Five new residence halls—part of a University of Virginia effort to overhaul its Alderman Road community for first-year students—were delivered in three phases.
The design for the project incorporated OSHA safety requirements for both contractors and end-users of the project. A specific example was the inclusion in the design of fall arrest anchors across each roof level that afforded both installing construction personnel and users access to fall protection tie-off points that met federal safety requirements.
Building information modeling improved safety by increasing use of prefabricated components so that a substantial portion of the work was performed in a controlled offsite environment. This improved the quality of the finished product and limited installation hours in the field.
The project tallied nearly 1 million work-hours with no recordable incidents.
To maintain a safe environment conducive to learning, the team worked with university staff to minimize disruptions for students. Several occupied residence halls surrounded the project site throughout the school year.
Dormitories also were used during the summer months to provide housing for participants in sport camps. As a result, the project team phased work around these camps and implemented plans to ensure safety and to minimize disruption while working on a compressed schedule.
The construction team coordinated material deliveries and large-scale construction activities with events held at nearby Scott Stadium, especially during football season.
The completed buildings—which were designed to meet LEED Silver standards— feature student bedrooms, communal bathrooms, laundry rooms, lounges, classroom spaces and study spaces.
Safety: Award of Merit - University of Virginia, Alderman Road Residence Halls, Phases II, III and IV, Charlottesville, Va.
Key Players
Owner University of Virginia
Design-Builder/Construction Manager W.M. Jordan Co.
Lead Design Firm Clark Nexsen Architecture and Engineering
Bridging Documents Ayers Saint Gross Architects + Planners
Structural/MEP Engineer Clark Nexsen Architecture and Engineering
Concrete Cleveland Cement Contractors
Structural Steel Hercules Steel Co.
Masonry J.D. Long Masonry of Virginia
Electrical Tolley Electric Corp.
Mechanical Atlantic Constructors
