Cooked-Up Construction

A pair of construction teams race to complete culinary university's new Charlotte campus

by Bea Quirk

Charlotte's can-do attitude was one of several features that attracted Johnson & Wales University, a 90-year-old culinary, hospitality and business school, to the Queen City.

As contractors work to complete construction on the first two projects of the university's new campus by mid-July, the local construction industry is demonstrating that Charlotte's reputation is well-deserved - no matter what the challenges are, the job can be done.

The projects - representing Johnson & Wales' largest ever investment - include a $33 million, 170,000-sq.-ft. classroom and administration center featuring 16 culinary labs, and a $24 million pair of four-story residence halls for 750 students totaling 192,000 sq. ft.

The buildings must be turned over by mid-July so they are ready when the first students arrive in mid-August.

But contractors are facing more than a nonextendable deadline. They are also working on urban sites on major thoroughfares in the heart of Charlotte's uptown, surrounded by offices, multifamily residences, retail, a hotel and a church.

advertisement

RodgersDooley, a joint venture between two local firms, Rodgers Builders and RT Dooley Construction Co., also has the task of constructing a highly complex building that takes up 95 percent of the site at West Trade and Cedar streets. On 300 ft. of one side, it is just 3 in. away from an existing parking deck, and another 400 ft. is just 12 ft. from West Trade, a major road heading into the center city.

Said Merlin DeConti, Johnson & Wales' senior vice president for facilities management, "The academic center has required lots of scheduling, planning and manpower. RodgersDooley has shown great foresight in scheduling and planning ahead and in anticipating problems before they become schedule breakers. We cannot fail to meet the opening date."

Classrooms and Administration

Construction began in February 2003 on the five-story classroom and administration structure, which includes a 170-ft.tower that school officials hope will become the university's symbol.

Included in the building will be offices, classrooms, 16 culinary labs (each one comparable to a commercial kitchen), a 200-seat auditorium, computer labs, film studios, a loading dock and a high-end lobby. The exterior alone features 10 different materials, including brick, block and glass curtain wall.

"Commercial kitchens are one of the most complicated things you can build, and this building is full of them," said Will Caulder, senior project manager for RodgersDooley. The project includes roughly $2 million of construction equipment.

Air circulation is an important requirement, and this building requires more ductwork than a typical structure three times its size. Kitchens are located on the first floor, many with glass walls facing the street. Classrooms and offices are above.

The job takes plenty of coordination, Caulder said. A meeting dedicated to the exterior facade is held weekly, as are meetings for plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems and for interior finishes. One person spearheads each of these efforts, working in conjunction with field employees.

There are also a number of technical problems to deal with. For example, the City mandated deliveries only be made at night, so special lights had to be installed. A crane had to be carefully placed, and then literally backed out of the site as the center went up.

DeConti, who is based in Charlotte and handles administration, visits the site weekly. A university project manager is onsite.

Coordination efforts go beyond the site, where an average of 200 and as many as 350 crew members are working at one time. RodgersDooley works closely with the city to minimize disruption to the surrounding residents and businesses and to keep traffic flowing.

"Part of our duty is to maintain good relations with neighbors and the city," Caulder said.

Residence Halls

FN Thompson, the Charlotte general contractor for the residence halls, is also working with its neighbors, which includes an organized committee representing residents. Special consideration had to be given to another neighbor, the practice field used by the Carolina Panthers NFL team, located adjacent to the residence halls. To minimize dust from the construction site interfering with the team practice sessions, workers regularly hosed down the site with water.

Construction began in May, and there are about 140 people working on the structures, located about a block from the academic center at West Fourth and Cedar streets.

"FN Thompson brought a highly experienced and capable team to this project," said DeConti. "They have proven successes with major facilities in downtown Charlotte as well as educational and institutional buildings throughout this region."

Noise ordinances kept workers from starting until 7:30 a.m., and because of the location's site, space had to be rented offsite for worker parking. With no lay-down area for supplies, just-in-time delivery has been required.

The two halls are not connected and are separated by a courtyard, so FNT is treating them as two separate simultaneous projects. There are two drywall contractors, two electrical contractors, two plumbing contractors and two mechanical contractors. Each building is four stories with a structural steel frame and brick veneer. Each has 376 beds and 188 bathrooms requiring repetitive vertical coordination. There is also a computer study area and a lounge on each floor. One building features a food service area and student cafeteria.

As part of the FNT team, Tyler 2 Construction of Charlotte is handling project management of the interior finishes.

Coordination is again the key word, and that includes the efforts of the college. "The owner is active and informed and understands the construction process," said Bobby G. Ferguson, president and CEO of FNT.

Johnson & Wales began a coordination process with its neighbors as soon as it purchased the two lots of land, located in the midst of Gateway Village, a mixed-use development created by Bank of America that serves as the western entrance to uptown Charlotte. The campus will be integrated into the development, and the architecture of the three structures now under construction was designed to blend in with current buildings.

While the college will have its own buildings, it is also leasing space in Gateway Village for its library, bookstore and centers for student services and career development.

DeConti said he began seeking bids for the upfitting in January. The school may rent additional space for classrooms as the college grows, and it also has an option to purchase three additional acres in the area.

When classes begin this fall, the expected enrollment is 825, with almost 3,000 expected by 2007. The Charlotte campus is a consolidation/ expansion of two of its current locations, in Charleston, S.C., and Norfolk, Va. Altogether Johnson & Wales has about 13,500 students enrolled in campuses in Providence, R.I. (where it is based); Denver; Miami; and Sweden.

The staggered opening in Charlotte gives J&W some leeway in upfitting its new buildings, if not in the construction. Not all the dorm rooms, classrooms and culinary labs will be needed during the first year, giving them some additional time to complete the interiors.

Useful sources:

• http://www.jwu.edu/charlotte/life.htm
  
• http://www.rodgersbuilders.com/our_portfolio/colleges/JohnsonWales.cfm