Turner Construction: San Francisco International Airport

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} Terminal value   Turner Construction is serving as construction manager on the Terminal 2 design-build project at San Francisco International Airport. Keith Regan learns how a collaborative approach and favorable timing have helped Turner meet or exceed expectations on the project budget and other measures.   Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport has been out of use and essentially in mothballs since 2001, when the airport opened a new international terminal. Next year the terminal will re-emerge from its lengthy slumber as a larger, more modern and efficient domestic terminal following a $300 million-plus renovation that is the fruit of a collaborative design-build process and the extensive terminal-building experience of the design-construction team leading the project.  After several years of planning, Turner Construction won a competitive bidding process to secure the role of construction manager. The Terminal 2 renovation, which includes a 60,000-square-foot expansion, will bring it to nearly 600,000 square feet; it will have 14 gates compared to 10 when it was closed and will be capable of handling more than 550,000 passengers annually. The renovation will also include new, more efficient systems and modern baggage handling and security systems as well as new spaces for restaurants and other concessionaires. It is being carried out as a design-build project, one of the first for the airport, according to Victor Perry, project director for Turner Construction on the site.  It was the experience that TurnerÔÇöwhich recently completed work at airports in Sacramento and OaklandÔÇöand its chosen design partner, Gensler, have in working on terminals and other airport work that helped it ÔÇ£compete and win the bid against a very sophisticated field of contractors,ÔÇØ Perry says. ÔÇ£This is a new delivery method for them that they are trying out, and it has turned out to be an outstanding team and a project that really lends itself to a lot of collaboration. There have been very few disagreements on costs or design. They set the budget, and weÔÇÖve been working closely with the owner to make sure the project stays on that budget.ÔÇØ  In fact, final design drawingsÔÇöthe result of collaboration between Turner, Gensler and key subcontractors in the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire suppression systems and exterior wall fieldsÔÇöwere produced for $12 million less than originally budgeted. A ÔÇ£good bidding environmentÔÇØ also helped keep costs down on the project, Perry adds.  The project was sensitive not only because of budget concerns but because it needed to be completed without disruption to the nearby control tower and to existing airport operations offices, including the information technology department located in the same building as the terminal.  ÔÇ£There was an enormous amount of pre-planning,ÔÇØ Perry says. Weekly meetings involving all stakeholders, including the airport operations and local representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration, were begun long before construction commenced. ÔÇ£We made sure we could pre-plan and communicate every activity that was going to affect them to ensure we had minimal disruptions,ÔÇØ even as systems were being completely redone and switched over.   Another challenge was the fact that the building had been modified multiple times in the past, from its original construction in the 1950s to a major remodel in the 1970s and additional upgrades sinceÔÇöeach time with different construction methods. ÔÇ£YouÔÇÖre working without the benefit of a single clear set of as-built conditions and with different floor and ceiling heights,ÔÇØ Perry notes. One of the required goals of the project is to upgrade the terminal to modern seismic building codes, which require structural modifications. ÔÇ£When we started opening walls and demolishing different areas, we found conditions that were significantly different than we expected.ÔÇØ  Turner used some 2,000 linear feet of security fencing to isolate the project from the airfield side of the site and used the public side of the building for access, eliminating the need to have workers and supply deliveries continually clear security checkpoints get to work, and keeping the Terminal 2 work separate from two active terminals on either side.  Turner and Gensler used three-dimensional modeling and building information modeling (BIM) to design the project, creating detailed 3D models of all heating, electrical, plumbing, fire suppression and technology infrastructure long before construction ever began. ÔÇ£We found that to be an excellent way to plan ahead and make sure we only had to install one time. WeÔÇÖve had very few clashes or disputes along the way as a result.ÔÇØ  In addition to staying on or under budget, Turner has met or exceeded other goals in the project contract. For instance, the contract documents call for at least 25 percent of subcontractors on the job to be locally based, while Turner has managed to attract qualified local contractors for 49 percent of the contract value. Similarly, the goal of achieving 15 percent minority-owned business involvement has been exceeded, with 21 percent of contracts going to such firms.  The renovated terminal will seek Silver-level certification from the LEED program of the US Green Building Council. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre going for Silver, and weÔÇÖll get it,ÔÇØ Perry says confidently.  Turner has also brought its industry-leading safety focus to the project, with everyone on site going through extensive training as well as pre-employment drug screening. The project also has its own paramedic on site to provide first aid if needed. ÔÇ£Turner takes safety very seriously, and this project has really exemplified that.ÔÇØ  The project has also been exemplary for the collaborative approach used to get it built, something that Perry says starts with airport leadership, including director John Martin. ÔÇ£The people that run the airport are of the mindset that there is tremendous benefit from creating good solid relationships and understandings between parties and setting high expectations for great collaboration,ÔÇØ he adds. ÔÇ£So far on this project we havenÔÇÖt had a single dispute that elevated past my level. The airport just created a great environment for a level of teamwork that has exceeded anything IÔÇÖve seen on this type of project.ÔÇØ *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á┬á *