LEEDing Tower of Phoenix
Crews have begun steel erection at the Maricopa County court tower, which is being built to meet or exceed LEED-NC v2.2 silver in downtown Phoenix.
Topping off for the 14-story building is expected by May, with the $350-million project due for completion in 2012. The design calls for two additional levels below grade.
Todd McMillen of Gilbane Building Co. of Phoenix, the construction manager at risk on the project, says he’s proud to be working on what is considered a 100-year facility.
Gilbane has an in-association agreement with Ryan Cos. of Phoenix for about 30% of the project managerial duties, McMillen says. Gilbane has built more than 85 criminal justice facilities in the country. The construction costs for the 695,000-sq-ft tower are expected to be $259 million.
Security in the tower is of utmost importance, and design features range from structural areas capable of progressive collapse—so the entire building isn’t lost in a severe attack—to inner circulation patterns that will keep judges, victims, prisoners and the public away from each other outside of the courtroom.
�It may be the first court in the country to have a room behind every courtroom for victims,� says architect Dave Evans, AIA of Gould Evans Associates in Phoenix. The Phoenix office of AECOM also worked on the design.
Vertical transportation is key to circulation patterns. �It is like a puzzle,� Evans said. �It�s an intricate process.� Features include a new vehicular sally port and central holding area, campus-wide control center, in-custody holding areas/circulation systems and separate entrances for staff and the public.
Judges� chambers also connect to individual courtrooms. Traditionally, judges are housed on one floor and trade off courtrooms. A jury assembly room will serve the entire criminal court complex and will be fitted with state-of-the-art technology which will allow the tower to serve as the hub for the County�s campus-like approach.
McMillen says the court tower is being designed as it is being built. There are five packages in the project: relocation of underground utilities and demolition of the site�s existing parking garage, foundation, superstructure, core/shell and interior. Building information modeling is being used, as well as design-assist subcontractors for design input and early material procurement.
From the outset, Gilbane�s virtual design and construction engineer has worked with the architect�s staff.
“Phasing the project allowed us to start construction over a year earlier,” McMillen says. Excavation work, utility relocation, foundation work and even steel went up before the final plans were delivered last month.
The existing Madison Street Parking Garage and 1st Avenue Jail were demolished earlier this year, and in July, crews with Phoenix-based Suntec Concrete completed a 10-hour pour totaling 5,200 cu ydsof concrete for the 7-ft-deep, 66-ft-wide and 240-ft-long mat foundation.
McMillen adds that phasing allows the pre-purchasing and early manufacture of components and gives contractors the ability to get a jump on subcontractor contracts.
“This is truly an integrated project delivery method,” McMillen says. At the peak of construction, 900 to 1,000 workers will be on site.
Gilbane/Ryan set up a construction waste management plan from the very beginning, says Alex Tsuji, the project’s green building consultant with Phoenix-based Green Ideas. This helped the team divert over 90% of demolition debris from landfills. At least 10% of building materials used will have recycled content and 10% will be locally sourced.
Because of the function of the building, sustainable practices sometimes took a back seat to safety, circulation and courtroom acoustics. “Because of that we had to focus on the elements of sustainability that were appropriate, such as the mechanical-based systems,” Tsuji says. The tower includes a complex network of HVAC zones.
The project connects to Northwind Phoenix which provides shared chilled water to dozens of downtown Phoenix buildings and should help the building achieve an overall 12% energy reduction.
Tsuji says it has been interesting to see how the USGBC perceives the district cooling system. “Bottom line is connecting to a thermal loop is better in terms of the environmental benefits and overall energy use, but from the USGBC’s perspective, they require you to include the Northwind loop as part of the energy analysis.”
Evans says the building’s “inspiration is rooted in Arizona,” with copper accents and precast concrete colored like the old courthouse. The court tower will connect to the East and Central court buildings.
The project will eventually house 32 courtrooms, but ten of those will be shelled for future completion.
Key Players
Owner: Maricopa County
Architect: Gould Evans; AECOM
General Contractor: Gilbane/Ryan
Engineers: Syska Hennessy Group; Paragon Structural Design; PK Kland
LEED Consultant: Green Ideas
Commissioning: Enovity, Inc.
Subcontractors: Buesing Corp.; Dickens Quality Demolition; Schuff Steel; Suntec Concrete; Rosendin Electric; University Mechanical
Useful Sources
