Durham City Hall

Interior Renovation & Exterior projects

It doesn’t get any more political than doing work at City Hall. As the owner’s representative, I completed an $11.7 million interior renovation at City Hall that included multiple departments, over 200 personnel, moves on and off site, 5 phases and dynamic space changes throughout the project. Completed in 2009, when the City funded an exterior facade renovation, my experience and success at City Hall just a few years earlier made me the logical choice to lead the current $7.4 million exterior renovation project. As owner’s representative, I had managed a team through the investigation phase, design and bidding phases, obtained necessary stakeholder buy-in as well as funding to ensure the project can be built. Construction is expected to be complete in August 2015.

City Hall Complex Interior Renovations

Interior renovation to the City Hall Complex, a hub of municipal government with a budget of $380 million and serving 250,000 citizens.

Total Budget: $11.7 million (Design: $1.6 million, Construction: $8.7 million)

Total renovated: 97,000 SF

Total employees relocated: 220 employees

Construction Schedule: 14 months in 6 major phases on five levels in two buildings

 

Challenges:

  1. Client departments required to be fully operational – A break in service delivery was not an option.
  2. Moved project to more efficient phasing and identified off-site leased swing space combined with on-site swing space and up fit all swing spaces per client needs.
  3. Phases were schedule critical and highly coordinated, generally 3-4 month in duration.
  4. Highly political and visible project involving renovations of spaces within City Manager’s Office, Council and Mayor Offices and 10 other departments.
  5. Took over a project at 98% CDs with insufficient funding and uncoordinated and outdated design.
    1. Analyzed funding and presented needs/options to City Manager
    2. Diligently tracked, evaluated and managed budget and potential change costs on weekly basis with continual last-minute requests for design changes and non-scope work.
    3. Performed overall project management with regard to lease, move coordination, and swing space up fits and detailed management of construction.