With many academic institutions re-evaluating campus needs as we evolve during this pandemic, Consigli brings a strong interdisciplinary approach to assessing existing campus facilities and providing practical scope recommendations with associated costs, focused on five strategic solutions.

Reduced Budgets

Our Solutions:

• CM Buying Power. Leveraging multiple project relationships with key partners resulting in greater control over project costs & lead time risks.
• Reduced Cost. Full-time on-site management with the resources to cover multiple projects on concurrent work schedules maximizing cost efficiency

Energy Efficiency

Our Solutions:

• Energy Optimization. Provide solutions to reduce energy use by 15% to 25%, like peak demand shaving, networked lighting controls, etc.
• Deep Energy Retrofit. Provide a more comprehensive look at all your energy consuming systems including building envelope & try to achieve 50% to 60% reduction in energy usage.
• Building Intelligence. Design & implement building management systems, with data driven analytics on your HVAC system operations.
• Healthy Buildings. Ensure that your buildings are meeting or exceeding enhanced ventilation needs.

Consigli’s Arch Energy group provides and implements integrated solutions to create sustainable, healthy and intelligent buildings powered by low-carbon infrastructure, reducing costs and increasing building efficiency across all markets.

Deferred Maintenance

Our Solutions:

• Building Assessments. Exploratory work to identify existing conditions & minimize cost & schedule impacts.
• Informed Estimates. Scope menus & prioritization of the most critical deferred maintenance items.
• M/E/P Services. Provide data driven strategies that maximize long-term value with lower maintenance & operating costs.
• Right Sizing. Develop strategic equipment solutions that balance project & operating costs.

Streamlining Procurement

Our Solutions:

• Trade Bundling. More competitive pricing through resource loading & personnel leveling between multiple projects.
• Design-Build Services. Lead an assembled team of design specialists to assist in master planning, campus assessment & project scope development.

Staffing Resources

Our Solutions:

• A Dedicated Staff. Provide multi-project management solutions with transparent documentation & reporting for less strain on in-house resources.
• Expanded Resources. Connect with Project Service Group resources (VDC, Scheduling & M/E/P) to develop task focused project management planning & solutions.

The post Planning for Your Future: Strategic Solutions Driving Campus Project Decisions appeared first on Consigli Construction.

The recent passing of architect Ieon Ming (I.M.) Pei shines a light on the debates and challenges of maintaining and restoring Modern and Postmodern architecture. Many of Pei’s buildings are recognized as historically contributing. They are also being repaired and renovated to help sustain them well into the future. Restoration of these buildings will present new challenges in the repair of post-war materials and assemblies as well as how to adapt these buildings to meet current energy conservation standards. While the basic philosophical approaches to conducting preservation work applies regardless of the architectural style, construction managers and architects must find the creative design solutions for interventions that take into account the challenges of structural elements being integral to exterior and interior finishes, which make it harder to conceal new work and modifications.

Earlier this month Consigli, along with its partners Asturian Group and the architectural firm of Quinn Evans, won the design-build contract for the restoration of the Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, Virginia. The Netherlands Carillon, designed by Dutch architect Joost W.C. Boks and dedicated in 1960, is a striking Modern-era tower clad with flush steel plates and one of the first Modern style monuments in the Washington, D.C. area. The restoration of the Netherlands Carillon will require careful dismantling of the steel cladding, preparation and application of new high-performance coatings as well as the reassembly of the cladding. Mock-ups and consistent quality control will be required to ensure that the new coating systems do not increase the panel dimensions beyond what can be accommodated in the minimal original panel joints.

From a construction management perspective, Modern style buildings require a creative approach to developing restoration treatments and finding the craftspeople that can perform them. Last year, for example, we completed the Smith Campus Center at Harvard University which was the renovation and restoration of the former Holyoke Center, a Brutalist style building originally built in the 1960s. Transforming this building into a contemporary campus center for thousands of occupants while also preserving the historically unique structural elements required innovative and creative solutions. We used Consigli’s own artisan craftsmen that had the knowledge and skills to work with the original building elements but could also harmoniously incorporate new materials. They preserved the original concrete and also performed selective repairs to match the color and texture of the new materials so that it was seamless with the original structure.

When restoring and renovating historic buildings, it is important to understand that these structures are telling a story. Losing I.M. Pei in the midst of Preservation Month reminds us of the significance of an architectural style that he dramatically influenced.  As more Modern era buildings come of age and are recognized as historic buildings, it is important to understand that the expressed structural elements and industrial manufactured materials that characterize the architectural style reflects a time in our society that wanted to do away with traditions of the past in favor of and to embrace the industrial advancements and cultural/political changes of the mid-20th century. Construction managers must commit themselves to preserving the stories told by these buildings when we undertake projects that require their preservation, renovation, or restoration. At the same time, in order to save and preserve these buildings for future generations means finding innovative and creative approaches to adapt them to meet our 21st century needs.

The post How Modern Architecture’s Story Will Better Inform Construction Work appeared first on Consigli Construction.