Case Studies
The Social Sciences Building at the University of North Florida set a new standard for construction. This project proved that environmentally sensitive or “green” buildings can be built economically and timely, even in a university setting that has not seen conventional buildings built within these parameters.
The building is a 70,589-square-foot, three-story facility. It includes classrooms, labs, conference rooms, and faculty and staff offices. The building replaced a 25-year-old structure on the campus and houses the University's Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice departments. The construction is precast concrete with a built-up membrane roofing system. Construction began in June 2005 and was completed in August 2006. This was the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registered building on UNF’s campus — and in Jacksonville — and achieved LEED certification this year.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED provides a roadmap for measuring and documenting success for every building type and phase of a building lifecycle.
The project team’s natural ability to work together created an environment that was conducive to problem solving. Each challenge that presented itself before, during, and after construction was met with a united front and solved quickly. This working relationship allowed us to achieve the perfect synergy of cost, schedule, environmental impact and client service on this project. The two major accomplishments that demonstrate this outcome are: This was the first project on the UNF's campus to be completed both on time and within budget.
This project was the first LEED-registered project in Jacksonville, and attained LEED certification as a result of exceptional environmental design and construction practices.
Project Challenges
We encountered the first major challenge of this project in preconstruction. The design was over budget by $500,000. We were required to correct this problem prior to setting our Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) and starting construction. Brainstorming sessions with subcontractors and designers produced a value engineering shopping list of $1,488,305. The project team then was then able to select $536,657 of those value engineering suggestions to bring the project within budget, without sacrificing the functionality, aesthetics or “greenness” of the building.
Another challenge we encountered was constructing the first LEED-registered facility in Northeast Florida. This was one of the most difficult challenges on the project because of the stringent requirements to achieve certification and the great learning curve the entire project team faced. Many of the subcontractors working on the project had been exposed to the idea of LEED but had never been involved in a LEED project before. We met this challenge by guiding each of the subcontractors, as well as the rest of the project team, through the LEED process from preconstruction to certification. It was of great importance to us that each team member, especially the subcontractors, really learned how to work within the LEED process. We looked at this project as our chance to help train the North Florida subcontractor market to build green, not only on this project, but on future endeavors, as well.
As in most projects, our schedule was tight and governed by an end date that could not move. The University required occupancy of the building for the start of classes in the fall 2006. Classes were scheduled in the new building and, if it did not finish on time, the teachers and students would have nowhere to go. Failure was not an option!
It is always tough to work on an occupied campus. In this case, we were working in one of the busiest areas on the UNF campus with less than 60 feet between the footprint of the new building and existing buildings. We faced three main challenges in this area. The first — keeping the construction activities separated from the University — was the most critical. We met this challenge at the beginning of the project by establishing clear boundaries with a construction fence and adding fabric to the fence to obstruct the view of curious parties inside and outside the site. This action, in addition to constant monitoring by the project team and clear communication with the University, helped us achieve zero incidents of fraternization during the course of the project. The second challenge we faced was performing work in, on, and around two main roads on the campus. The amount of traffic that flowed along these two roads exacerbated the situation. We were able to meet the challenge by scheduling road and lane closures with the University far enough in advance to allow them to broadcast the information to the campus. We also were able to perform a large amount of the required work on weekends, nights and holidays in an effort to minimize disruptions. The third challenge we faced was interacting with the large amount of utilities running through this jobsite. Like many growing Universities, UNF did not have accurate as-builts portraying the true path of the utilities or even whether the lines were active. We were able to meet this challenge by performing various surveys and soft-dig applications. This gave the University accurate as-builts of all of the utilities in and around the project and allowed us to redesign the utility plans to make the systems more efficient.
Another challenge we faced was space on the project site. We had ample space to perform all of our operations when we mobilized the site. However, to help ease the critical parking shortage at UNF, we offered to give up more than half of our site by completing the renovated parking area 12 months early. UNF was ecstatic about this idea and gladly took possession when we were at the foundations stage of the new building. We handled our new lack of space through coordination with UNF and our subcontractors. First, we established an off-site parking area for our project and several other projects on the campus. Next, we held regular coordination meetings to ensure that all deliveries were being scheduled and staged to avoid conflicts with one another. Finally, we established some temporary off-site staging areas for the large amount of precast we had to store for erection.
Excellence in Project Management
Many successes of this project were because of outstanding project management. On this project, and on every Elkins project, we pride ourselves on setting the job up properly at the beginning to prevent problems in the middle or the end. We believe the success of a project ultimately is determined by the way it is set up. One of the most important functions in setting up a job is in the prequalification and bid process. We made sure that our subcontractors were qualified to perform on this project and, even more importantly, had all of the information they needed to bid the project effectively. This process prevents gaps, overlaps and omissions in scopes of work and leads to little or no unrequested change orders throughout the project.
Another example of excellent project management was meeting the strict deadline the University set for occupancy. This deadline was met through careful planning and communication by all parties as discussed in the challenges section of this narrative.
Communication was critical to our success on this project because of the tight schedule and especially the LEED procedures that had to be followed. To keep lines of communication open, we held regular meetings at the jobsite for various project team members to attend. We held weekly subcontractor coordination meetings, bi-monthly owner meetings and monthly meetings for subcontractor project managers.
As stated earlier, the project initially was over budget, which required us to provide value engineering options. We stuck to the true meaning of value engineering and tried to find items that achieved the same function while reducing cost. We did not simply remove or decrease scope from the project and call it value engineering. We placed value engineering options in two categories, first cost and lifetime cost. The first-cost value engineered items included things such as using MC cable instead of conduit; using campus-standard Energy Management System (EMS) controllers; using standard air handlers instead of custom air handlers, and making subtle changes to light fixtures. The first-cost value engineering options made up $536,657 worth of reductions. Although we were now in budget, we still felt a need to look at the lifetime costs to save as much for the University as possible. We used products such as low-flow fixtures and waterless urinals to conserve water, and low-energy lighting and lighting controls to cut down on the overall utility consumption of the building. These efforts translated into ongoing savings for the life of the building.
State-of-the-Art Advancements
There were many state-of-the-art advancements used on this project, all related to LEED. Waterless urinals and low-flow fixtures were installed in the building to prevent the waste of potable water and decrease expenses on water. In addition, energy-efficient fixtures were used throughout the building. A requirement of the LEED Certification process is the use of natural light. There are windows in every room and common area to allow sunlight to shine throughout the building. This measure provides cost savings on utilities for UNF while providing a more productive environment for students and staff. More state-of-the-art advancements were made on this building, such as exterior cutting and storage areas and cleanliness technologies, and are discussed in other sections.
Sensitivity to the Environment
The team goals of this project from inception to occupancy were environmentally driven. The accomplishment of the project team’s goal for LEED certification is an acknowledgment of the positive environmental impact this building had during construction and will have over the life of the building. The LEED process taught us easy, inexpensive ways to be more environmentally responsible, not only on LEED projects, but also on conventional projects.
Working on an existing college campus, especially in the heart of the campus, we had to be particularly aware of our environment. It was critical to keep the site clean and in a condition where dust would not blow all over the campus. Dust was a particular problem because our site was adjacent to one of the main outdoor eating areas on the campus. Also, we had to make sure we kept construction employees separated from the students and keep the students off the site. Both of these items proved to be daunting tasks given the curiosity of both parties. We achieved isolation through constant supervision by the entire project team.
There was a close eye on this project because the old Social Sciences building (built by another contractor) was condemned because of mold infestation as a result of a leaky façade. The previous building had not lasted nearly as long as expected and the new building had to last.
All stormwater runoff from the jobsite was sent directly to nearby wetlands. This was a previous condition we inherited when we took over the site. This made our stormwater management on the site extremely critical. UNF is very serious about keeping their wetlands immaculate and untouched. We worked with UNF and our site contractor to constantly monitor stormwater measures to make sure they were performing to the level required. Consequently, we did not have a single issue regarding wetlands impact during the project.
Through our rigid recycling program we diverted more than 800 tons of concrete, asphalt and steel away from landfills. These products were sent to a recycling center where they will eventually be used to make other products. This was not only good for the environment, but also saved the project more than $23,000 in disposal fees.
Excellence in Client Services
Elkins was the first contractor to finish a project on time and within budget on the UNF campus, according to Rich Elmore, UNF project manager. Not only did we build them a building with superior quality, we gave it to them when we said we would at the price we promised. Because of this and our performance throughout the duration of the project, Elkins gained UNF’s trust in our word and capabilities.
The relationships we built during this project were just as important as the building we built. UNF’s trust and confidence in our abilities and methods was a key factor in beating out national and international companies to be awarded the contract for the University’s new $37 million Student Union.
In the middle of construction, UNF’s project manager left and had to be replaced with a new project manager. We were charged with getting the new project manager up to speed on the project in a very short period of time. This was done through ongoing communication. Through careful planning by both parties, the transition went smoothly. We went on to develop a great working relationship with him and are currently working together on the Student Union.
The seamlessness of the project freed up UNF project management time to focus on other, more problematic projects. The UNF project manager overseeing this project also had many other projects in progress at the same time. The minimal number of problems he had to deal with on our project, his largest project, allowed him to focus his time on other projects with more issues. This allowed the University to do more with fewer resources and lead to a savings in staff costs.
Contribution to the Community
This project drew a lot of attention from various groups. This was not only a learning process for Elkins and the University but for many local groups, as well.
Our project team conducted numerous tours for UNF. We had tours for building construction classes, engineering classes, for the faculty and staff of the Social Sciences Department, for the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction Dean’s Advisory Council, and many other groups within the University. Various tours were conducted for the USGBC (US Green Building Council), the media, donors and various public figures, as well.
“I’m excited that the University is paving the way in Jacksonville with a new learning facility that is environmentally responsible,” UNF President John A. Delaney said. “Not only is this a high-tech facility outfitted with the latest in technology, but it’s also a healthy place for UNF students to learn and faculty and staff to work.”
Though the UNF Social Sciences building was the first in Jacksonville to attempt LEED certification; it will not be the last. "Every one of our projects from here on out will be LEED-certified" UNF Director of Facilities Planning, Zak Ovadia said. "It is a silent policy, at least on my part, to have LEED in all our buildings." This statement proves that LEED is a practice that isn’t going away. In fact, Elkins is currently working on three other LEED-registered projects: the UNF Student Union, Elkins’ new corporate headquarters and a private office building. In an effort to prepare students for the green movement, UNF’s Building Construction Management Program recently initiated a “Green Track” for students. Elkins was approached to sponsor this track and quickly agreed. So many of Elkins’ employees come from UNF that we felt it was our duty to give something back to the school. Elkins also recently sponsored several students in a nationwide LEED competition where they had a chance to manage a mock LEED project. During the past few years, Elkins has given endowments to the University for approximately $172,000. Several of our employees regularly participate in UNF activities and are active on various boards. Elkins is committed to UNF because UNF is committed to producing well-trained professionals. In fact, the project manager and assistant project manager who were assigned to the Social Sciences Building are UNF graduates. This project was of particular importance to them because they felt like it was their opportunity to give something back to the university that prepared them for their careers.
As the project was nearing completion, UNF approached Elkins with an unusual opportunity. The Gandhi Memorial Society donated a statue of Gandhi to the University and they needed someone to install it. Elkins agreed to install the statue and donated more than $20,000 in labor and materials necessary to complete the installation.
Safety Initiatives
Safety is the number one priority on any jobsite, and we performed this entire project without a recordable accident. One of the keys to jobsite safety is a clean jobsite. Our independent safety consultant called this the cleanest jobsite in Jacksonville.
In addition to our standard safety procedures and keeping the jobsite unusually clean, we held weekly safety meetings for everyone onsite. We also held bi-monthly Safety Committee Meetings led by our superintendent, which a representative from each subcontractor attended.
LEED Safety Practices
After dry-in, we did not do any work in the building that could cause problems to the inhabitants, either during construction or occupancy. Examples are welding, cutting of wood products, cutting of pipe or steel, or other activities that could create harmful debris. Cutting areas were established on each floor of the building. Designating easily accessible areas, on each floor, to perform this type of work ensured workers would adhere to this policy.
Materials were stored and staged on the exterior of the building until they were ready to be installed. This included the unpackaging and uncrating of the materials outside the building to prevent harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from entering the building. As with cutting, areas were established on each floor of the building where this type of work could be done. Designating easily accessible areas to perform this type of work ensured workers would adhere to this policy.