Total renovation of two buildings including installation of metal panels on exterior, partial masonry replacement, full waterproofing of plaza areas, new site design for better accessibility and enhanced functionality. Project also included high efficiency modular chiller replacement.
Construction was completed in 8 months with six major phases.
Challenges:
- Located in downtown district, the change in design for City Hall had to pass not only the City Manager’s and Mayor’s approval, but also needed approval from the Durham Historic Preservation Commission.
- Client departments required to be fully operational – A break in service delivery was not an option. Therefore, needed to combat potential noise and dust issues with off-hours work and strong communication with client departments.
- Entrance relocations and closures were part of the construction necessary to complete the project. Regular, clear and appropriate communication to the public, employees, City administration was a major element that made this project a success!
- At every turn of demolition, a new and significant defect was found in the original construction. This required solutions that were economical and schedule critical.
- Weather conditions for the exterior project caused multiple delays in the project, requiring recovery scheduling and collapsing of phased work.
