ChemNews - Department of Chemistry - University of Minnesota

By Stan BonnemaFacilities AdministratorSerendipity. It isn’t a word one would normally find in thesame sentence as “laboratory renovation,” but, when describingthe Kolthoff renovation project, these words go togetherwell. It’s 1999 and several buildings located on the Mall, includingKolthoff Hall, have been evaluated for general buildingcondition, code issues, and accessibility. A voluminous reportwas written and, like many of these studies, was destined tocollect dust on University shelves. We know how these thingswork–it takes years for a project to move from desire to legislativedollars, the Smith Hall renovation of the mid-80s being agood example. Imagine our collective departmental surprise,then, when we received the following email from Orlyn Miller,University Planning, on June 23, 2003:“The preliminary capital request for 2004 includes theremodeling of…Kolthoff Hall.. as part of the HEAPRrequest. The project would address deficiencies in theHVAC system and other critical building systems, andremodeling of the space recently vacated by biology.”I remember thinking, “Good grief–Kolthoff Hall isn’t in thatbad of shape. I helped move into the building when I startedworking here in 1970"! When I mentioned this to my wife, shereplied, “Go look at yourself in a mirror and seeif you are in the same shape as you were 35 yearsago.” Ouch. She was right, of course; a laboratorybuilding, especially one used for chemical research,ages much more quickly than, say, an officeor classroom building. Ventilation systemswear out by running 24/7, chemical spills overPage 12Many thanks to the many who served, top to bottomand left to right:1 - Barry Morgan, M.A. Mortenson2 - Lane Schoening, M.A. Mortenson3 - Doug Lucht, Sebesta Blomberg & Associates4 - Roger Wegner, UofM Project Manager5 - Blair McNeil, M.A. Mortenson6 - Jim Magrew, Harris Companies7 - Tom Young, Hunt Electric Corporation8 - Greg Berger, UofM Facilities Management9 - Dustin Bennis, RSP Architects10 - Bob Kilgore, Sebesta Blomberg & Associates11 - Bryan Gatzlaff, RSP Architects12 - Tim Towberman, M.A. Mortensonthe years destroy casework and flooring materials, and, mostimportantly, building codes and other safety guidelines changesignificantly over a 35- year period.Prior to the actual start of a renovation project, much groundworkmust be laid, including the bidding method and the selectionof an architect and general contractor. The University’sCapital Planning and Project Management (CPPM) is the departmentresponsible for either making these decisions or initiatingthe process. For the Kolthoff renovation, CPPM decidedon a bidding method known as “design-build,” a contractingprocess that brings designers and contractors together early inthe detail design portion of a project. The owner clearly definesthe standards and general specifications expected from aproject, and the designer-builder team works together to satisfythose requirements. Because the team works together, they areable to develop innovative and efficient solutions to meet theowner’s expectations. The design-build process differs fromthe traditional method by overlapping design and construction,allowing construction to begin after a portion of the design hasbeen completed. Because both design and construction areperformed under the same contract, claims for design errorsor construction delays owing to design errors are often greatlyreduced. These disputes are resolved within the designbuildteam rather than among the owner, designer, andcontractor.Interestingly, for a project of this scope the Universitydoes not select an architectural firm on its own. OrlynMiller, Director of Planning and Architecture, workswith the Minnesota State Designer Selection Board toselect architectural firms for large University projects.For the Kolthoff renovation, the architectural firm of RSPArchitects was chosen. RSP Architects and the Universitythen interviewed general contractors and selected MortensonConstruction who, in turn and with the University’s input,selected Hunt Electric and Harris Mechanical asthe electrical and mechanical subcontractors.Another difficult problem that needed to be solved priorto the start of renovation was temporarily relocatingKolthoff occupants displaced during the renovation oftheir labs and offices. Originally, three floors of researchand office space in 717 Delaware St. SE, a buildingrecently vacated by the Minnesota Department of Health,was designated as “swing space” for this purpose. However,the University decided to allot 717 Delaware to theAcademic Health Center and to give Chemistry a much-