1999 ACE AWARDS
CATEGORY #7
Project
Of The Year ($1 - $3 Million)
Subcontractor
PROJECT
Daniels
College of Business
at
The University of Denver
OWNER
Daniels
College of Business
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Adolfson
& Peterson Construction Inc.
ARCHITECT
Anderson
Mason Dale P.C.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
Gordon
Gumeson & Associates
SUBMITTED BY
Ludvik
Electric Co.
Daniels
College of Business Built To Last 350 Years
Hailed as one of the most technologically advanced
business school facilities in the United States, and the world for that matter,
the new headquarters for the Daniels College of Business at the University of
Denver can be called a "state-of-the-state-of-the-art
facility." No, that's not a misprint. This world-class educational
edifice will lead the way in providing an unparalleled learning environment as
DU students and faculty head into the 21st century. But, unlike most businesses
which don't plan on surviving for 100 years, Daniels College of Business is
designed to also lead the way into the 22nd century, and the 23rd and the 24th.
Rated to last 350 years, it could very well live up to that goal.
Ludvik Electric was responsible for an electrical
installation that could conceivably remain in use, with certain modifications
and updates of course, for more than three centuries! Yet the building's
architecture is compatible with the Collegiate Gothic style of two other DU
structures nearbyMargery Reed Hall, built in 1928, and Mary Reed Hall, erected
in 1932. A quality installation was the order of the day for Ludvik, requiring extraordinary attention to detail and
built-in flexibility for a long future of growth and change. And Ludvik was
up to the assignment. Like most educational facilities, the Daniels College of
Business accommodates a multiplicity of uses including:
110,536 square feet
of classroom and administrative space, including a 6-story tower
21 classrooms, in both tiered case study
and seminar styles
15 meeting rooms and 132 offices for
faculty and staff
A cafeteria and a common area for
student/faculty interaction
A Business Resource Center, offering
students access to various computer resources
The Frontier Room, housing computer
equipment and software home bases
A Boardroom, available for DU trustee and
community business meetings
107 parking spaces in a 49,485-square-foot, 2-level
underground parking structure
Every classroom, every office, every meeting room, and
most other locations throughout the building are completely "wired." When it opened for the fall
1999 semester, there were 1,000 data ports available to meet the needs of a new
age in education. Each student will have access to power and telecomm
connections for personal computers right at his or her desk. Professors will be
able to control classroom lighting and audiovisual presentations from several
different control panels around the room, including one on the instructor
podium. Ultimately, up to 3,000 data ports will be available to students and
faculty. Even the tables in meeting rooms are wired for power and telecommunication.
This is truly the state of the art in education and makes Daniels College as
"connected" as you can get. As part of the team that brought the
school alive, the scope of Ludvik's work included:
Installation of new underground service and replacement
of service to a nearby building
Installation
of a 2000A switchboard and distribution of power via a bus duct riser
Installation
of all conduit, raceway, cable tray and floor boxes for telephone,
telecommunication, audiovisual, intercom, and other systems
Installation
of interior lighting and a sophisticated programmable dimming control system
Installation
of an intelligent fire alarm system and raceway for an advanced security system
Site lighting and a lightning protection
system
Because of the
construction and architectural detail of the building, the routing of conduit,
raceway and cable tray presented a complex challenge to Ludvik and its team of
electricians. The job required close
coordination with all other subcontractors. Cathedral, barrel
and vaulted ceilings, tiered classrooms with semi-circular desk configurations
requiring phone and power for each student position, as well as a variety of
columns, soffits and millwork details complicated the installation. Since no
conduit was permitted in the poured-in-place concrete floors, runs had to be
made in the walls, ceilings and under the raised floors. These areas were
packed with the mechanical, telecommunications and fiber optic systems
required in this high-tech environment, leaving very little room to maneuver.
Space was at a premium.
To overcome this difficult installation obstacle, Ludvik
worked closely with other subcontractors, placing added emphasis on
coordination and accurate drawings. The routing of conduit, raceway and cable
tray was accomplished in synch with the installation of other systems. Shop
drawings prepared by Ludvik for the layout of pre-fabbed sleeves, floor boxes,
inserts for cable trays and conduit racks were executed in sufficient detail so
that other trades were easily able to review them for conflicts and
coordination.
A good example of this coordination came early in the
project. Ten percent of Ludvik's rough in work was in the building's
16-inch-thick block walls. By working closely with the wall subcontractor
during the planning stages, Ludvik was able to run the majority of conduit
horizontally and provide materials that interfaced well with the block
installation, making the job proceed quickly and smoothly. Compounding the
difficulty was the fact that many of the electrical devices (switches, outlets,
lighting, etc.) would not be installed for as much as eight months after the
rough in work, placing critical emphasis on accuracy.
Limited storage space added to the importance of a
detailed and accurate understanding of the building's layout and close
coordination with other subcontractors. It was essential that materials be
delivered on a precision schedule to insure that Ludvik's work would smoothly
integrate with other system installations. A "pure logic" schedule
was generated by Ludvik to meet this need.
Safety was a top priority, as it is on every Ludvik
project. Weekly toolbox meetings covered safety procedures and hazards related
to work in progress at the time. While the project presented few significant
safety issues, adherence to Ludvik's safety program, including 100% fall
protection, resulted in no lost time accidents or injuries during approximately
47,000 man-hours on the job.
Ludvik was proud to participate in construction of the
Daniels College of Business, a facility that will change the way classes are
taught and the way students learn...now and for several centuries to come.