OWNER: Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, NY
ARCHITECT: Davis Brody Bond, NYC
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Weidlinger Associates, NYC
MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING ENGINEER: Jaros Baum & Bolles, NYC
GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER: Langan Engineering and Environmental Services, Elmwood Park, N.J. and NYC
FOUNDATION CONTRACTOR: Urban Foundation/Engineering, East Elmhurst, NY
CURTAIN WALL & WINDOW CONTRACTOR: W & W Glass, Nanuet, NY
CONCRETE SUPERSTRUCTURE CONTRACTOR: Northside Concrete, Brooklyn, NY
PRECAST CONCRETE CONTRACTOR: Global Precast, Ontario, Canada
PRECAST CONCRETE PANEL ERECTOR: Tristate Stone Erectors, Succasunna, N.J.
CONSTRUCTION MANAGER: J.A. Jones Construction Group, NYC
PROGRAM MANAGER: Jacobs Facilities, NYC

For universities to grow, they need to increase student enrollment. One way Polytechnic University did this was to build its very first dormitory, the $40 million Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Residence Hall.

The dormitory is part of a plan to attract students from all over the country. Therefore, it was imperative that it be completed and ready for occupancy before the start of the fall 2002 semester. However, this target was jeopardized by a delay in permitting before the project got under way.

The delay was caused not by the complexity of the request, which involved only the relocating of a sewer, but by bureaucratic snags such as the application not being expedited sufficiently to fit the desired schedule.

In addition, the job could not begin until the sewer was moved beyond the building footprint. The problem was resolved by the personal intervention of Brown and Prof. F.H. (Bud) Griffis, director of Polytechic's newly formed Center for Construction Management Technology, who took a proactive role on the project. Their meetings with officials of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection cut through the red tape and quickly secured the permit.

Although the permit was secured, the delay had already pushed back the project start by 30 days. As a result, Brown and Griffis moved to renegotiate the cost-plus contract with the construction manager, J.A. Jones Construction Group of New York, offering contractual incentives and cash bonuses to meet major project milestones.

Incentives were to be provided, for example, to enclose the building by January 15, 2002, a month after the date specified in the original contract, and to have it ready for occupancy by July 2002. The construction manager, in turn, offered incentives to subcontractors to meet the goals. Furthermore, reliable, timely payments, rapid turnaround on requisitions and the establishment of a contingency fund ensured that the work would proceed smoothly.

The entire project team, including subcontractors, was brought in on the university's objectives of getting the project back on track and finishing it on time or before.

Another key to delivering the project on schedule, against all odds, was the fact that the project team had worked together from the outset. The construction manager was involved as early as 30 percent completion of the schematic designs - even before the property was purchased. This helped establish the design and minimized changes to keep costs down.

Within several months of the project's start, the 30-day delay had been recovered and the project was moving forward rapidly. Ground was broken for the concrete-framed, precast concrete and glass-faced structure in December 2000, and the foundations were completed in just 14 weeks - including the time for cost-cutting design changes.

The construction manager established a 16-week program, with an aggressive three-day per floor cycle, to complete the concrete superstructure. The result was that the project was topped out in July, ahead of schedule.

In addition, the precision of the concrete embed placement by the superstructure contractor made it possible to accelerate erection of the precast panels and curtain wall with minimum welding in the field. And, the use of a four-sided structural silicone system for the glass curtain wall system avoided the need for a mockup, saving more time. Furthermore, the owner arranged to use adjacent properties on the east and west sides of the site to allow work to progress from both sides rather than having to work from inside the building proper.

The jury praised this project for the teamwork involved in finding solutions to so many project challenges. It also recognized this project for being one of the first general building projects to offer an incentive program to the construction manager, who in turn passed it on to the subcontractors, in order to meet the occupancy date.