Open communication and collaboration, rapid response time, and adaptability to change aren’t exactly the “typical” characteristics that public sector owners have come to expect from contractors on their facility construction projects. DPR Construction is showing one such owner, Arizona State University West (ASU West), what a difference a collaborative approach can make as it moves to complete a critical expansion project much faster than was originally thought possible.

The project represents the first public sector job undertaken by DPR’s Phoenix office, as well as the first it has performed in the capacity of construction manager at risk. Comprising a central plant expansion, a 97,800-sq.-ft., three-story classroom laboratory/computer classroom phase 2 (CLCCII) building and a stand-alone lecture hall, the project represents the first classroom construction undertaken on this ASU campus in 13 years. The ASU West campus will see additional expansion projects over the next several years to accommodate its recent transition from a two-year program into a full four-year degree university.

Designed by SmithGroup, the CLCCII building mirrors the existing CLCCI and shares a new common courtyard area. The structure includes five classrooms seating 60 students, five classrooms seating 80 students, and the third floor will house organic chemistry, general chemistry, cell and molecular biology, and physics/geology laboratories. The second floor conveniently locates offices for the professors and associates. The separate lecture hall structure features a 25-ft.-long by 17-ft.-high projection screen, state-of-the-art audio visual system, along with tiered classroom seating for 150 students.

The CLCCII building superstructure is a cast-in-place concrete pan slab and the structural veneer exterior features brick, block and architectural precast concrete to match existing CLCCI. The second and third floor decks have balconies that overlook the courtyard. One highly innovative and functional design feature is the strategic placement of the HVAC exhaust system, which pipes building exhaust air underground and then expels it out through the planters in the large central courtyard. That system will effectively cool the ambient space in the courtyard, creating a comfortable outdoor environment even in the middle of the sizzling hot Arizona summers.

DPR’s ability and commitment to complete this project on a highly accelerated schedule will enable the university to open the facility a full semester earlier than originally projected, translating into early return on investment for ASU. Constant coordination, open communication and early planning have been critical to keep the project moving forward and to meet the project deadlines. For example, DPR recognized the preplanning that needed to take place prior to installation of the classroom modular furniture, which contains extensive power and data capabilities. As for laboratory construction, Project Engineer Joe Micelli notes, “Detailed preplanning was very critical for the MEP coordination to ensure that the extensive amount of building systems, including fume hoods, laboratory gas piping, acid waste plumbing and stainless steel exhaust duct, were installed and terminated in precise locations, a key process to successful final equipment installation.”

The sheer magnitude of the concurrent activities underway in each area of the project has necessitated a large number of craft workers—an average of 170 a day—working in adjacent spaces. Daily field coordination meetings are held to manage the sequencing and to update the constantly changing CPM schedule. That continual and open communication and collaborative approach have been a major factor in the success of the project and represent a marked departure from what public owners may have experienced on their projects in the past.

DPR turned over the central plant on June 7, well ahead of the August 1 deadline, and is on schedule to turn over the CLCCII building in December, in time for classes to begin the second week of 2004.