Building 131,000 sq ft of retail space atop reclaimed tidal swamp land and a brownfields site nearly pushed this project’s site and foundation costs out of reach for the owner.
To counteract these heavy up-front costs, BPGS Construction had to pay close attention to the materials, means and methods required to construct the building. That involved heavy design review and revision to bring the estimated costs of the project in line with the funding in place.
Once the design was complete, crews worked closely with the subcontracting community to further dissect how to build the $25 million project most efficiently. Design substitution and material alternates, as well as inventive sequencing, were used to reduce labor costs for the project.
Owner: The Buccini/Pollin Group. Wilmington, Del.
General contractor: BPGS Construction LLC, Wilmington
Architect and mechanical engineer: L2 Architecture, Philadelphia
Structural engineer: MacIntosh Engineering, Wilmington
Civil engineer: Rummel, Klepper & Kahl LLP, Baltimore
Environmental consultant: BrightFields Inc., Wilmington
Testing engineer: GeoTechnology Associates, New Castle, Del.
Electrical engineer: Schooley Electric, Cherry Hill, N.J.
The urban retail center was built with full-displacement, auger-cast piles supporting a structural slab with the capability of 150 lbs per sq ft loading. More than 500 piles installed for the grocery store alone to support its size and weight.
