Recent Lab Jobs Win DPR High Accolades from Owner, End Users on Austin Campus

It’s no secret that DPR holds itself to a higher standard than other general contractors. In two recent projects at The University of Texas at Austin (U.T. Austin), the owner/construction manager also expected more—and got it—from the DPR teams that completed separate laboratory renovation jobs each delivered early this October.

“When DPR is on a project, I am confident the project will go smoother and exceed client expectations because DPR has the proven capability and people to deliver tough jobs effectively,” said Mike Holeman, project manager for the University of Texas at Austin Facilities Department. “In fact, within the Campus Project Delivery Group, DPR is upping our standards across the campus. In general, our users are telling us they like seeing DPR on their projects.”

DPR began work on the Crooks Laboratory Renovation in Welch Hall on July 7 of this year and turned it over October 11, two weeks ahead of the contractual October 26th completion date. The project entailed remodeling approximately 5,000 sq. ft. of research space for Dr. Crooks and his staff, including construction of four new fume hoods and refurbishment of two existing fume hoods. It also included construction of two laser rooms that are 100 percent black, from ceiling to floor, to eliminate any light reflection.

Coordination and tie-in of the new and existing fume hoods into existing ductwork, which then tied into the new exhaust fan on the roof, proved a key challenge that required extensive preplanning, due to very difficult access and the ongoing research activities of tenants’ right next door. Use of a mobile crane for the fume hood tie-in had to be carefully choreographed to minimize any disruption on the occupied campus, and despite the tight site conditions, it went off without a hitch according to DPR Project Manager Jason Choyce, who also served as project manager on the second recent lab renovation at U.T. Austin.

Architect Bill Schenck of Coffee, Crier, Schenck & Hammond Architects was highly positive about the work performed by DPR. “They did an outstanding job. The project was completed ahead of schedule and we were extremely pleased overall with the work they did,” he commented.

DPR also achieved early completion on its second recent job, finish out of labs and offices for Drs. Johnston and Koester in the Neurobiology/Molecular Science Building. This project entailed renovation of approximately 7,500 sq. ft. of existing lab space on the fourth floor, including build-out of wet labs, and three low-light rooms for experiments. DPR turned over the project on October 25th, approximately a week early to meet the tenants’ move-in needs. This job represented one of the first contracted uses of the construction management-at-risk (CM-at-risk) contract method at the University of Texas Facilities level. Additional phases, are planned as more end users sign on to occupy parts of the previously vacant building. Based on the success of the first two jobs, as well as the high satisfaction level expressed by both the owner and end users, DPR will likely be performing work here for some time to come.