Construction Expectations

What are your expectations going into a construction project? Are you expecting a perfect job? One with no change orders? One with no call backs in the warranty period? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I think we need to have a talk. We try to educate our clients beforehand that design and construction is a complicated process involving many people, and as humans we are not perfect by any means.

This does not mean that accepting inferior or defective work is acceptable during the construction phase, it is not. Defective work must be corrected for the safety and welfare of the occupants of the building and inferior work should never be accepted. A standard of the quality of the construction should be outlined and reinforced by the general contractor prior to the start of any work.The requirements for the quality of the work is set forth in the specification book that is issued with the drawings by the design professional. If a particular portion of the work is complex or sensitive, the general contractor should set up a preconstruction conference (precon) involving all the participants of that work and set up parameters and convey the expectation of the work to all involved. 

 An example of a precon is when the data cabling subcontractor is ready to start installing the data lines. All subcontractors should attend this conference and understand that any disturbance of the data cabling can render it useless. If the cable is inadvertently painted, it ruins the cable and must be removed. If the cable is kinked or bent sharply it will render it useless. For all subs to have this knowledge is key to preventing damage to the data lines and providing a fully operational data system at the time of completion of the project. 

As the project nears completion, a punch list will be developed by the contractor and architect. This punch list enumerates all the items in the project that need to be corrected, i.e. fix the paint chip in this wall, this door knob is not working, a particular air conditioner unit is not working etc. All these items are to be corrected by the contractor and the final payment withheld until verification of the correction of the punch list items has been received. 

Once the project is declared substantially complete, this does not relieve the contractor of his responsibilities. The warranty period begins upon completion and continues for 1 year. This is the standard length of time for a building warranty. Products or systems with in the building may carry longer warranties such as the roof system which may carry any where from a 10 to 20 year warranty. Before the final payment is made, a manual which compiles all the warranties and guaranties should be received by the owner to insure that these important documents are accounted for.

One final note, always carry a contingency allowance for your project no matter how large or small the project may be. If the project is renovations you would be wise to carry a larger contingency allowance than if it is a new building. New buildings typically have a 2% to 3% contingency, renovations anywhere from 5% to 10% depending on the complexity of the work.

Michael King AIA

Water Conservation - Site Level

As spring approaches, focus begins again on plants and irrigation. This can add a significant cost to many school districts. Listed here are some ideas that you may consider to reduce this cost.

First, there was an earlier blog discussing xeriscaping. Choosing native and adapted plants in your climate reduces the amount of water required to maintain them. These plants are generally sustained by the natural amount of rainfall in your area. Adding more of these plants instead of expansive areas of grass (which requires more water) can also help reduce the demand on an irrigation system.

Second, consider the type of irrigation system that is used on your campuses. The most common type is spray irrigation with sprinkler heads placed throughout the area requiring water. These are most practical when watering a large expanse of grass. Where possible however, especially in planting beds, consider drip irrigation as an alternative. Much less water is lost to evaporation or wind drift and is more focused at the roots of the plants. Flow rates are also much lower, which significantly reduces the amount of runoff and the amount of water used.

Third, does the entire campus need irrigated? There may be portions around the building and entrances or specific play field areas that could benefit aesthetically and practically from water where other grassed areas may not be as visible or used as often and would not necessarily require irrigation. Additionally, we have had a few clients recently install synthetic turf instead of grass for more of their playing fields, including not just football but baseball, softball and even a practice field. Where there is possibility of drought as was for this district, they saw tremendous benefit in paying the upfront cost for these fields knowing that they would save greatly on irrigation because of the little rainfall they have received the past few years.

There is also the option to collect and store the rainwater that falls on the site and use this water for site irrigation. There can be significant cost to adding this system, but it can generally pay itself off in 5-10 years.

Safety and Security Part 2

As a continuation of the previous blog on safety and security, this installment will discuss man made threats and offer up a few suggestions as how to look for improvements to the safety and security of your school campus.

As we discussed previously, natural threats can come in many forms. Man made threats are no different and can come many forms as well: unauthorized campus access by a parent, a students or group of students, or strangers. You can have terroristic bomb or gun threats, hazardous chemical accidents or have an active shooter on campus.

Controlling unauthorized visitors on your campus starts with your school setting parameters and controlling the access of all doors. One way to do this is by installing an access control system with proximity card readers. Doors can be automatically locked down to control access only at certain times of the day. You enter these control points by having a prox card. If you don't have a card, you must enter at the point of control, usually the main entrance through a secured vestibule. The secure vestibule allows the visitor to enter the building but then must go through the office area to continue into the facility. At this point the visitor must sign in and receive a name badge or some similar recognition that identifies them as a visitor. A key aspect of design in this area is to have windows for staff observation of the entrance and the parking areas. These windows need to have a clear view, keeping vegetation trimmed appropriately. 

Virtually every school district deals with terroristic threats in the form of called-in bomb threats or similar type violence. The district's policies and procedures in dealing with these threats need to be clearly outlined to all employees and students drilled in evacuation procedures. A key to limiting the calls is student awareness and involvement in helping apprehend the perpetrators. Social media has been one way of intelligence gathering that has proved successful.

In regards to hazardous chemicals, do you know what is travelling on your highways? Do you have rail lines adjacent to your property? Do you have chemical storage or processing plants nearby? By knowing what is around you, you can effectively have a plan in place for these type of chemical accidents.

You must have a lock down protocol in the case of having an active shooter on campus. What are the lines of communication between the office and teachers and teachers to the office? Practice both verbal and non-verbal communication techniques. You must have the ability to lock doors from the inside of the classroom and to cover any glass areas. Drills with local law enforcement agencies will help solidify these procedures and recognize any gaps that you may have in your security plan. One item that we are doing as an architectural firm is providing the law enforcement agency a master plan of the schools in their jurisdiction. With this information they can have accurate layouts of the schools and increase their effectiveness and responses to the threat. 

Here are some keys to improving security through facility design;

* Protection from vehicular dangers - consider parking and drive locations and the use of bollards, don't place gas meters or electrical transformers where they can be hit by cars.

*Building entrances- limit points of entry before and after school, provide one single highly visible entrance during school.

*Situate trash bins in only one area 150' away from the building

*Filter all building ventilation and place intakes in concealed locations

*Secure all exterior electrical panels and air conditioning disconnects

Other ideas for securing your facility can be found by contacting 'Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design' (CPTED) at www.cptedsecurity.com 
They offer many suggestions on surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement through passive barriers and natural landscaping. Many of these design guidelines can be accomplished with little or no extra cost as the design professional becomes aware of your need to secure your campus.

Michael King AIA

School Safety and Security - Part 1

School safety and security is on every one's mind since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary last December.  What policies and procedures does your school have and is it time to review those in light of that tragedy?

Many of our school clients have contacted our firm in the last month and have asked to have an analysis of their safety and security systems and buildings. It has not been so much of a knee jerk reaction to Sandy Hook, but many are asking- what can we do better to keep our students safe? 

The first part of this blog will address the issues of natural threats and disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, fire etc. The second part will address man made threats. 

Natural disasters come in many forms, for us in the midwest it is tornadoes, for those on the east coast it is hurricanes, for those on the west coast it is earthquakes and fires.  We still remember the tornado that hit Joplin, Ms in May of 2011 and destroyed the high school. Had the students moved to the hallways, as many school disaster policies and procedures direct, many more lives would have been lost. This has caused many to re-evaluate their procedures and look for alternative ways to protect students during natural disasters.

What can be done in the design and construction of schools to offer more safety?

First, you can select building materials that can withstand substantial impact such as cast concrete or reinforced masonry for the wall systems. Roof deck assemblies made of light weight concrete offer a more dense material than metal decking for example. As we strive to make our schools more open with large amounts of glass and glazing, keep in mind that flying glass accounts for most of the injuries incurred in natural disasters. Consider providing impact resistant glazing that will prevent it from becoming airborne. Secondly, consider providing safe room shelters within the school. These are self-contained rooms that can hold large numbers of students for a limited time. Several locations throughout the school is advised since extreme storms can form quickly, allowing only a limited time to move students to the safe rooms. 

Keep these factors in mind when designing the safe rooms; 
1) the area must be big enough to keep order and supervise the students 
2) the area must remain clear for use when needed
3) doors should open inward so people can exit if debris piles up 
4) doors should have three bolts and there should be protocols on when to shut them, communicate with the outside and open them.
5) openings like doorways and duct penetrations should have meandering pathways so debris missiles cannot enter directly into the space
6) intentionally 'hardened' gym spaces can meet all of the considerations.

For more information you can contact Curtis Clay, Assoc Director of Educational and Training Services with the Texas School Safety Center at www.txssc.txstate.edu or Mr Allen Lawrence.

Michael King AIA