(June 8, 2017) ATLANTA, GA-Winter SPACES, a division of Winter Construction, has begun work to renovate the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall on the Spelman College campus. Completion of the 31,472 square-foot renovation of the 125-bed residence hall is expected in August, in preparation for the upcoming academic year.

Winter is updating the four-story building, which was built in 1951 and opened in 1952 as a first-year residence hall at Spelman. Originally constructed as a “house-like residence hall,” Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Hall offers students single, double, triple, and quad occupancy rooms, as well as several amenities.

Renovations to the hall include new windows, shutters, doors, gutters and downspouts, guardrails and handrails, and interior finishes and hardware. Additional work includes converting all bathtubs to showers, adding new showers and bathrooms, reconfiguring selected dorm rooms, upgrading electrical systems, and repairs to the roof, exterior brick, and portico. Menefee Architecture is the architectural firm for the project.

Arthur E. Frazier III, AIA, licensed architect and the director of Facilities Management & Services at Spelman College, said, “We are pleased to be working with Winter once again on another historic project. We appreciate Winter’s agility, speed, and thoroughness on a fast-track project like this, and we look forward to welcoming students to this revitalized residence hall in a few months.”

Brent Reid, CEO of Winter Construction, added, “Winter is honored to continue our relationship with Spelman College. We are excited to be a part of the growth and enhancement of this unique, historically and culturally rich leader in education here in our hometown of Atlanta.”

Winter has decades of experience and expertise building and renovating on higher education campuses. This is Winter’s fifth project at Spelman College, over a span of more than 15 years. Winter’s current higher learning projects also include Georgia Gwinnett College and Clark Atlanta University.

About Winter SPACES:
Winter SPACES, Winter’s interiors and special projects group, provides the expertise and resources of a large contractor, with the agility and scale of a smaller, specialized contractor for projects under $5 million. The Winter SPACES team estimates and manages projects from beginning through closeout and warranty, increasing speed to market and creating a true sense of partnership with the team. For more information visit /winter-spaces/

About Winter: Winter is a privately owned and operated Atlanta based general contracting company. We provide construction management services to clients in the hospitality, retail, government, higher education, K-12, corporate/office, religious, senior living, and multi-family markets in the Southeast. For more information visit: www. winter-construction.com..

About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a highly selective, liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,100 students. Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman, former Sam’s Club CEO Rosalind Brewer, Broadway producer Alia Jones, former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna President Audrey Forbes Manley, Harvard University Professor Evelynn Hammonds, author Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson. For more information, visit www.spelman.edu.

The post Winter Construction Begins Renovation of Historic Residence Hall at Spelman College appeared first on Winter Construction.

What if instead of being able to complete a minor renovation on a limited number of square feet in 7 weeks, your contractor could completely transform the interior, and more, of an entire building before teachers return this fall? This is fast-track renovation, and not everyone has the mindset or experience to do it.

Comparison of a K-12 classroom before and after renovation.

So what exactly is a “fast-track” renovation, how do you pull it off, and is it worth all the effort required to do it successfully? And in the end, how is it really different from the standard design, bid, build scenario that K-12 administrators are accustomed to with their previous renovations?

Fast track implies more than just hurrying – it’s a completely different mindset and approach to the goal of the project. The developmental phases of the project and the activities overlap in an effort to significantly reduce the amount of time needed to finish after construction begins. A traditional preconstruction timeline consists of very distinct and disparate phases.

Alternatively, fast-tracking a summer renovation introduces principles of collaboration, feedback, and iteration into the very early budgeting and design of the project. This mindset continues into later phases of design and seamlessly into project buyout. From conception, the project has a full team with one goal: giving the owner as much value as possible in the time and for the money available.

Collaboration during design allows construction to begin earlier and to proceed at a faster pace. Solid decision-making processes must be in place, along with open communication so that all parties understand what will be required of them. An overall commitment from all project stakeholders is critical.

A good contractor will always apply best practices to gain efficiencies in the schedule, but in fast-track K-12 renovations there are 5 essentials:

1. On-Time Coordination
2. Design Coordination and Documentation
3. Communication
4. Self-Performance
5. Technology

On-Time Coordination

Timing is critical. Coordination meetings ideally begin during the fall of the year prior to construction starting. This assures that by the first of the year, the architect has a good sense of the project budget and, therefore, the owner’s priorities, before time is spent producing developed drawings. Contractor input in this early stage will provide critical schedule feedback and allow for early trade buyout of long lead-time items. The contractor and its subcontractors can also plan to assure sufficient manpower during construction – especially when multiple shifts and overtime are necessary during critical phases.

Design Coordination And Documentation

There’s no room for hiccups, delays or surprises. In a typical renovation, particularly those in aging school facilities, contractors are likely to encounter issues that threaten the schedule and require time-consuming mitigation. If known early, these issues can be overcome and either worked into the schedule or, if serious, can provide owners with the information they need to make major project decisions prior to work beginning.

Some measures that must be taken early are:

• Obtain hazardous material test and reports and, if detected, work with remediation experts
• Conduct concrete moisture testing and planning for mitigation, if needed
• Check the structure for existing structural deficiencies
• Identify areas where existing and new structural, mechanical, and architectural conflicts may create coordination problems during construction and develop workaround plans ahead of potential delays

Communication

Fast track requires communication be airtight on all levels, at all phases. Knowing all the activities, such as summer camps and community events that the facility hosts over the summer will keep everyone safe and the work flowing. Move-out and move-in dates and owner expectations must be clearly communicated to teachers and staff as well as parents and strictly adhered to in order to prevent the slightest delay.

Dollars spent for a third party moving company, instead of relying on teacher and parent power, is often well spent if it guarantees start and completion of moves on time.

Communication with the local jurisdiction and permit office cannot be overstated. It’s important for an architect and contractor to establish a good relationship with the inspectors and plan reviewers. This develops trust and ensures the right attention is given to the project during plan review and when on-site inspections are critical to progress.

Self-Performance

A clean jobsite is a safe job site, but it’s also a more efficient jobsite. Typically, subcontractors and vendors are required to clean up after their work. When working quickly, that doesn’t always happen. Discarded packaging, excess materials, and general debris in the space are not only unsafe and distracting, but may also conceal potential quality issues. When fast-tracking, it makes sense (and cents) for the general contractor to self-perform daily cleanup and other general labor. This is the “CEO doesn’t make the coffee” mindset, ensuring that limited skilled labor hours are well-spent by subcontractors.

It’s also much easier for the construction manager and subcontractor project managers to see where a project schedule stands when debris isn’t a distraction. Perception is reality, and it never hurts for subcontractors to have a sense of urgency about “catching up” their trade to the rest of the project.

Technology

Laser scan of Alan Pope High School under construction

You can’t talk about improving efficiency without bringing up technology.

Building information modeling (BIM) software can help with coordination between subcontractors. Documentation of existing and new conflicts between structural, mechanical, and architectural elements can be modeled ahead of potential delay-causing conflicts on site.

In addition, Winter has rolled out a fleet of rolling “job boxes” which are fully-mobile and outfitted with an internet-connected PC and flat screen monitor. This “job box” becomes the center of discussions surrounding coordination and requests for information from the architect. Instead of scheduling a later meeting at a plan table to discuss issues with involved parties, the plans are brought to the issue, and decisions can be made in real time – often with the architect and engineers’ immediate input from their office.

Summary

So if you’re considering a fast track summer renovation, make sure that you, your selected architect and all project stakeholders are on board, early, and are on the same page. And, of course, make sure you choose a contractor who is experienced and can commit to your project goals.

The post No Construction Left Behind: Fast-Track Summer Renovation appeared first on Winter Construction.

Timing is a critical factor in every construction project. Ensuring that deadlines, or project milestones, are met during the construction process is one of the most critical and challenging tasks for general contractors.

What Can Delay a Construction Project?

Timing challenges come in many forms, some of which can be predicted and avoided, and some of which are unpredictable and must be managed as they arise. Examples of possible delay-causing strains include:

• Incomplete designs
• Vendor or subcontractor problems
• Inclement weather
• Trucking accidents
• Material delays

General contractors will employ strategies to mitigate the likelihood of these delays and to limit the impact of these events on the project’s output, including thoughtfully developed initial timelines and contingency plans.

Project Milestones – It’s Not Just About the End Date

In order to have the final building project completed on time, there are many milestones along the way that must be set and reached. Building happens in a sequence. You cannot, for example, put the roof on a building without first having the frame in place. An important role of the general contractor is to design a comprehensive project plan that outlines and schedules all factors, components and steps of the construction process. Setting – and meeting – frequent, sequential milestones, means a project should never be delayed. If delays are encountered, a good general contractor will find ways to minimize or eliminate the impact to the rest of the schedule.

The saying “time is money” can certainly be applied to commercial construction. Even a small delay can result in significant cost implications for owners and developers. The best general contractors will build project plans that are realistic, and manage internal milestones to ensure projects stay on track.

The post Time Is Money: How Your Construction Project Will Stay On Track And On Time appeared first on Winter Construction.