Teamwork Drives Success on Super Fast-Track Sun Project in Austin

When Sun Microsystems brought DPR on board to finish out its150,000-sq.-ft. engineering site in Austin last fall, the project team knew they faced no ordinary set of design and construction challenges. Foremost was the critical, extremely fast-tracked 10-week construction schedule that made a close, cooperative working relationship among the owner, architect and contractor a clear prerequisite for success.

Less than 10 weeks after construction started, Sun began to move employees into the first of the three buildings, which was completed early thanks to a monumental team effort by the owner, architect and DPR that not only brought the project in ahead of schedule but also with zero defects and no accidents.

To say the project team “hit the ground running” is an understatement, but Project Manager Rusty Morgan says success was driven by the cooperative approach shared by DPR and architect Graeber, Simmons & Cowan, as well as the willingness of the owner and its rep, Jones Lang LaSalle, to make speedy decisions.

“The architect, engineer, subcontractors, DPR and the owner really became one team; you couldn’t tell we were from different companies,” Morgan comments. “That and dedication and commitment to meet the owner’s expectations were the bottom line for us.”

Bringing DPR on board shortly after the architect started made a major difference as well, according to Tom Cornelius, principal in charge with Graeber, Simmons & Cowan. “Sun had the foresight to award the project to an outstanding contractor early on, so we had the benefit of DPR’s systematic approach to preconstruction services,” he comments. Project architect Jacqueline Dodson adds, “There was a definite overlap of design and construction, where we just had to work together as a team. Good communication was essential.” She notes that a cooperative spirit followed throughout the project. “I don’t think there was one time that anybody ever said, ‘This is wrong because of somebody else.’ It was, ‘This is wrong, how do we fix it?’ The finger pointing just wasn’t there.”

DPR was also able to leverage its strong relationship with subcontractors in the region to contract with multiple companies within several trades to facilitate the fast-track schedule. There was a total of approximately 25 contractors on the job and peak manpower of about 550 people working in the three small buildings around the clock to complete on time.

Although the shells were constructed for standard office use, Sun required extensive modifications to accommodate its mechanical and electrical systems. The project included installation of five chillers, large rooftop air handling units, extensive generator backup system, and 29 cleanroom air units, among other details.

The design also had to incorporate many fixed standards that Sun has for all of its facilities nationwide, involving items such as standard sliding glass doors for each office. DPR and Graeber, Simons & Cowan worked closely to devise alternative methods for some of those items to help meet this project’s accelerated schedule. In one case, DPR used its nationwide connections to locate raised floor required for the lab space, normally a long lead item.

Establishing “make or break” milestones with the subs early in the project also was critical to achieving the schedule, according to Superintendent Rosco Stermer. “The key to this success was getting everybody’s buy in and getting their input, so the expectations were set from the beginning.”