Vallejo

Key Players

Owner California State University

Lead Design Firm WRNS Studio

Contractor Gilbane Building Co.

Civil Engineer Sandis

Structural Engineer Forell/Elsesser Engineers Inc.

MEP Engineer Interface Engineering

The $30-million project included a NCAA basketball gymnasium, multipurpose wellness and physical therapy rooms, an office suite and an outdoor Olympic-size pool with future wave-generation capacity for survival courses required of all cadets.

Gilbane, the construction manager at-risk, led a team that incorporated integrated project delivery and lean construction principles and best practices from prior work to promote collaboration, according to the firm.

An owner risk-analysis log identified potential issues, such as coordination with the utilities or pitfalls with soil. The analysis included an anticipated cost exposure for each item.

Design-assist services facilitated construction of the glass-fiber-reinforced concrete (GFRC) and the swimming pool. “By successfully procuring and implementing these trades into the project, the architect was able to coordinate and detail the required structural components for the GFRC, while the pool trade contractor was able to provide substantial cost savings as a result of value engineering efforts for their scope,” says Jeffrey G. Park, Gilbane’s project executive.

Gilbane also deployed a short-service worker program for the first time in its western region. Less experienced workers—statistically more susceptible to injury—are delegated appropriately scaled work.

To hold back the sloped site, a soil-nail subcontractor built a stable, safe working environment for the workers and the adjacent neighborhood.

The project was completed on time and under budget in September of last year.