Sun Microsystems - Newark Campus Phase II
DPR Construction Inc.
New 6-Building Expansion for Sun Microsystem's Newark, CA Campus
"In hindsight, DPR should have been brought on board two months earlier," recalled Mike Hamill, with Jacobs Engineering who represents Sun. Though he laughs about it now, it wasn't that funny at the time.
Design of the six-building, nearly 700,000-sq-ft campus in Newark, CA was already full-speed ahead. The aggressive design development schedule by shell architect Kaplan McLaughlin Diaz (KMD) and interior and commons building architect Bottom Duvivier meant that any delay in a deliverable would impact the schedule of all buildings.
Structural steel for the project was needed in just ten weeks and despite the pouring rains, sitework needed to proceed immediately.
To further complicate things, the design team, with cost consultant Hanscomb Associates, had just completed a preliminary cost estimate showing that the project was significantly over budget.To attack these major schedule and budget challenges, DPR spearheaded a high-performance team building and partnering approach. In the initial all-day session project participants established goals, expectations, and an overall mission: In a nutshell, the mission was to set a new standard for Sun by designing and building this campus project better than any before.
Additionally, both architects and DPR negotiated contracts with performance-based bonuses and penalties. While incentives for schedule completion are common, this program recognizes and rewards exceptional performance in safety, design quality, teamwork, and meeting Sun's expectations.
First Things First
Finding steel in this busy market was a top priority since there was no way the schedule could be achieved with the normal lead times. By working closely with AFCO Steel and structural engineer Rutherford & Chekene, the structural steel for the first building was procured from a warehouse source, cutting seven weeks off the normal mill-ordered delivery schedule.
Advanced Scheduling
The project team created a schedule working backward from Sun's required move-in dates, the first one being only ten months away. Using the existing design deliverable schedule as front-end constraints created multiple critical paths, several with negative float. DPR analyzed resequencing options, paralleling non-dependent activities and finding ways to shorten durations through modifying details, prefabricating components, and selective use of overtime. As a result, the design team's schedule dates were largely unchanged.
With close cooperation between the designers and DPR, many advance design packages were put together, which allowed early buy-out of subcontract scopes with long-lead materials or extensive submittal requirements.
Making the Budget
The goal was to bring the project cost closer to Sun's budget without reducing the functionality of the campus. Significant value engineering changes included:
- Structural steel design changed from moment frame to braced frame
- Complicated EIFS drainage and weep system was eliminated
- Parking lot grade was lowered and hardscape simplified
- Process cooling water system changed
- Electrical switchgear was brought above ground
Many additional changes to materials and details were made through this cooperative effort. According to Dan Whisenhunt, Sun's manager of worldwide design and construction, the final result is a project that is within acceptable cost parameters without sacrificing space or standards. "DPR helped us balance our efficiency requirements (sq ft/person) with our budget constraints, so we ended up with a GMP that was very agreeable to all parties involved," said Whisenhunt.
Beating El Niņo "Our goal was to not lose a single day to El Niņo," said Dave Edgar, DPR's superintendent on the job. From day one measures were taken to assure just that. Access roads were lime treated and building pads were brought out of the mud immediately and crowned to drain. Grade beams and footings were over-dug and a 3-inch lift of lean concrete lined the bottom of each trench. A visqueen wrap extended from this base up the sides of each trench and extended out ten feet on either side, keeping the excavation walls dry and intact and allowing ironworkers to tie rebar despite the wet weather.
Working within a Busy Construction Market A busy construction market means shortage of qualified manpower, difficulty getting competitive bids, and the need to generate among subcontractors and material suppliers a shared sense of the urgency of project priorities.
DPR's approach to these challenges included setting and maintaining a smooth sequence of work from building to building. This allows subcontractors to maintain a consistent-sized crew of their best craftsmen who can maintain high productivity and a steady workflow.
Getting concrete deliveries and scheduling concrete place and finish crews have been difficult during this past year in the San Francisco Bay Area. Whenever possible, DPR planned very large placements, and most were scheduled for a fixed date over a month in advance. 1,500 cubic yards of foundation were placed during one 10-hour period as well as numerous slab pours exceeding 20,000 sq ft. Planning the work this way resulted in dedicated concrete plants and trucks, fewer concrete pump rental days, top finishing crews, and subsequently much higher productivity (cy per hour).
Given the market conditions, DPR's ability to self-perform critical work has been a lifesaver. Unlike several jobs in the area waiting on door/hardware installation and drywall work, DPR's dedicated carpenters and drywallers have kept the Sun Campus project on schedule.
