A Race to the Finish

Interior Finishes Challenged ChampionsGate Project Contractors

By Debra Wood

A cornerstone of a new master-planned community, the $175 million Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, boasts upscale amenities and high-end finishes in the public areas.

"One of the major challenges has been procuring some of the exotic finish materials that the interior designer selected for the ornate finishes in the lobby and lower-lobby levels," said David K. Pendergraft, senior project manager for Cesari Construction Group of Orlando, the owner's representative.

Interior designer Looney & Associates and architects at RTKL Associates, both of Dallas, designed the hospitality complex. ChampionsGate includes residential condominium units, a retail center, two golf courses and a separate golf clubhouse.

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"The whole concept is a relaxed elegance, similar to an upscale country club," said Jim Looney, principle with Looney & Associates. "It retains a resort feeling that is appealing to different groups."

When contractors learned the originally selected imported natural stones were in short supply, they met with designers to select alternative materials. Italian marble in three hues now cover the lobby floor.

"We did an extensive review with the interior designer, architect and owner, selecting and approving the different types of marble and granite, porcelain tiles, species of wood and the stains and finishes on those woods so they have the high-grade quality needed for a [AAA] four-diamond resort," said Neal Blackketter, operations manager for WELBRO Building Corp. of Maitland, the general contractor.

Water-jet art-marble medallions in an array of colors come together in an elaborate custom design in the lobby. Many of the irregular, handcrafted tiles used at the hotel required a higher degree of installation expertise than normally encountered in a commercial project.

"There has been a ratcheting up of scrutiny of all issues of quality workmanship, and that has kept all the installing trades on their toes," Pendergraft said.

Millwork in the lobby has a furniture-grade finish. The sports bar contains African mahogany and Brazilian cherry wood and has a subtle golf motif.

"When contractors go into a project like this and talk about what a four-diamond hotel is, they have different ideas," Pendergraft said. "As the owner's, developer's and operator's intentions behind the quality expectations are made obvious, there can be a wake-up call. People are not normally held to that standard."

Cesari and design consultants routinely inspected the workmanship to ensure everything was up to standards. "When you walk the property now, the effort really shows," Pendergraft said,

The building process

The 730-room, 16-story hotel includes 70,000 sq. ft. of ballroom and meeting space, five restaurants, an adult pool and children's water center, a whirlpool spa, and an 850-ft.-long lazy-river water feature. Weller Pool Constructors of Apopka completed all of the water features.

WELBRO began the project in December 2002 and was on track to complete it in September. The company incorporated many techniques to speed construction and self-performed the masonry and concrete framework.

"It helps us maintain control of the schedule because the frame going up really drives the schedule," Blackketter said.

WELBRO used a flying-table, suspended-slab forming system that eliminated the need for shoring on the slabs. A stud-rail system in the slabs increases the resistance to the punching sheer of the supporting columns.

"It allows you to have a flat-plate slab on the bottom, which is easier to form and have tables that slide in and out easier," Blackketter said. "It also helps reduce the amount of rebar you have in that slab around the column. It worked out very well."

The company used a concrete that cured within 72 hours and conventionally reinforced it to give mechanical, electrical and plumbing greater flexibility in running utilities and pipes. For the toilet exhaust, WELBRO used an autoclaved, aerated concrete block shaft instead of a drywall shaft.

"It allows you to make the shaft wall out of a lightweight concrete block, so you are able to get that in before the exterior walls are up," Blackketter said. "Typically, you would have to wait until you are dried in from the elements before you could put any drywall in."

The exterior has a metal-stud frame with an EIFS skin and glazing system. The exterior of the ballroom space is tilt-up concrete, with structural steel joists, trusses and beams.

WELBRO finished the rooms from the top down. As crews completed each floor, the owner began moving in furniture and other hard goods.

Crews worked weekends and evenings to keep the project on time.

Finishing Touches

Owners refined plans for the Omni's food and beverage outlets and retail after construction began. Because of market forces, plans for one of the base-building restaurants, an Asian-themed eatery, changed late in the project.

"We got thrown a few curves late," Pendergraft said. "Any time you develop a property like this, regardless of what effort you put in during design and development, there is always a tendency among competent people to go back and scrutinize what you've done."

Design and procurement efforts for these retail and restaurant spaces were fast-tracked. Those spaces were permitted separately, with the permit for the Asian restaurant not coming through until mid-July.

Adjustments also were made to the property after owners and architects walked through the site. Owners tweaked with areas to improve efficiency, particularly in the pool's food and beverage service area.

"We have been able to accommodate the owner's wants and wishes," Blackketter said. "You have to role with the punches, take those into account and incorporate those and not let it be too disruptive."

Useful Sources:

ChampionsGate
http://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/default.asp?h_id=65

Project Team:

Owner: Omni-ChampionsGate Resort Hotel, LP, Houston
Owner's Representative: Cesari Construction Group, Orlando
Construction Manager: WELBRO Building Corp., Maitland
Architect: RTKL Associates, Dallas
Interior Designer: Looney & Associates, Dallas
Civil Engineer: Dyer, Riddle, Mills & Precourt, Orlando
Structural Engineer: Burton Braswell Middlebrooks Associates, Longwood, Fla.
Electrical Contractor: Morgan Electric, Lakeland, Fla.
Plumbing Contractor: Progressive Plumbing, Clermont, Fla.
HVAC Contractor: S.I. Goldman, Longwood, Fla.