition of two floors of cast-in-place concrete would have exceeded the soil bearing capacity of the site, so the design of the roof was changed to steel, which is long lead. To keep the project moving forward, a temporary rubber roof was installed so finishouts could begin on the first four floors. Waterproof sheetrock was used on top-out walls in some areas where wall framing and ductwork installation could begin. The cost of the temporary roof—approximately $70,000—paid for itself in time saved four times over. It also allowed the team to essentially stay on the same schedule proposed before the addition of two floors. Installation of a connector bridge from the heart hospital to the main hospital also presented challenges. Created using more than 100 tons of steel, the 400-ft. bridge was installed over a busy county road. The team was required to coordinate with several entities to close the road while sections of the bridge were installed.

DPR's project manager for the $30 million, 60,000-sq.-ft. new addition to the project. “One Kearny includes the demolition of an existing three-story building, ground-up seismic construction of an 11-story high rise on one of the most logistically challenging sites in the city, the historical and seismic renovation of an existing 12-story building constructed in 1902, and the modernization of a building designed by famous architect Charles W. Moore.” said Jim Lacy, When completed in January 2009, the three adjoining buildings—the new 60,000-sq.-ft. building, the historic 1902 64,000-sq.-ft. building and the Charles W. Moore “annex,” which was added to the 1902 Building in 1956—will become one, with a shared opening between the three different addresses, and offer boutique office space and retail space on the ground floor.

Demolition of the existing three-story building began in August 2007 and construction started on the new 11-story addition in November 2007. With zero lay down area and only 800 sq. ft. of parking lane to deliver materials, the project team has had to employ a tower crane, set 240 ft. above one of San Francisco's busiest intersections, to immediately pick up materials and place them into the building.

Along with the tight Market Street location, the construction team is challenged with maintaining the integrity of the two historic buildings, while constructing the attached contemporary steel-framed addition designed by San Francisco architect and structural engineer Charles Bloszies. The project also includes a complete state-of-the-art seismic renovation, ADA compliant upgrades throughout the development, and installation of the latest telecommunications and security systems. In addition, new elevators and a new, energy-efficient curtain wall, which must look exactly the same as the old curtain wall to maintain the structure's historical building status, will be installed for the annex project. “We're delighted to be able to prove the depth of our technical expertise on this project,” said Lacy, “and it's equally as exciting to preserve and protect a significant piece of San Francisco's history.”

The pilot plant, completed in May 2007, contains areas for gowning and lockers, cleaning preparation, Class 10,000 sampling/dispensing and labeling, Class 10,000 drug solution, coating, assembly and packaging, waste storage, bathrooms and showers, server room and shipping/receiving and warehouse. It also included an environmentally controlled crystalization room. DPR assisted in the installation of the owner-supplied pouching machine, which arrived in eight pieces and had to be carefully moved into the space and assembled over three days.

Challenges on this project included the design/build MEP systems and the aggressive design schedule. In order to meet deadlines, it was imperative that materials were ordered and released on time. The design approval process with the city, while challenging to the schedule, proved to be a great opportunity to develop a good working relationship with the city inspector.

To ensure that the end users would have a space that met their daily needs, Alexza production and science managers were accompanied on frequent jobwalks with clipboards and forms and asked to identify issues they had with the space.

The lab and office renovation consists of new open office space, structural upgrades to support additional mechanical equipment and chemical labs. The scope of work for the labs includes casework, fume hoods, nitrogen, clean air and hydrogen.

As a validated facility, this project required a significant amount of documentation. Highly experienced in building validated facilities, the DPR team began preparing for the validation process before a single tool was picked up. By developing the documentation plan early, DPR eased the process of compiling and delivering the 40+ binder turnover package.

As part of the renovation, the team performed structural upgrades to the building's roof to support six new make-up air units and removed half of the building's slab and depressed it two feet to accommodate the cleanroom access flooring. The team also installed 112 High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) plenums and 60 recirculation units. Alongside the building, DPR built a back service pad for the central utility plan, which includes chilled water, condenser water, a boiler and an emergency generator.

Despite the highly complex nature of the project, DPR delivered Phase 1 a day ahead of schedule with zero defects, and the project was turned over to the owner with no outstanding change orders.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools are being used to streamline coordination of equipment installation and to resolve clashes before designs are complete. At the construction mid-way point, the team has identified 400 major clashes that have led to re-sizing of ductwork, lowering ceilings and re-routing of mechanical and electrical systems. The mechanical team estimates that the electronic coordination has saved them approximately two months on the schedule and $50,000-$10,000 due to lack of conflicts.

DPR created the architectural, structural and miscellaneous support models. The mechanical and electrical subcontractors each created their scopes in the model, as did the telecommunication and fire protection contractors. The subcontractors have gained the most use of the models through multidiscipline coordination, shop drawing creation and visuals to attach to RFIs.

At the end of the project, the model will be handed over to the owner to use with their ‘as-built’ documentation and facility management.

The owner's initial plan called for two distinct phases: shell construction and data center finishout, with demobilization from the site between the two. This was to accommodate the company's fiscal year and funding availability. DPR recommended compressing the shell construction by two months and starting later, eliminating the need for additional demobilization/mobilization and saving on the overall budget.

The electrical underground design would not be ready in time to meet the new accelerated schedule. Completion of the building slab was a critical schedule milestone, as it was to serve as the casting bed for the tilt-up panels. However, the electrical underground design would not be ready in time for the new accelerated schedule. Under the original schedule, the massive amount of electrical conduit needed would have been installed below the slab prior to it being poured. To allow construction to proceed while electrical design was in progress, the project's structural engineers analyzed the foundation grade beam structure and made recommendations for proceeding with the slab. The approach was to utilize the four feet of flowable, lightweight concrete under the exterior grade beams for access. When the building construction was complete, a portion of the interior slab was removed and sections of the lightweight concrete excavated. Electricians were then able to run conduit from the interior of the building to the exterior yard while the interior build-out progressed.

The city utility also did not have sufficient infrastructure to support the facility by the accelerated completion date. They agreed to have power ready in time for the original completion date but could not guarantee service for the compressed construction schedule. The team enlisted a temporary services design and implementation company to design and provide temporary cooling and dehumidification of the interior to allow sensitive activities to continue without hindering the schedule.

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The R&D consolidation project brought many separate work groups together into a single open work area. Each of these groups has different equipment with different MEP requirements, different schedules, and different overall project needs. To help each user group visualize the layout of the new space and get their feedback on changes prior to installing work, DPR walked each through a mock-up of the space. Before laying out floors and installing equipment as it was shown on the plans, DPR ran everything through the end-users first. Each was shown – through mockups, sketches, blueprints – what their space would ‘look' like to help them visualize what they needed. Most of the silicon chip scientists moving in to the facility had never built a lab before and found this exercise helpful to pinpoint exactly what they would need.

The fast schedule left no time for shop drawing approvals or prefabrication. On mechanical and electrical-heavy projects like this, time is typically spent early on to review submittals with subcontractor teams, receive their approvals, and prefabricate much of the work. Because of the fast pace of this project, there was no time to review shop drawings or prefabricate MEP systems. Everything had to be approved, built, and installed on site and on the fly.

DPR supervised and coordinated the work on site as it was installed. Field engineers from the mechanical and electrical teams worked on site with DPR to hand sketch single sections of work. The sketches were emailed to engineers for approval, then fabricated and installed. DPR's superintendent coordinated the work of the teams to ensure the work – performed under raised floor and in the same space – continued efficiently without workers getting in each other's way.

Part of DPR's scope of work was to oversee the decommissioning, moving, and reinstallation of more than 150 different kinds of microchip research and testing tools. Each tool move involved the tool operator, riggers, movers, mechanical subs, electrical subs, and DPR. Each tool also had different requirements for downtime, MEP systems, and start-up, and a constantly changing schedule for when it could be moved, based on current production schedules.

DPR took a hands-on, tool-by-tool approach to supervising the tool moves. A mechanical/electrical coordinator was stationed at each end of the move to monitor the shutdown and startup. The superintendent at the project site coordinated installation subcontractors, making sure each parties was there when needed and that work was performed in the right order. For example, electrical connections must be made before compressed air, followed by process water. This process was repeated as tools were ready to be moved over the course of four months.

After project was finished, DPR had to take it all offline to install 120 zone valves in less than 48 hours at the request of the owner. These new process cold water zone valves were added to allow the owner to isolate smaller sections of the system for maintenance work, so all tools don't have to be shut down for one repair.

The project completed in March of 2007.

The renovated building is composed of a concrete frame on 210 base isolators designed to allow the new landmark to withstand an 8.3 magnitude earthquake. A moat around the perimeter accommodates sway during a seismic event.

DPR teamed up with LEM Construction Inc. in a joint venture to serve as the general contractor for the restoration of the exterior granite skin façade and interior renovation of the great hall, grand staircase, and loggia, as well as the addition of a new floor and a 50-ft. tall skylight—a signature of designer Gae Aulenti that now floods the once dark library with natural daylight.

The high-profile rehabilitation and adaptive re-use project consumed 26,000 cubic yards of concrete, 6,000 tons of steel, 30,000 sq. ft. of glass, 50 miles of electrical wiring, and 11,000 sq. ft. of Italian Basaltina stone flooring (the same that is used in the Vatican).

The old Main Library offers 121,500 usable sq. ft. of which approximately 37,000 sq. ft. is allocated to galleries, a 30 percent increase over the gallery space the Asian Art Museum had at its previous location in Golden Gate Park.

The amount of structural renovation required to stabilize and seismically strengthen the building was challenging. The structural work alone took two-and-a-half years to complete and involved the installation of 14 shear walls up to three ft. thick that ran from the ceiling to the basement. Due to limited site access in the highly dense Civic Center area, most of the steel had to be hand-rigged (rather than using a crane). Approximately 1,300 laborers, carpenters, ironworkers, glaziers, plasterers, masons, plumbers, fitters, electricians, and other professionals worked together to safely complete more than a million hours of construction over nearly four years.

Hardin was challenged by Highwood's Properties and Kforce to provide them with a Class “A” office building utilizing a fast-track schedule which could accommodate the relocation of five of their branch offices into one facility.  As this building was the first of its kind in the historic Ybor City area. Careful consideration was given to the aesthetics of the building.  Various brick and building colors were utilized in order to match Centro Asturiano - a 100-year-old social club, which is a focal point of local gatherings and community events.

Kforce.com's new facility was designed to provide a casual environment which could meet every need of the Kforce.com employee by enhancing the workplace environment.  Of the 138,000-sq.-ft. facility, 5,000 sq. ft. is dedicated to an indoor, full-service cafeteria with dining facilities and full catering services.  An additional 15,000 sq. ft. is comprised of a full exercise arena containing state-of-the-art exercise equipment, locker rooms and showers, and a full, NCAA regulation basketball court.

The office building itself is built utilizing a steel frame structure with precast concrete and glass skin.  Kforce chose to install an aluminum “eyebrow” around the entire perimeter of the building creating consistent shade to the building exterior in order to maximize the energy efficiency, yet providing an eye pleasing aesthetic appeal.  The finished exterior product allowed construction to meet the owners schedule and budget needs while providing the building with a much richer look and feel.

The interior of the building continues to incorporate the historical look of the area by utilizing quarter-sawn cherry panel finishes and furniture.  The lobby floor is comprised of terrazzo, and is accented on the second and third floors with Mandarin style art. 

Safety was a concern throughout the project due to the dangers associated with erecting and securing the steel and precast walls immediately adjacent to high voltage (69kv) backup power lines which service the downtown Tampa area.  Through careful implementation of Hardin’s safety plan, including daily safety meetings and subcontractor awareness, the project was completed successfully with no lost-time accidents.

This facility was instrumental in the revitalization for the west side of Ybor City, and is a unique example of how new construction and state-of-the-art facilities can be incorporated into an historical environment with ease.