Throughout design and construction, the team worked to streamline the project in order to standardize construction methods and provide a baseline from which future projects could be constructed.

The building’s original floor-to-floor heights were significantly reduced through value engineering in an attempt to reduce the cost of the project.

The owner, contractor, architect and engineers worked closely to find a balance between maintaining acceptable ceiling heights and still allowing room for HVAC ducts and plumbing. To make room for ductwork, the structural engineer reduced beam depths by adding a few columns in strategic locations. The HVAC engineers resized and rerouted ducts to keep ceiling heights as high as possible.

The architect redesigned the ceilings and established furred-down areas to fit around the new duct locations. The contractor reworked sprinkler lines, ducts and plumbing lines to further keep the ceilings as high as possible within the reduced floor-to-floor height.

Further challenging the project team was a mid-construction decree from the fire marshal that, because of the open atrium in the middle of the building, a smoke-control system would be required to meet code. The absence of chases or areas for exhaust shaft locations left designers with few options. After considerable rework, a shaft was created and masked with architectural millwork and louvres to blend the shaft into the decor of the building.

Key Players

Submitted by: EBCO General Contractor

Owner: Remington Rehab Investment Group LLC, Round Rock

General contractor: EBCO General Contractor Ltd., Cameron

Architect: Mayse & Associates Inc., Dallas

Structural engineer: DCI Engineers, Spokane, Wash.

Civil engineer: Vickery & Associates Inc., San Antonio

MEP engineer: Halff Associates Inc., Richardson

Landscape architect: BWM Group, Round Rock

Electrical contractor: R & L Electric Inc., Weatherford

HVAC contractor: Airco Mechanical Ltd., Austin

Plumbing contractor: S & K Plumbing, Haltom City