Best of 2005

Health Care
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Ambulatory Clinical Building
Submitted by: Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Austin
Location: Houston
Key Players:
Owner: The University of Texas System, Austin
General Construction: Hensel Phelps Construction Co., Austin
Architect of Record: FKP Architects Inc., Houston
Signature Architect: Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz, New York
Civil/Structural/Parking and Traffic Engineer: Walter P. Moore Engineers + Consultants, Houston

A design-build project, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Ambulatory Clinical Building, totaling 781,700 gross sq. ft., was designed as the "signature" building on M.D. Anderson's site, housing cutting-edge technologies within an environment of spacious lounges and rooftop gardens utilizing natural lighting.

The building's lower five floors are built from 130,000 cu. yds. of cast-in-place concrete, while the upper seven floors are structural steel. The team decided to transition between the two materials after examining ways to optimize the grid for a parking garage and a first-class health-care building.

To meet M.D. Anderson's aggressive schedule, the team elected to transfer the load from concrete to steel on level two, as the building would be speedier to erect using structural steel. Level two now features large concrete transfer girders to accommodate the larger column spacing in the underground parking garage.

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Despite its cutting-edge technologies such as the digitized diagnostic imaging equipment and high-energy linear accelerators, the ACB was designed to be a soothing, comforting place for wellness. The lobby is hotel-like, with commissioned art, fountains and massive aquariums.

The underground parking garage maximizes greenspace for patient enjoyment. The parking levels have uninterrupted ramps with no parking, so patients on wheelchairs can travel on level grades. Adequate vertical circulation points or elevator lobbies minimize walking distances.

Valet parking stations were incorporated into the design of the 963-car garage as well as the four lanes of passenger-side patient dropoffs running through the building.

Higher Education/Research
SMU, James M. Collins Executive Education Center
Submitted by: Centex Construction Co.
Location: Dallas
Key Players:
Owner: Southern Methodist University, Dallas
Contraction Manager: Centex Construction Co., Dallas
Architect: The Hillier Group, Dallas
Structural Engineer: Thorton-Thomasetti Group Inc. Engineers Division, Dallas
MEP Engineer: ccrd partners, Dallas

Southern Methodist University supports six degree-granting schools, including the Cox School of Business. The James M. Collins Executive Center is the school's newest asset.

The Collins Executive Education Center enables the SMU Cox School of Business to expand its programs, enrich the educational experience for all students and ultimately enhance its national and international reputation as a top-tier business school.

Centex Construction was selected to build the center in 2003. The Collins Executive Center is Centex's seventh project on the SMU campus in the past 18 years.

The center is located immediately east of the Cox School of Business. The Hillier Group designed the Collins Center to be a 50,000-sq.-ft., self-contained teaching and conference facility housing the Cox School's Executive and Management Development and affiliated programs, as well as to provide office and classroom space for the executive MBA program.

Design features in the center are in keeping with the campus' traditional Georgian architectural theme.

Included in the building are a 300-seat auditorium, 5,000-sq.-ft. three-story commons area, kitchen area and dining room with seating for 120. There also is a business center, as well as executive lounge, numerous faculty offices and oversized workrooms.

An outdoor plaza on the north side of the building offers additional event space, and a rooftop terrace provides an environment for networking. The academic areas are equipped with the latest technology to support a variety of instructional techniques to include four-tiered classrooms with seating for 66 students, a 40-seat classroom with flexible seating arrangements, 15 breakout rooms with seating for groups of six to 10, boardroom with seating for 24, conference room with seating for 12 and two uniquely shaped seminar rooms overhanging the three-story commons area.

Industrial
Emergency Power Reconfiguration
Submitted by: Linbeck Construction Group LLC, Houston
Location: Houston
Key Players:
Owner: St. Luke's Episcopal Health System
General Contractor: Linbeck Construction, Houston
Architect: RTKL Associates, Dallas
Electrical Engineer: Burns DeLatte & McCoy Inc., Houston
Electrical Contractor: Fisk Electric Co., Houston
Mechanical Contractor: Gowan Inc., Houston

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital was completely "blacked out" by Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001 when 8 ft. of water surged into the hospital's basement where the power systems were housed.

Similar scenarios played out in facilities throughout the Texas Medical Center. The flooding at St. Luke's damaged most of the main switchgear, transformers and many automatic transfer switches. The emergency power generators were located .25 mi. from the hospital, and the underground cables connecting the power source to the hospital were compromised because the flood waters damaged the feeder lines.

Both the normal and emergency power systems were temporarily repaired within 11 days. All other hospitals ravaged by Allison's flood waters required a minimum of 30 days to get back up and running.

Permanently repairing the emergency power system at St. Luke's was the epitome of precision planning. TeamBuild, a collaborative team process developed by Linbeck, was the process that made it possible to transfer thousands of circuits, raze and rebuild several hospital floors and install millions of dollars worth of equipment without impacting hospital operations.

The process was embraced by the hospital engineers and administrators, architects, engineers and subcontractors.

Linbeck has been using the TeamBuild process since 1968 because it has proven it works every time. It brings all key team members into the decision-making process from the beginning - including client representatives, facility users, owners, developers, architects, engineers, constructors and subconsultants. TeamBuild first outlines the client's needs, and then the team members work collaboratively to develop a gameplan that best serves those needs.

The plan is reviewed and refined through every phase and subphase of the project.

K-12
Burnet High School
Submitted by: American Constructors, Austin
Location: Burnet
Key Players:
Owner: Burnet Consolidated ISD
Architect: Fromberg Associates Inc., Austin
General Contractor: American Constructors LLP, Austin
Structural Engineer: LOC Constultants, Austin
Civil Engineer: LNV Engineering Inc., Corpus Christi
MEP Engineer: Kent Consulting Engineers, Austin

The project consists of six buildings totaling more than 250,000 sq. ft. constructed on a site covering more than 75 acres.

The buildings, predominately slab-on-grade with site-cast, tiltup walls, contain classrooms, administrative areas, kitchen and cafeteria, courtyard amphitheater, visual performing arts area, 960-seat auditorium, 1,400-seat gymnasium and more. The roof systems are architectural standing-seam metal and modified bitumen for the low-sloping roofs.

Sitework includes complete landscaping and irrigation, a water-quality pond, two athletic fields, parking, storm sewage and more. Interior finishes include drywall, ceramic tile, epoxy flooring and terrazzo.

A big task in the project was changing the entire building system after the bond had been passed and funding was allocated. During the planning phase, it was determined that the campus would be made up of pre-engineered metal buildings with a combination of brick veneer and metal wall panels as well as standard metal roofing panels.

After the budget was set and the bond passed, American Constructors convinced the Burnet CISD to upgrade the building system to concrete tiltup walls with architectural standing-seam roofs. Although the system provided a far superior product, it placed severe strains on the budget.

During the entire design and construction process, American Constructors worked to identify and implement value-engineering items to reduce cost and provide the superior building system while sill meeting the original budget.

Multifamily Residential
Buckingham Senior Living Community
Submitted by: SpawGlass, Houston
Location: Houston
Key Players:
Owner: The Buckingham, Houston
General Contractor: SpawGlass Construction Corp., Houston
Architect: Ambrose, McEnany & House, Houston
Architect (exterior):
Structural Engineer: Haynes Whaley Associates, Houston
MEP Engineer: Wylie & Associates, Houston

The Buckingham is a luxurious 464,000-sq.-ft., continuing-care retirement community located along Houston's Buffalo Bayou. The community consists of five main structures under one roof and includes 205 one-, two- and three- bedroom independent-living apartment homes; 60 skilled-nursing; 16 memory-support; and 43 assisted living units.

One challenge was constructing four buildings of different structural components. SpawGlass discovered severe congestion and elevation issues in many areas. The project team used AutoCAD to overlay drawings and to compare elevations. MEP coordination meetings were held regularly with four major subcontractors and the architect.

Before the buy-out of the major subcontracts, material prices on steel and wood products escalated to unprecedented levels. The SpawGlass team hit the drawing board in an effort to help offset the escalation costs.

There were plenty of obstacles during construction of the unique four-story wood structure. Due the building's height of 50 ft., the framing members were unusual, measuring as large as 6 by 10 in.

With its proximity to the Gulf Coast, the project had to be designed to meet 110-mph winds. The wind requirement compounded by the building height and the owner's clear-space requirements posed a challenge to the engineering of the building and in its construction.

To the engineer, this meant plenty of structural wood shearwalls and the use of the Simpson Strong-Tie Anchor Tiedown System. As a solution, the framing subcontractor created a grid system in AutoCAD that was then used as a tool to transfer the locations onto batter boards and edge forms while a series of string lines traversed the foundation in every direction.

The foundation resembled a spider web before each pour. In the end, 1,000 ATS bolts were exactly where they needed to be.

Private Building
Freescale Gown Room Relocation
Submitted by: DPR Construction Inc., Austin
Location: Austin
Key Players:
Owner: Freescale Semiconductor Inc., Austin
General Construction: DPR Construction Inc., Austin
Architect: PageSoutherlandPage, Austin
Civil Engineer: Baker-Aicklen Inc., Round Rock
Structural/MEP Engineer: Kinetics Systems Inc., Austin

This project involved the addition of a 2,200-sq.-ft., three-level gown room attached to operating wafer-fabrication facilities on two sides, with Class 10 clean room and Class 100 connecting corridors.

The new Class 10 and Class 100 building was built between and attached to two operating wafer-fabrication facilities. For Freescale to maintain operations during the project, the team had to ensure that in addition to creating a sterile new addition, vibration and dust particulates from the construction process did not affect adjacent buildings. The team followed stringent semiconductor Clean Build Protocol, developed by DPR through many years of projects within occupied clean facilities to carefully monitor, measure and document each step of the project.

Throughout the project, Freescale maintained 100 percent of its operations. Aside from the necessary system tie-ins for chilled water and the early smoke detection alarm, there were no construction-related shutdowns.

To ensure minimal disruption to Freescale's business, DPR coordinated the shutdowns two or three weeks ahead of time. When necessary, DPR worked at night or on weekends to meet the schedule and minimize disruption to business.

Soon after the start of preconstruction, Freescale requested the already fast project schedule be shortened by four weeks. The DPR team immediately ramped up coordination meetings with the owner and architect to add schedule, procurement and constructability input as designs were finalized.

The team broke the project down into three packages, broke the packages into tasks and grouped the tasks into lists to best meet the schedule. DPR's project superintendent became the master scheduler in the field, coordinating each package of work, overlapping trades and incorporating Freescale's own facilities labor pool into the schedule.

Public Building
Tarrant County Family Law Center
Submitted by: Gilbane Building Co., Grapevine
Location: Fort Worth
Key Players:
Owner: Tarrant County
General Contractor: Gilbane Building Co., Grapevine
Design Architect: David M. Schwarz, Washington, D.C.
Architect of Record: GideonToal, Fort Worth Civil Consultant: LOPEZGARCIA GROUP, Dallas Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: Summit Consultants Inc., Fort Worth

Gilbane provided construction management services for the new Tarrant County Family Law Center and Parking Garage. The facility, solely dedicated to family courts and related functions, consists of a five-story building totaling 258,541 sq. ft.

The facility includes a basement with equipment rooms, holding cells for prisoners appearing in court and a secure parking area for judges.

Phase one of the project was the construction of a 785-car parking garage on the block to the west of the Family Law Center. This project began in September 2001 and was opened in August 2002. Once the garage was completed, work began on the Family Law Center.

The impressive granite courthouse is designed to provide a high level of security and still be conducive to the needs of families during stressful legal proceedings. It incorporates as much open space as possible in the entrance and public areas and gives visitors a choice of using the elevator or grand staircase.

Natural light is used wherever possible, and there are plenty of private areas for delicate family court negotiations.

The courthouse was also designed to complement the 110-year-old historic courthouse across the street. It was important to Tarrant County to stay true to the exterior of the historic buildings in downtown Fort Worth. The look was achieved by the use of granite and brick as well as a green coating on the window panes.

Before the facility was built, the family court operations were spread throughout multiple buildings in downtown Fort Worth.

Renovation/Restoration
Lamar County Courthouse
Submitted by: Harrison, Walker & Harper LP, Paris
Owner: Lamar County
Construction Manager: Harrison, Walker & Harper LP, Paris
Architect/Engineer: ArchiTexas, Dallas
Historical Consultant: Texas Historical Commission, Austin

In June 1999 the Texas Legislature established the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program to provide matching grants to Texas counties for the restoration of their historic courthouses.

In October 2000, Lamar County was awarded $464,500 to fund the development of architectural plans and specifications for the restoration of its 85-year-old courthouse in Paris. In January 2002, the county was granted $3,535,500 for construction.

Designed in the classical revival style with Romanesque detailing, the courthouse features the same Texas pink granite used on the facade of the Texas Capitol in Austin.

The exterior of the courthouse remains almost entirely unchanged. All original design elements, with the exception of the windows, remain in place. The windows had been replaced in 1974 with bronze anodized aluminum storefront windows, but as part of the restoration they were returned to historically accurate, butterfly casement sinker cypress wood windows. Sinker cypress wood was utilized on all exterior fenestrations.

Aluminum storefront doors at the basement entrance were replaced with wood and glass doors that match the originals. All of the courthouse's historic pink granite was cleaned for the first time since 1998, and period streetlights were added to accent its historic appearance.

On the interior, all of the existing original historic fabric and details were restored. Alterations that didn't conform to the courthouse's 1916 appearance have been removed.

Most significantly, the drop-down ceiling in the district courtroom that was installed to facilitate the HVAC system has been removed, revealing the concealed balcony and outstanding decorative plasterwork.

Floor plans were altered somewhat to provide much-needed courtroom space and offices. This is most notable on the third and fourth floors where jail cells no longer being utilized were removed.

Sports/Entertainment
Mansfield Cinemark 12
Submitted by: Bob Moore Construction Inc., Arlington
Location: Mansfield
Key Players:
Owner: Cinemark USA, Plano
General Contractor: Bob Moore Construction Inc., Arlington
Developer: Kossman Development Co. Pittsburgh, Pa.
Architect: Beck Architecture, Dallas

The project was the first Cinemark to feature full-height stone veneer. Coronado stone was the main exterior feature and required close coordination between the concrete, sandblasting and masonry subcontractors to achieve a final, safe product.

The stone veneer took more than two months to complete and features numerous accent bands and color combinations.

Structural steel was a large component of the project. Steel joists and beams are utilized at the roof and mezzanine levels, and structural stub columns and decking are used at all auditoriums to create the stadium seating.

To ensure that the steel was fabricated and delivered to the jobsite in the proper sequence, 3D modeling via Tekla Structures was incorporated. This product allowed the team to determine potential issues before the steel was even fabricated.

The total floor area is 38,888 sq. ft., yet 81 tiltwall panels had to be cast with an average area of 841 sq. ft. The complete tiltwall panel area cast was about 68,100 sq. ft. or twice the area of the slab.

The stadium seating component also meant that due to the slab's numerous elevation changes, most of the panels were cast outside of the building on casting beds and stacked as many as three panels tall.

Further complicating the construction was the fact that a residential area was only about 60 ft. west of the building, limiting access during panel erection. Two "picking areas" located inside an exit area and trash-compactor location solved the access problem.

Transportation
Federal Inspection Services and APM Station
Submitted by: Clark/Mission, a Joint Venture, Houston
Location: Houston
Key Players:
Owner: Houston Airport System
Program Manager: The PB Team, Houston
General Contractor: Clark/Mission, a Joint Venture, Houston
Project Architect: PGAL Architects, Alexandria, Va.
Structural Engineer: Walter P. Moore Engineers + Consultants, Houston
MEP Engineer: Burns DeLatte & McCoy Inc., Houston
Civil Engineer: PTI Inc., Houston

The Federal Inspection Services building is the major component of the International Services Expansion Program for the Houston Airport System at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The 850,000-sq.-ft. FIS facility, in conjunction with the new Terminal E constructed for Continental Airlines, dramatically expands the airport's international air traffic. The FIS building centralizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection services for international flight arrivals for Terminal D and Terminal E and all ticketing security screening and customs inspections of international passengers and baggage.

The FIS building superstructure consists of three main floors: a basement, first and second floors as well as two mezzanine levels. The basement floor houses the international baggage-handling area accessed by two tug ramps on the east side that connect to an existing airport operations service road.

The first floor contains the baggage-claim hall with 12 baggage-claim devices containing more than 2,800 lin. ft. of presentation. The floor also includes the baggage recheck hall and the meet-and-greet lobby, which is set out by its architectural features of curved ceilings, designed terrazzo flooring and artwork column covers.

The second floor houses customs' primary inspection hall with 84 passport-inspection booths in a natural-light open area. Also on this floor is the in-transit lounge, customs offices and the over-roadway sterile and secure pedestrian bridges that connect Terminals D and E and Continental's international ticketing lobby.

The facility, which can process 4,500 international passengers per hour and 190 pieces of luggage per minute, is the largest single federal inspection services building in the country.