groundbreaking A JE DUNN CONSTRUCTION PUBLICATION
vol 48 TECHNOLOGY
groundbreaking volume 48 on the cover: The recently completed Georgia Southern University for Engineering and Research houses the university’s growing Manufacturing Engineering Department where they promote collaboration among engineering disciplines, students, faculty, and researchers. published by: JE DUNN CONSTRUCTION 1001 LOCUST STREET KANSAS CITY, MO 64106 EMILY GALLAGHER EDITORIAL ADVISOR KATY O’DONOVAN EDITOR SUSAN MCCULLICK ART DIRECTOR
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE JE Dunn in the News...........................................................4 Virtual Modeling: Changing the Communication Game at the US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel................6 Decision to Precision: A Targeted Lens Approach.................12 Bringing Technology to Life: A Blended Approach to Enhance the Preconstruction Process...............................16 Introducing Aptitude: Intelligent Integration..........................20 The Tech Push: Maximizing Technology to Change the Way We Build............................................22 PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS City of Salem Police Station...............................................10 University of Minnesota Health Sciences Education Center....14 Harris County Pets Adoption Center...................................18 Georgia Southern University Center for Engineering and Research Building....................................26 JE Dunn Selected as a US Best Managed Company for Consecutive Year...............................back page
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The University of Colorado Boulder’s Sustainability Energy and Environment Complex (SEEC) brings together 13 diverse research programs and partners in two buildings— one new and one retrofitted. JE Dunn’s Aptitude (featured on page 20) team integrated the buildings’ critical access control and A/V systems to ensure the infrastructure worked flawlessly upon project completion.
Construction Commentary I know I speak for many of our employees, clients, and partners when I say that after the uncertainty of 2020, we’re glad to be back to what we do best: building for our clients. Building inspired places and finding new ways to collaborate while challenging ourselves to problem solve more creatively certainly brings a sense of satisfaction, but it also drives us to be better. Technology kept us connected, kept projects moving, and kept our culture alive—and it will continue to shape the construction industry in ways not yet realized. If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that while technology plays a vital role in all we do, it’s actually innovative people, solutions, and approach that move us forward. Our people collaborate and think innovatively to solve client problems. Our innovative approach to applying technology to build better and smarter is what sets us apart. From enabling remote inspections and enhancing quality and safety to assisting design decisions to save cost, innovation fueled by technology empowers us to consistently deliver on project goals. Technology brought us closer, but it also pushed us further to find new ways to leverage it to improve relationships, transparency, and collaboration. Our challenge now is to improve upon it and continue building high-quality projects while keeping safety and health at the forefront. I sincerely thank all of our clients, partners, and employees who persevered and who continue to innovate to deliver an exceptional client experience. While we put the challenges of the past year behind us, I look forward to what the future brings for us all.
Gordon Lansford JE Dunn Construction | groundbreaking |
President & CEO JE Dunn Construction
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RAISING THE BAR IN PREFABRICATION The first LEED v4 for Healthcare Gold-certified project in the US, the Sarah Cannon Cancer Hospital at Medical City Plano (pictured below) was featured on the cover of Medical Construction and Design. Vice President Josh Meadows discussed how collaboration, early involvement, and a prefabricate-first mindset led to an extremely lean project with impressive results. Read the full article at https://cutt.ly/Fb3UjAs.
BUILDING A FUTURE WITHOUT LIMITS As the industry continues to grow, NAWIC is encouraging women to pursue a career in construction by highlighting females and their contributions to projects and companies nationwide. As part of Women in Construction Week, Virtual Design and Construction Director Sara Curry shared how some JE Dunn females are playing key roles in the large-scale HCA Medical City Frisco tower addition in Texas (see rendering on right courtesy of Perkins+Will). Appearing in the NAWIC Today publication, the entire article is available at https://cutt.ly/kb3S0xO. 4
MAXIMIZING MODULAR CONSTRUCTION TO INCREASE SPEED TO MARKET Data usage is on the rise, and that means storage needs are rising at a rapid rate as well, creating even more pressure to increase speed to market for data centers. Engineering Services Manager Marcus Walker discussed factors owners should consider when deciding whether modular construction is right for their projects and which approach to use. Written for Mission Critical magazine, the article appears online at https://cutt. ly/2b3P6KU.
KANSAS CITY BUSINESS JOURNAL NAMES JE DUNN A CHAMPION OF BUSINESS The Kansas City Business Journal recently named JE Dunn a 2020 Champion of Business. The honor is awarded to for-profit companies that lead and continue to excel when it comes to financial performance, innovation, and community involvement. Read about JE Dunn and the mark it has made on Kansas City at https://cutt.ly/Ab3DRg5.
BUILDING A WORKFORCE THROUGH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT In an effort to attract more workers to the construction industry, professionals are getting in front of students earlier to both educate and encourage them to pursue a career in the trades. Construction firms are now recognizing that other avenues provide earlier visibility to meet the demand, one of which includes actively partnering with nonprofit organizations that are working at the high school level. Senior Marketing Specialist Callie Morris shared her thoughts with CRE Mile High on ways firms are working with non-profit organizations to enhance workforce development initiatives. Read her full article at https://cutt.ly/mb3HBgq.
PREVENTING THE SPREAD: THE EVOLUTION OF INFECTION CONTROL
Showcasing completed projects and thought leadership from our people, JE Dunn’s 2020 Year in Review represents our resilient culture during an unprecedented year as well as our continued commitment to building relationships and communities. We’re proud of all we accomplished with our partners and are excited to share the book in its entirety at https://cutt.ly/5b3Knan.
EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC The Kansas City Business Journal recently spoke with some of its Top 150 Private Companies about the effects of the pandemic. Midwest Region President Paul Neidlein shared that stalled commercial construction projects due to the pandemic are starting up again and that he expects material costs to drop this year as manufacturers ramp back up to full speed. Visit https://cutt.ly/6n2dzcp to read the full article.
JE Dunn Construction | groundbreaking |
Now more than a year into the pandemic, the healthcare construction industry is continuing its transition from reacting to adapting and innovating, and one area seeing many changes in protocol is infection control. Vice President Brandon Moore shared with Medical Construction and Design the ways healthcare construction professionals are enhancing infection control processes to protect hospital staff and vulnerable patients. Visit https://cutt.ly/hb3PtBs to read the article in full.
JE DUNN 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW
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BIM is playing an ever-increasing role in complex construction projects and is now an expected part of preconstruction activities for many projects in every market. While typically used for clash detection, planning, scheduling, and cost estimation, it is the visualization piece that changed the direction of an entire project.
Originally constructed in 1962, the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel is currently undergoing a renovation to restore the most visited manmade tourist attraction in Colorado. Tasked with restoring a National Historic Landmark that comes with unconventional components as well as the geographic challenges the mountains bring, the JE Dunn team had to come up with a solution to keep work moving through various weather challenges including rain, snow, and high winds.
JE Dunn Construction | groundbreaking |
THE CHALLENGE
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Because the scope involves removing all exterior metal skin, glass, and windows, the building interior will be exposed to the elements. This causes concerns not only for the work to be performed, but also for the products that have temperature limitations. As such, the team had to come up with a solution to ensure weather would not affect the ability to complete the work or the overall quality of the work.
THE SOLUTION The original design documents for this renovation called for a commercial-type roofing system and special raised floor to redirect water to temporary gutters when it rains or snows. This would create a protective measure for the building interior but would not allow work to actively progress during these weather events. To solve both, the team came up with another concept—a “cocoon” that would enclose the entire chapel. By constructing a building over the Chapel, workers can remain dry and safe on the inside despite the weather conditions outside. 8
One other positive outcome of the cocoon will be to provide an opportunity for a more robust hoisting system. Because of the geometry of the Chapel as well as its location being surrounded by retaining walls, the ability for cranes to both access the high points as well as lift material in high winds was also a concern. By designing an overhead bridge crane system to be integrated into the under-side of the cocoon roof structure, yet another potential problem was solved. Due to the unique procurement method of this project, JE Dunn was provided the opportunity to present this concept to the Air Force Civil Engineering Center (AFCEC) prior to project bid. JE Dunn utilized their VDC Group to develop renderings which visually communicated the intent of the cocoon, as well as helped to show the interface of other complicated construction systems such as aerial lifts and complex scaffolding.
THE IMPLEMENTATION With such a unique enclosure, the building model played a key role in early decisions on design, construction, erection sequencing, and interface with other components of the project. The original structural design of the enclosure included cable stays anchored to the roof trusses, which were splayed and attached to the ground via soil
anchors for stability. However, as the team was developing design of the enclosure utilizing BIM, in conjunction with the structural engineer (Bob D Campbell), they quickly realized that the cable anchors would be structurally inadequate and would also provide potential safety concerns for USAFA Cadets and the public. Based on these findings, the design was amended to provide robust steel kickers to strengthen the building, increase the factor of safety, and ensure the entirety of the enclosure supports remained within the confines of the project fence to limit potential safety concerns. In addition to the enclosure itself, BIM also allowed the construction team to communicate with the government regarding crane placements to provide a visual of what to expect, ensuring they were able to gain the acceptance from the Academy.
Lastly, the space between the exterior of the Chapel and the parapet of the existing retaining walls is very minimal. Despite this, large 185’ aerial lifts are required to access along the plaza to provide personnel access to the highest points of the Chapel. While these lifts are able to drive in a straight line across the plaza, the bodies of the crane pose a collision risk with the retaining walls when rotating to access the Chapel itself. By gathering BIM information from JLG, the lift manufacturer, JE Dunn was able to show these plaza areas, with the model of the actual lifts to be used, to ensure the body of the lift would clear the retaining wall without causing damage to the existing historical fabric.
THE RESULTS Many projects leverage BIM for clash detection of complex MEP systems, but this particular renovation does not have much of that work type, with the primary purpose being skin-related. However, the early impact of BIM and JE Dunn’s VDC efforts will be felt in the years to come during this historic renovation. While the accuracy of the virtual model aided in the construction of the enclosure, it was the ability to communicate visually with the owner and trade partners during the project planning stages that was the true game-changer. Without specifications or previous documentation of an enclosure of this kind, the model clearly showed the owner what to expect and relayed to the trades the type of environment they could expect to work in.
The model clearly showed what to expect.
JE Dunn Construction | groundbreaking | 9
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
City of Salem Police Station Salem, Oregon
Equipped with the project statement of “Together we are building a safer Salem,” the team for the new Salem Police Department set out with the goal to provide continuity—for the police units and for the community. In need of more space to bring together units and departments that were split between City Hall and off-site leased offices, the new police station replaced a nearly 50-year-old facility and includes evidence storage, a crime lab, training spaces, and the City of Salem Emergency Operations Center. The 104,000-square-foot building also includes a community meeting room, public lobby area, and outdoor plaza—balancing an inviting, civic building while maintaining secure facilities for police operations.
MEETING AN AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE The requirements of the bond measure funding the project called for an aggressive schedule and doing so within clear and fixed financial parameters. JE Dunn worked with the City of Salem and the design team to develop a phased project delivery plan that included 11 bid packages, early procurement of the structural steel (at end of design development phase), and close coordination of the design packages which included cost reconciliation activities with the design team. As a result, JE Dunn had 52% of the work already in place or contracted by the time the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) was finalized. This approach allowed construction and design to run concurrently, resulting in the shortest possible schedule and meeting the aggressive schedule requirements.
COST- AND RESOURCE-SAVING SOLUTIONS Time constraints and a tight budget meant the design and construction teams had to carefully evaluate plans and collaborate closely to drive the design to meet the budget without sacrificing the client’s desired program. Through close value engineering (VE) coordination and sharing real-time cost data, the team could better track proposed VE items and identify places to improve the delivery schedule as well as save cost. “The VE process was integral in improving efficiency and ensuring we didn’t waste resources or money,” said Senior Preconstruction and Estimating Manager David Slokken. “For example, the project documents called for mass excavation of much of the site’s three acres—an expensive and time-consuming method for improving the soil’s bearing capacity. JE Dunn worked with the design team to develop a bid alternate for rammed aggregate piers in lieu of the mass excavation.
On bid day we realized over $180,000 in cost savings and shaved two and a half weeks off the schedule.” DAVID SLOKKEN, SENIOR PRECONSTRUCTION AND ESTIMATING MANAGER 10
INTEGRATION OF CRUCIAL SYSTEMS Integrating low-voltage systems such as the security components is yet another way the team saved cost while ensuring access was configured correctly from day one. As a building serving many different needs, each with their own security requirements, the hardware and security systems were very complex. JE Dunn and our design partners worked closely with the Police Department to coordinate which parts of the building would need to be accessible to which groups of people, so we could plan out which types of door hardware and security systems would be needed in each part of the building.
A TRUE COMMUNITY CONNECTION
JE Dunn Construction | groundbreaking |
With the intention of creating a space for the community to gather as well as house police department operations, the police department put in an immense amount of work to get the bond passed in addition to seeking community input throughout the design process. From getting public input on selecting the art installation to addressing community needs for a multipurpose meeting room, the Salem Police Department created a building that reflects their community—one that will serve as a civic anchor for the north edge of downtown Salem. “JE Dunn was instrumental in helping create a beautiful, highly functional police station that serves as a focal point for the community as well,” said Steve Bellshaw, Deputy Chief of Police, Salem Police Department. “The ability to bring all the diverse, complex needs under one roof was a big challenge, but one we were able to accomplish as a team.”
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School districts are often faced with difficult decisions that are not only time sensitive but also a matter of maximizing tax dollars with tight budgets. With ramifications farreaching, the Wake County Public School System had a big decision to make for Stough Elementary School: demo the building and rebuild it, renovate and add to it, or renovate and add to it by changing the layout. School district leaders leaned on the JE Dunn Charlotte team and Lens™ platform to guide their decision using cost history and real-time design options, but what neither party realized was that the breadth of the technology and preconstruction knowledge would aid in decision-making as well save the project altogether. At design kick-off, the team used one component of Lens to show the client the cost of each option. Using the vital cost history and flexibility provided by the platform to help with high-level estimates—but with full detail backup—allowed the client to weigh each option to determine which was the best path forward. Lens allowed the team to price the project three different ways with realtime pricing and design implications. All three pricing options along with constructability pros and cons were presented to the client and design team for discussion. After weighing each scenario, the district decided to move forward with the complete tear down and new construct option, as it proved it would provide the best value.
Working side by side with designers from architecture, interiors, and planning firm LS3P, the team worked tirelessly over the next five days amending the design and construction approach to work toward the budget. LS3P would work on the model during the day and publish a revised model to JE Dunn in the afternoon or evening. JE Dunn would work through the night and into the morning utilizing Lens to integrate the architect’s model with the estimate for Revit-based takeoff and Lens for detailed estimating to produce a revised estimate in less than 24 hours. We would evaluate the progress made and then get back to the drawing board again the same day. “Working in conjunction with JE Dunn, the design team was able to make quick edits to the Revit model so JE Dunn could then utilize the model to turn around accurate and detailed estimates. As opposed to 2-D takeoffs, Lens utilizes real building materials and components, in the Revit model, for a high degree of accuracy,” said Mary Brehler, LS3P project manager. “By modeling several options, the program could quickly provide quantity comparisons on items such as material, buildings systems, and structural systems. This was critical to the budget and the schedule because it allowed the team to make early design decisions based on factual data and present it to the school systems for review.”
Less than a year into preconstruction, the project was paused for 18 months due to the construction of other schools in the district and logistics of shifting students from each school. When preconstruction resumed, the budget stayed in line with hard-fought SD estimate through the completion of the project. The 100% Construction Design estimate provided to the client by JE Dunn with minimal trade partner input ended up being within .5% of the final GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) that was based on “rip and read” publicly opened trade partner quotes. In a construction climate that challenges teams to build faster while staying on budget, the accuracy and real-time information Lens provides is unmatched. Thanks to leveraging all Lens has to offer, Stough Elementary went from a project in jeopardy to completed in a shortened schedule with pinpoint accuracy in pricing. “The technology served as a great tool in the design process,” said Brehler. “At the very early stages of schematic design, the program allowed us to quickly evaluate different building systems and materials for cost comparisons. The fact that Lens allowed the designer and CM to work in conjunction with each other by integrating with Revit was critical to the overall success of the estimate and, ultimately, the completed project.”
JE Dunn Construction | groundbreaking |
As the design progressed into the Schematic Design (SD) phase and the program became more developed, it became apparent that the budget was in jeopardy. The SD estimate was over budget less than one week away from a “Go / No-Go” meeting with the school board, putting the entire project at risk. With the deadline looming, JE Dunn and the design team got to work figuring out how
to reduce cost and still maintain the client’s required program.
After four iterations of Designer Revit update by day and JE Dunn estimate update by night, the goal was achieved prior to the client’s board meeting. “We basically had seven days to rework the estimate that would typically take two months,” said JE Dunn’s Preconstruction Services Director Mike Hughes. “The coordination between the teams and leveraging our technology not only drastically reduced the time to turn around a new estimate, but they also delivered an estimate and budget that was in line with the owner’s intent. The 30 years of data housed in Lens allows for educated decision-making and transparency, in turn fostering innovation and creating the accountability and trust that ultimately saved the project.”
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
University of Minnesota Health Sciences Education Center Minneapolis, Minnesota
CHANGING THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE Changing education and evolving healthcare needs means that many university programs and facilities are changing as well to accommodate 21st century team-based learning and advance integrated healthcare across the state. With approximately 150,000 gross square feet of new construction and the renovation 14
professionals. It includes a new three-story, above-grade, 149,000 SF building that features formal learning environments that foster unparalleled student-teacher interaction, state-of-the art immersive simulation suites, knowledge creation and knowledge management spaces, as well as social learning spaces outside of the classroom.
CREATIVE LOGISTICS FOR CONSTRUCTING ON AN ACTIVE CAMPUS
of roughly 52,000 gross square feet of existing space in the Phillips-Wangensteen Building at the University of Minnesota, the school’s new Health Sciences Education Center (HSEC) is now the front door to the Academic Health Center (AHC). The building is designed to support the AHC’s interprofessional education model and fosters a team-based, experiential approach to patient-centered care training to better serve 70 percent of Minnesota’s healthcare
HSEC required mass demolition of two existing buildings that occupied a majority of the two-acre site. The project site was flanked on all sides by fully occupied buildings including an active hospital, a 15-story clinical building, a church, and two student housing facilities. This required JE Dunn to assemble an extensive disruption avoidance plan including items such as dust control, vibration monitoring, existing utilities investigation/ identification, emergency vehicle access, and public vehicular and pedestrian traffic control. “During demolition, JE Dunn had
trades people in aerial lifts with fire hoses spraying down demolition debris in addition to misting machines in an effort to control dust migration on site,” said Senior Project Manager Brett Dunlap. Logistics on the job were further complicated by both above- and below-grade conditions. As an example, the only viable location for the tower crane on the project was located over an active below-grade pedestrian tunnel serving the adjacent hospital, which required some innovation solutions. “Our team came up with a design that incorporated a four foot concrete pad spanning the existing tunnel with a city base for the tower crane. This pad was supported by a combination of drilled soldier piles extending to bedrock on one side and micropiles and grouted tiebacks on the other side. These micropiles needed to be strategically located to avoid existing electrical duct banks serving the active hospital,” said Dunlap. At other locations around the site, additional micropile clusters were also installed to accommodate concrete pump truck outriggers. This allowed us to span the pedestrian tunnel and transfer loads down vertically to avoid overloading our soil retention system and the pedestrian tunnel walls.
MINIMIZING DISRUPTION THROUGH TECHNOLOGY Keeping the renovation portion of the project on schedule while working within
an existing building that was 75% occupied presented many challenges. This is where the team leveraged BIM technology to complete the work efficiently while minimizing disruption to the owner as well as the students and staff using the building each day. The renovation work within the existing 15-story Phillips-Wangensteen Building, including 53,000 SF of remodeling levels 2, 3, 4 and 5, which tied into the state-of-the-art Health Sciences Education Center. To coordinate new MEP systems within the existing construction to remain, our team provided BIM and select laser scanning for verifications. We also worked closely with University Facility and Energy Management staff to complete base line test and balance readings prior to construction to ensure occupied floors above and below were not negatively impacted by demolition and construction activities. JE Dunn self-perform crews completed all selective demolition and carpentry for the renovation, which included structural saw cutting for the new grand stair connecting all renovated floors. Working above, below, and adjacent to building occupants, the team coordinated with University classroom management staff to schedule any noisy construction activities around classes and exams, but the deliveries required careful planning as well. The team relied on a simple solution that was easily accessible technology for all partners—a phone app. “Using the Microsoft Bookings app with trade partners allowed the team to coordinate
construction deliveries around University events (e.g., move-in day, game days, etc.) and allowed trades to reserve on-site loading dock space, tower crane picks, and hoist time,” said Dunlap. “This technology helped the team anticipate deliveries to better manage traffic congestion and reduce disruptions to University operations.”
A FACILITY FOR THE FUTURE From creating formal learning environments for student-to-student and studentto-teacher interaction to immersive simulation suites for outpatient, inpatient and general clinical training, the team worked hand in hand with the owner to ensure all needs of the finished facility and renovations met everyone’s needs. “Working on a highly active site on a project with unique teaching and lab space components always presents new challenges,” said Dunlap. “Thanks to collaboration with the client and some creative thinking, we were able to deliver a facility that will help shape the next generation of healthcare innovators.”
BRETT DUNLAP, SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
JE Dunn Construction | groundbreaking |
Our team implemented air monitoring and installed vibration monitoring equipment in adjacent buildings to ensure there were no disruptions to ongoing operations, clinical care, and research.”
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Bringing Technology to Life A Blended Approach to Enhance the Preconstruction Process
BY TOMMY TURNER, SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER Client engagement in the design and preconstruction process is one key to ensuring the project gets off to a successful start while meeting the needs and goals of each owner. Teams are getting increasingly creative in how they do this. From largescale, life-size mockups for users to physically experience the space to “stepping” inside designs virtually to “walk” a new facility before construction commences, we are finding new ways to collaborate. The team at Fort Leonard Wood is taking this one step further, blending two techniques to leverage technology and virtual reality while providing physical mockups of the space for the owner, doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff. The challenge with merging the techniques is finding the right combination and mockup approach that works for each owner, as there are many ways to provide and utilize them. In some cases, the rooms
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are built early in the construction process; this restricts the ability to make changes to the design due to the speed and schedule of construction. In other cases, the mockups are limited to select rooms such as a surgery suite or exam room, which doesn’t provide an overall sense of the space. Mockups have also been created once design is complete, which would require rework on part of the designer to correct the documents. Doing virtual and physical mockups early in design reduces the rework, supports changes by the end-user, and builds early confidence that the design is headed in the right direction.
PUTTING MOCKUPS TO THE TEST To overcome the challenges presented by the ever-changing world of medical equipment, JE Dunn built facsimile medical equipment (made from foam) to represent the current industry practices and design criteria to allow the visitors to get full-scale, touch-and-feel review of the room. For USACE to finalize the equipment selections with JE Dunn and other equipment contractors, this mockup
Through a combination of the VR headset and 3-D modeling, the guesswork of interpreting 2-D construction drawings is removed, which makes users feel as though they are in the building and allows medical professionals to quickly understand the end product that will be delivered. “It was very encouraging to see how much natural light the new hospital will have,” said Colonel Aaron Pitney, current hospital commander. “The rooms are modern, private, and have so many useful upgrades. The Defense Health Agency team along with the US Army Corps of Engineers took all our feedback; I was especially appreciative of our GLWACH staff who took the time to provide clinical input to the facility. That level of integration will benefit patients and our staff, as well. To date, this tool has proven extremely useful in developing the design details of this project.” phase is a crucial piece in understanding the needs of departments and the coordination with the other spaces and equipment. This innovative approach allows many medical professionals to comment on numerous design decisions that could impact comfort and operation in the new space. For instance, the end users at the Fort Leonard Wood facility changed medical gas locations based on their best practices. Equipment locations were changed to improve workflow or circulation around the rooms. Instruments and other wall-mounted equipment were adjusted for better reach and access. Layouts were tweaked to improve the mother’s experience in Labor and Delivery Rooms.
VIRTUAL IMMERSION As the first contract within the Department of Defense Medical to require virtual reality, this project is utilizing this tool to allow visitors and reviewers to “walk” the new facility before it is constructed. The VR mockup is intended to provide the same scale and immersion as the physical mockups but allows for greater access to spaces that cannot necessarily be created in the warehouse. Everything from medical equipment to chairs in waiting areas were modeled for users to see.
BENEFIT OF A BLENDED APPROACH Outside of the design coordination improvement, the biggest project benefit of merging mockups with virtual reality technology is the comfort and confidence gained by clients through early visualization of the physical and virtual spaces. Being able to see the project come to life early on increases trust and excitement, and that is immeasurable throughout the remainder of design. In fact, the reception counters in the main lobby at Fort Leonard Wood were revised within 10 minutes of virtual-reality review to improve the aesthetic of the space and reduce barriers between workers and visitors (thus creating a more welcoming environment). Getting the end-user feedback early in design gives the architect and medical equipment planner a better chance to maximize square footage and infrastructure without multiple extensive design iterations. “The chance for up-front input that can change the design immediately is invaluable,” said Kelly Miller, USACE Kansas City. “The results we saw at Fort Leonard Wood were so encouraging—with enhanced collaboration between all parties—that this approach has the potential to change the way we build in our projects going forward.”
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ENRICHING LIVES IN THE COMMUNITY
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Harris County Pets Adoption Center Houston, Texas
Every project comes with unique conditions, but determining a plan for an animal care, adoption, and resource center comes with its own set of challenges and considerations. Serving functions ranging from animal intake, adoption, and housing to veterinary wellness services, community outreach, and education center all under one roof, the needs were vast for Harris County Pets. A complex of five building areas connected by corridors, the 55,000-square-foot multi-faceted veterinary health center required strategic phasing and coordination to overcome the challenges presented by the center’s various functions and needs. In addition to the complexity of requirements for an animal shelter such as a the indoor/outdoor dog kenneling system, animal intake/ outtake areas, and medical equipment for separate veterinary services, the design and materials were unconventional as well. The building structure and envelope were a hybrid design inclusive of traditional structural steel, cold-formed metal framing, and preengineered metal building system (PEMB) with masonry and metal panel claddings, which necessitated a different approach before the project commenced. Because the actual PEMB system design was not part of the contract bid drawings, it was only after bid day that awarded PEMB-supplier design could be integrated into the design to be constructed. Having deferred drawings presented the first challenge of getting the PEMB system designed and coordinated with the structural system to get off the ground with foundations. Furthermore, because this was not a standalone PEMB system, but rather one that integrated with an architectural wall envelope of cold-formed metal stud wall framing and waterproofing systems, another level of coordination was required to ensure transition points between the two systems were compatible and met the overall project intent.
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Compounding these coordination challenges was the fact that the PEMB drawing dimensions and layouts utilized did not exactly match the architectural and structural drawings due to how PEMB designs their systems. This entailed additional calculations and verifications to ensure coordination of these two systems. We decided early in the project to spearhead several meetings with these parties to make sure we were all on the same page as well as to help expedite shop drawing approvals and related RFI responses. This alleviated potential issues as well as opened the lines of communication between all parties to help establish a collaborative approach to handle issues that reared their head during construction.
THE VALUE OF MOCKUPS Once the structural plan was finalized, the team had to determine phasing to account for unconventional requirements of housing, treating, and caring for animals. To ensure optimal design and functionality, the team provided physical mockups during coordination of the items. “We mocked up the indoor/outdoor kennel, guillotine door system, cat cage trims to name a few,” said Senior Project Manager Robbie Jacobs. The mockup of the indoor/outdoor dog kennel was particularly invaluable to uncovering and eliminating a potential problem during construction. “It taught us that the float forms used to create the floor slopes in the kennels needed to remain in place while the concrete set to better define the sloping to drains and wall transitions between the kennels,” said Jacobs. “Typically, float forms are supported by wooden stakes that must be pulled early before the concrete completely sets to maintain the integrity of the concrete.”
Having mockups of the items helps the owner and end users not only visualize the building and flow, but it also allowed us to make changes early in the process to ensure the building meets the needs of those working in it every day.”
Our mockup revealed that pulling these forms early—which is typical—created a finishing issue with the drain slopes and wall areas between the kennels. We determined the best approach was to utilize metal stakes that could be left in the concrete and cut flush with slab later without affecting the concrete’s integrity. This allowed us to leave the kennel form floats in place until the concrete was completely set. The result was consistent, well-defined kennel drain slopes and wall areas that required no corrections—a big win for project quality considering we constructed 253 kennels for this project.
ROBBIE JACOBS, SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
A PLAN FOR NORMALCY
Officially opened in Fall 2020, JE Dunn added a personal touch to further improve the community experience, custom-painted picnic benches. “This facility is so important to the community, for the animals and the residents,” said Jacobs. “We were excited to gift the tables to add a bit of character and fun for the patrons.”
JE Dunn Construction | groundbreaking |
Sequencing and planning were also crucial to maintaining a positive experience for the public, as well as ensuring a safe and healthy environment for the animals housed in the shelter during construction. Due to our schedule and logistics sequence, we had to remove the end-user’s outdoor dog parks where patrons get acquainted with pets they are considering adopting. We were able to utilize temporary fencing and repurpose benches to provide temporary dog parks, so this experience could continue. It is often a challenge when construction efforts in some way compromise or reduce ongoing owner operations. “Finding ways to maintain a semblance of normalcy, to preserve the experience—even if imperfect—is an important part of the construction experience we want to deliver to our owners and their patrons being served,” said Jacobs.
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Georgia Institute of Technology, ACC Network Operations Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
Smart Building Essentials BY CHRIS ANDREWS, APTITUDE DESIGN AND PRECONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR
In a world where we increasingly hear the importance of implementing “smart” concepts—smart buildings, smart technology, smart cities—it can be difficult to decipher what it all means. What actually makes a building smart, and how is it all connected?
The answers to those questions will not only help owners determine the needs of their buildings, but it will also improve the users’ experiences, keeping systems connected and running seamlessly to create a positive, efficient environment. That’s where Aptitude, a strategic trade partner of JE Dunn comes in—to connect those crucial systems for a truly smart, seamless technology experience. To support the growing need for smart buildings, JE Dunn launched Aptitude: Intelligent Integration in January 2021. Leveraging the nearly 100 years of design-build expertise to deliver connected built environments, the team not only helps owners determine what is best for their buildings, but they also help them understand the scope and ramifications of those needs. Smart technology involves connecting multiple low-voltage systems within a building and can meet needs ranging from security and access systems to nurse call stations, all the way to complex audiovisual and lighting structures. Though smart building is a highly complex process, it really boils down to three main components: Infrastructure, Cyber Security, and Utilization of Collected Data. 20
Infrastructure Infrastructure is the super-highway in which the data travels throughout your building and beyond and is a complex network of low-voltage connections. Infrastructure is made up of jacks at the desk, cabling between there and the active network gear in a telecommunications room, and the wireless access points that employees connect to when not at their desks. With more devices than ever before per person—typically a personal computer, desk phone, cell phone, and tablet—there is increasing stress both on current infrastructure in many buildings as well as the need to improve it. Up until the early 2000s, our industry attempted to improve the speed of data transmission in cable on an almost bi-yearly basis. We quickly passed through standards for Category 3, Category 5, Category 5E, Category 6, Category 6E, Category 6A, and shielded versions of each. The industry was hungry to continue to make the cable faster with every new category. CAT6A had achieved 10 gigabits per second, which was great, but it required that users were connected within the building. When the industry started to virtualize their network services purchasing it through a SaaS (Software as a Service) program that we marketed as “Cloud,” the internet connection became a choke point. As a result, many customers only bought cable with speeds compared to the internet connection they could achieve.
Siloed Infrastructure
Cyber Security
Internet speeds have improved in recent years, and we are finding owners follow suit with their pursuit of a faster infrastructure. More and more emphasis is being placed on a wireless network. More than just the humans in the building are connecting to wireless access points, and there are now countless IoT (Internet of Things) devices also depending on this wireless infrastructure to report vital statistics about the building. Infrastructures are now one consolidated network, as opposed to many independent purpose-built networks. Each of these systems now utilize an IP (internet protocol) connection in order to share a common network, which allows for these systems to interact with each other.
The increase in internet usage and the added bandwidth requirements that come with it means owners must be even more vigilant when it comes to cyber security. With the one consolidated network approach, it introduces countless intrusion points. The risk with having everything connected is that the weakest device in the system could allow entry into another more sensitive system on the network, making it easier for intruders to gain access. A simple ransom virus can lock down an entire corporation, as their networks likely extend beyond a single building or campus. Because of this, cyber security is more important than ever when consolidating to one network, and it is imperative to collaborate with IT departments when building or connecting the network.
PAST EXAMPLES OF INDEPENDENT NETWORKS NOW UTILIZING THE ONE CONSOLIDATED APPROACH: • Access Control • Audio Visual • BMS (Building Management System) typically HVAC controls • Countless medical related systems • Intrusion Detection
• Lighting Controls • PBX (Private Branch Exchange) telephone system • Post-Covid Infrastructure Challenges • Video Surveillance
A notable change today is the widespread use of video conferencing, both in the office and for remote work. Before the COVID-19 virus sent everyone home to work virtually, video conferencing was minimally used. No one used a camera, and in-person meetings were preferred. During COVID, employees depended on video conferencing for every meeting. We were encouraged to use webcams to make it feel more personal, but even now as we return to the office, many meetings remain virtual.
Utilization of Collected Data So, what benefits do owners get from making a building smart and enabling connected technology throughout? IoT devices are everywhere throughout the building and can provide owners and building facilitators with valuable information on how employees are using both the space and the network. Collecting the right data and making use of it is integral to aid decision making—though challenging, it is an important piece of getting the most out of smart technology. For example: OCCUPANCY Occupancy could be used from a safety
perspective, allowing emergency teams to have an accurate headcount and location during an emergency event. Occupancy information also plays into space utilization. Knowing how a building is used, how often, and by whom can help with decisions to offer assigned work stations or a hoteling approach. It could also aid in the decision to acquire or build more space.
INTEGRATION Enabling systems to communicate on one
network allows for these systems to be integrated together, which helps facilitate certain interactions. For instance, a badge swipe at the front door could begin a chain of events, all possible by having one connected system. With a simple swipe, it could send a request to the access control system to grant access to the building, request the intrusion system to disarm, and at the same time turn the lights on and change the BMS controls to occupied allowing the air conditioner to turn on. This could all occur simultaneously while it requests the video surveillance system take a picture to verify the rightful owner of the badge was the user.
A More Connected Future Brooklyn Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee.
For more visit www.aptitudeii.com
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In addition, users are expecting more and more out of a cell phone. They are being used as a credential to enter the building instead of a badge; to interface with a conference room to control speaker volume, input selection, or even just share content to a screen; to interface to the BMS to influence the temperature; and to detect presence and location within the building. It has required the industry to improve how many users can connect to a Wireless Access Point (WAP) simultaneously, and has driven us to install them closer together, considering less the square-foot coverage range of the WAP, and more about the number of possible connected devices within its range.
As more building owners seek smart, connected buildings, early involvement is key to ensuring a customer receives the features they want while not sacrificing their security. When on board early, JE Dunn’s Aptitude group not only ensures systems work seamlessly together, but they also help clients lower cost, boost performance, and create efficiencies to improve the overall end users’ experience.
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THE TECH PUSH MAXIMIZING TECHNOLOGY TO CHANGE THE WAY WE BUILD
After decades of very little improvement in how projects are built, emerging technology offers hope that significant progress is just around the corner. To achieve such progress, technology and innovation must play a key role in offering our craft men and women new ways to improve means & methods, efficiency, speed-tomarket delivery, safety, and quality control. The goals of increasing productivity, combating the labor shortage, attracting a new generation of talent to the industry, and changing what we design and how we build are lofty. The primary areas where such emerging technology shows the most promise are augmented/virtual reality, generative design and super-computing, scanning technologies, robotics, drones, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, BIM, digital twin, prefabrication, and modularization. The primary challenge we need to overcome in our quest to build better, smarter, safer, and faster is demonstrating measurable value, not just innovative technology. The transformational solutions we can provide are only as good as our clients can actually count on to increase value. Until the power of the emerging technologies listed above can be harnessed and used to generate measurable value for our trades and/or our clients, they will simply be grand ideas. At JE Dunn, we believe we have a unique opportunity to pair some of our key thought leaders within our team of skilled builders with our innovative in-house technologists to turn those grand ideas into measurable value. Hear from three JE Dunn experts on three keys to achieving this goal. Trent Nichols, National Director of Virtual Design and Construction, will discuss the technology components from virtual design to augmented reality, while John Jacobs, Chief Information Officer, outlines how we convert data (or raw material) into analytics (fuel for improvement) for a data integration perspective, and Rodd Merchant, Chief Strategy and Client Experience Officer, talks about the real value to clients from utilizing advanced technology on their projects.
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TECHNOLOGY BY TRENT NICHOLS, NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF VIRTUAL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION Over the last decade—and even longer in some instances— we have witnessed an influx of new construction technology all claiming to solve the industry’s problems. According to Cruchbase.com, “Funding in US-Based construction technology startups surged by 324 percent to nearly $3.1 billion in 2018…” Predictions of over $4 billion suggest that investments in construction tech is continuing to grow. From drones to wearables to AR/VR, and everything in between, the technologies continue to claim increased jobsite productivity, safety, reduction of errors and re-work, and better overall outcomes.
Drones are an innovative technology, and the improvements we see in its capabilities are compelling. Today they allow us to safely capture massive amounts of jobsite data in a very short amount of time. They allow us to access areas and capture data not achievable by other means (at least not efficiently) and do it safely. Orth-mosaic maps can be quickly processed into 3-D models and 2-D analytics to
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All these emerging technologies prove to be revolutionary within themselves, but we will not achieve the goals without widespread adoption and a fully integrated data strategy.
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support design and construction processes. Pre-pour scans can be used to validate construction coordination activities and improve quality. Progress photos and videos can be easily captured in a more cost-effective manner than standard aerial photography. Wearables and tracking devices continue to improve how we can monitor the movement of people and material across the jobsites. AR/VR improve visualization, collaboration, and coordination of work. Very similar to drones, they have the potential to produce incremental value by themselves. To achieve the goal of an exceptional client experience, you first must improve the daily activities of the men and women that put the work in place. Moving technology closer to the actual work and making sure that any one solution does not add to their daily tasks. When the technology limits the number of activities an
individual does in a day, it will make them more efficient, productivity goes up, quality improves, and widespread adoption will occur. This is also the reason a solid data strategy that integrates all these very impressive technologies is so important. Without integrating the data and applications with the daily required task of an operations team, you have an adverse effect. You end up adding multiple additional tasks by increasing the numbers to technology solutions they must utilize to do their jobs, adoption does not occur, productivity goes down, and quality suffers. There is no lack of opportunity when it comes to technology and innovative solutions in the AEC industry. When you identify the real problems to solve, select the best tech, integrate it to improve business process and workflows, move the technology and specialist closer to the work and the men and women who put it in place, then you set them up them up to achieve the exceptional client experience.
INTEGRATED DATA STRATEGY BY JOHN JACOBS, CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
This leads us to the second key to success: converting the data received from the technologies above into analytics that fuel value-driven changes to how we build. The challenge we are tackling head on is improving how we harvest data, clean it, integrate it, and turn it into analytics and visualization that fundamentally change how we approach construction. This is similar in many respects to the petroleum refinery process. Petroleum refineries change crude oil into petroleum products for use as fuels for transportation, heating, paving roads, and generating electricity. They do this through four key steps: collection, separation, conversion, distribution. Our integrated data strategy uses the same four steps, and results in the “fuel” for our real innovators: our builders. Our “collection” process includes harvesting raw data from multiple sources. Today, we are collecting data from CMiC, jobsite cameras, wearables, drones, truck 24
& tool-mounted sensors, and many more. Our “separation” and “conversion” process is led by a team of data analysts and business analysts who convert the raw data into meaningful metrics. And finally, the “distribution” of our newly created “fuel” is available for our builders to use in new ways we never thought possible. Examples consist of outputs such as a PowerBI-driven dashboard, full digital estimate visualization, an immersive augmented reality view into the construction model through Hololens 2 glasses, or even generative design providing options for the new formwork options we might consider; the fuel is being generated and is ready to use. Rest assured, the infrastructure we have put in place over the past few years is prepared to scale up to meet the rapidly emerging opportunity. Pitchbook reports that VC investments in these technologies were $61.3 billion in 2019 and at the end of Q2 2020, $34.2 billion has already been raised. In the AI/ML technology sector, VC investments in 2019 were $20.7 billion. Clearly this means investors are betting big on data, and more importantly that integration of data through cloud-based platforms, as well as data input from all the other sources such as drones, sensors, wearables, etc. Companies that are aligning these platforms with a well-designed technology and data strategy begin to move their value beyond incremental and start to change the business model on how companies execute and plan work.
TRANSFORMATIONAL SOLUTIONS FOR CLIENTS BY RODD MERCHANT, CHIEF STRATEGY AND CLIENT EXPERIENCE OFFICER All of the advanced construction technology and data integration is great, but it’s just a new shiny object unless you deploy and adopt it in widespread application to provide real, tangible benefits to clients. At JE Dunn, one of the biggest changes we made in our executive leadership strategy the past few years is to create a new title of Chief Strategy and Client Experience Officer; this position is essentially a hybrid of technology and innovation combined with the highest level of attention to client needs, experiences, and solutions. When I took on this new role, I merged my passion for innovation with my experience as a project executive. I personally believe if the dots aren’t connected between advanced technology and innovation, all the way to providing the most advanced, efficient, and painless project delivery, then we have not provided the best experience possible for our clients. An example of how we’re working to improve the experience of not only our clients, but all project stakeholders, is through deep integration of the design team’s BIM with our in-house estimating application. Coupled with our digital collaborative project dashboards, this robust software allows everyone involved in the project to not only access critical cost information, but to also visualize those components and systems within the virtual model. The integration with the architect’s model ensures that the design remains aligned with the estimate throughout the design phase, thus giving our clients confidence that the program as designed by the architect fits within the client’s stated budget. In addition, the integration of the model-based estimate with our project dashboard ensures everyone has access to the latest information from anywhere at any time. This type of enhanced collaboration is simply not possible utilizing traditional off-the-shelf point solutions.
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The advancements in construction tech will not slow down. Construction technology companies and investors have laid, and continue to lay, the groundwork for disrupting our industry. We must continue to test and push the boundaries outside of our comfort zone as they relate to emerging technologies with the endgame of delivering the highest and best value to our clients. Providing transformational solutions with certainty of results is our vision, and we will not stop pursuing the endless possibilities technology brings us to achieve this vision for our clients.
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PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
Georgia Southern University Center for Engineering and Research Building Statesboro, Georgia
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Coming in at 135,000 square feet of science and technology space, it took a total team effort to bring the Georgia Southern University Center for Engineering and Research building—the largest non-athletic facility on campus—to completion. The four-story structure encompasses 33 unique laboratories and includes an additive manufacturing metals lab (metal 3-D printing), cleanroom, nano materials manufacturing space, and different robotics and automation labs. As JE Dunn’s largest project with GSFIC to date, the scope was not only complex, but it also required multiple digital iterations and detailed collaboration to deliver maximum value within the specified budget.
PART OF THE PLAN To achieve the goals of all parties, the team carried out a textbook execution of Collaborative Project Delivery (CPD) by engaging professors, Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC), and Georgia Southern University facilities staff through programming, preconstruction, and construction, providing physical mockups and real-time estimating along the way. The construction team leaned on BIM technology and collaboration with trade partners to streamline the process and ensure the project stayed on schedule.
“BIM enabled all potential overhead clashes to be coordinated ahead of time, which mitigated rework—and thus cost— and allowed for a high-quality installation,” said Superintendent Maren Moss.
ACTIVE SITE CHALLENGES Working on an active site required extreme coordination for installations, and the challenges extended to the tie-in of an existing central plant with the other buildings on the current closed mechanical loop. These challenges were amplified by the fact that the equipment within the existing system had different pump configuration setups. “While the tie-in on an occupied campus is challenging in and of itself, we were also delayed in the install of the chilled water line across campus, followed by other issues that further delayed it by two weeks,” said Moss. “To stay on schedule, we installed an efficient temp air system that was well-functioning and maintained. We went into other buildings on the closed loop and assisted in engineering, TAB,
and commissioning efforts to ensure a well-functioning system at the end of the day for the University.” In addition to tying into an existing central plant, the team had roughly 315 pieces of technology to coordinate. To ensure a smooth process and that below-slab rough was correct, JE Dunn handled the coordination of all equipment. “We purposely left out the slab on grade to minimize and eliminate any concrete cutting for rough-in since the floors were exposed polished concrete. We coordinated all in wall rough-ins with the campus professors and their material vendors, which resulted in zero rework due to missing services,” said Moss.
THE PAYOFF The advance planning, collaboration, and coordination resulted in a lean project that not only saved money, but it also gave the client added value in the purchase of their desired equipment. The lean approach to
In concert with mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection trade partners, BIM allowed the team to prefabricate 182,000 linear feet of electrical conduit, 32,000 linear feet of plumbing pipe, and 90,000 linear feet of ductwork off site.
MAREN MOSS, SUPERINTENDENT
preconstruction allowed the project to stay on budget and ultimately buy back an added scope of $2.7M within the GMP. This added scope of work included lab equipment coordination, rooftop research space, cleanroom lab, modular casework, expanded parking lot, and polished concrete floor. “We made a point to utilize the full CPD process, and the client reaped the benefits of that,” said Moss.
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Utilizing prefabrication and just-in-time delivery, these coordinated installations reduced disruptions on an active college campus, allowed the material to be installed faster once on site, and cut out substantial time in the project schedule.”
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