TEMPE, AZ

The latest in a string of large-scale projects for Arizona State University (ASU), DPR completed the new McCord Hall at the W. P. Carey Business School in June. With 42 different subcontractors, the team used short interval planning (SIP) in conjunction with critical path method (CPM) scheduling (see cover story) to “right-plan” the 129,000-sq.-ft. project. In addition to the dramatic three-dimensional brick façade and real wood walls, the facility is also heated and cooled by an under-air floor system to improve air quality and save energy. DPR also self-performed work on the project, including creating construction shop drawings of all the walls and mechanical, engineering and plumbing (MEP) openings using building information modeling (BIM).

REDWOOD CITY, CA

DPR’s Michele Leiva was among 14 chief financial officers (CFOs) recently honored by the Silicon Valley Business Journal for “changing the landscape at some of the biggest and fastest-growing companies in Silicon Valley.” Leiva took top honors as the 2013 CFO of the Year in the Private Company category. “She’s one of the hardest working people you’ll ever meet,” said Doug Woods (the D of DPR) to the Business Journal. Leiva started with DPR in 1990 as employee No. 6.

RICHMOND, VA

DPR recently completed the build-out and provisioning of second-floor data center space for a confidential customer. The rapidly deployed project included 45,000 sq. ft. of raised-floor white space with an initial distribution of 150 watts per sq. ft., split into five areas. The project team used BIM, including laser scanning of the existing space, and coordination meetings with all team members to provide detailed planning throughout. The project was completed with a zero lost-time rate for 214,752 man-hours worked.

ORLANDO, FL

Cans of tuna and corn and Spam®…oh my! Partnering with HuntonBrady Architects for the Canstruction® competition in October, DPR and the team successfully recreated the Emerald City from “The Wizard of Oz” out of 3,000 cans of food. The theme was “there’s no place like Orlando.” The team’s design received a national award for “Best Meal.” Canstruction is a unique charity that hosts competitions to create colossal structures made entirely out of full cans of food that it then donates. For years, DPR has participated in Canstruction competitions all over the country.

MECHANICSVILLE, VA

Over the summer, DPR broke ground on a new medical facility at Rutland Commons. Owned by Crosland Southeast, the building’s tenant is HCA Virginia. Upon completion, scheduled for April 2014, the medical facility will be a one-story, 22,000-sq.-ft. stand-alone emergency department and imaging center. The ground-up building will have space for X-ray scan, CT scan, medical lab space, major surgery, bone density, ultrasound, mammography, several offices, and capabilities to add a future magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) space.

FOREST CITY, NC

The Facebook Data Center in Forest City received the Best Green Project award from ENR Southeast! This data center has not only achieved LEED® Gold for New Construction (NC) certification but also features 100 percent outdoor air for cooling and a separate 25,000-sq.-ft. air-handling penthouse for each data suite that uses a 100 percent evaporative cooling method.

WASHINGTON, DC

“Quality Throughout the Product Lifecycle” was the theme of this year’s International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) Annual Meeting, held in November. At DPR’s annual hospitality event during ISPE, music and life sciences came together along with 150 guests. A handful of party attendees—including DPR’s Jay Leopold—displayed their talents by joining the event’s band, Sirsy.

POOLER, GA

According to the Saporta Report, DPR Hardin’s recent project wins “are symbolic of DPR Hardin’s combined strength to better serve the needs of customers in the Southeast.” One such project is the $200 million total Outlet Mall of Georgia. In September, DPR Hardin broke ground on the 560,000-sq.-ft. luxury outlet center.

SAN DIEGO, CA

DPR recently teamed up with Gensler to construct an Angry Birds™-themed table piece, which was auctioned off at the Fifth Annual Tables for Tots fundraiser. All proceeds went to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego to help support the families of critically ill children. Through its imaginative creation, the team raised $3,500.

LOS ALTOS, CA

In October, DPR’s LEED Platinum, 49,000-sq.-ft., ground-up David and Lucile Packard Foundation Headquarters project achieved net-zero energy status, as certified by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). The project also unseated DPR’s own Phoenix regional office building as the largest ILFI-certified net-zero energy building in the world. That begs the question and raises the challenge: Which net-zero energy building will take the “world’s largest” title next?

PASADENA, CA

The California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech) Jorgensen Laboratory project received a 2013 Sustainable Innovation award from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Los Angeles Chapter. A study in sustainability, the LEED Platinum laboratory renovation united two of the university’s powerhouse programs: the Resnick Sustainability Institute and the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis. Inside the laboratory, a multi-disciplinary group of students, researchers and scientists work to invent revolutionary and clean methods of fuels and power.

BAY AREA

Giving back to the community is one of the founding objectives of DPR. According to the San Francisco Business Times, DPR Bay Area ranked No. 56 among local companies for corporate philanthropy.

BALTIMORE, MD

DPR recently moved into the Baltimore Metro area (see Regional Manager Profile story). While new, the office does not come without history, building a multitude of special projects in the area since 2002. DPR built the office through design-build project delivery with SmithgroupJJR, M.C. Dean, Inc. and Southland Industries, Inc. The office is targeting LEED Gold for Commercial Interiors (CI). It is also the fifth DPR office to monitor its energy usage through an online dashboard—the Lucid Building Dashboard® system. Through the dashboard, employees track their use of electricity, water and natural gas.

RALEIGH, NC

The Lean Construction Institute (LCI) Carolinas Community of Practice (CoP) presented “An Owner’s Perspective on Lean Project Delivery” in August at DPR’s office. The program highlighted the benefits of integrated project delivery (IPD) and lean techniques, specifically within healthcare. Speakers discussed their IPD journeys. They illustrated that with lean concepts, building behavioral hospitals can be better, faster and cost less. Around 40 representatives from the local architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) community attended.

AUSTIN, TX

Austin’s Warehouse District is adding a new 30-story building to the neighborhood, called Colorado Tower. When completed, DPR’s Colorado Tower project will add 371,000 sq. ft. of office, amenity and retail space, as well as 860 parking spaces, to the downtown market.

ORLANDO, FL

The Central Florida chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) held an awards banquet in October. Two DPR projects won Eagle awards—the chapter’s highest recognition—including the Embassy Suites Orlando - Lake Buena Vista South. The 11-story, 360,000-sq.-ft. hotel and convention center—won in the “Commercial Projects, $50-99 Million” category.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL

According to the South Florida Business Journal, DPR is the fourth fastest-growing company in South Florida. In additional news, the USGBC South Florida Chapter named DPR’s West Palm Beach office the Most Outstanding LEED CI project during its GalaVerde 2013 award ceremony.

GRASS VALLEY, CA

In a design-build delivery approach with Capitol Avenue Development & Investments and Nacht & Lewis, DPR delivered a new essential services office building to the California Highway Patrol. On a 4.9-acre site, the new building includes office space and a 120-ft. tall radio communication tower. This is the first building to be completed under the California Highway Patrol’s building replacement program. On track to achieve LEED Silver certification, the building includes a roof-mounted photovoltaic system that produces a minimum of 7.5 percent of the building energy cost.

TUCSON, AZ

Recently, DPR’s Special Services Group (SSG) team completed a 22,000-sq.-ft. hybrid operating room (OR) modernization and renovation. It was for the University of Arizona’s University Medical Center - University Campus (UAMC).

“The comments I’ve gotten back from the staff, including the people who were most inconvenienced—the surgical staff—were that everybody that works for and with DPR was sensitive to their needs. Plus, we enjoyed working with them. DPR would be welcomed back any time as far as we’re concerned.” - Lynn Harris, senior project manager for the University of Arizona Health Network