1999 ACE AWARDS

CATEGORY #9

Project Of The Year (Over $6 Million)

Subcontractor

PROJECT

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Scientific & Research Center

OWNER

General Services Administration

GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Hensel Phelps Construction Co.

ARCHITECT

C.W. Fentress, J.H. Bradurn & Associates P.C.

ENGINEERS

Garland Cox & Associates

Riegel-Doyle

BCER Consulting Engineers

SUBMITTED BY

Ludvik Electric Co.

A FLOOD OF OBSTACLES AT NOAA

With science and technology advancing at an exponential rate, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that its office, laboratory and research facilities were obsolete for meeting their needs. A new $50 million, 372,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility was authorized for construction in Boulder, CO. The huge complex is known as the David Skaggs Research Center and consists of four buildings and a central core. It is 900 feet in length, up to 165 feet in width by 43 feet in height and provides space for over 1,000 scientists, researchers and staff personnel. The 4-story facility (including a garden level partially below grade) houses six laboratories that make up NOAA's Environmental Research Laboratories (ERL), two data centers for the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service (NESDIS), the National Geophysical Data Center, the local office of the National Weather Service, and the Mountain Administrative Support Center. Also part of the complex is a remote solar observatory that is located 1,500 feet away. From these facilities comes everything from tornado alerts to studies on marine geology and geophysics to information on solar flares. High-tech stuff.

Getting the sophisticated, extremely complex facility "connected" was a challenging assignment for Ludvik Electric. The scope of our electrical work encompassed all electrical systems including a state of the art tele/data network consisting of fiber optic and Level 6 cabling for voice and data—the first application of this 300 MHz copper cable anywhere. The installation also included:

• Two 3000 amp services and distribution as well as a 1200 kW generator and a 150 kW generator for emergency and standby power

• Installation of a variety of special building systems including lighting with a sophisticated control system and motion sensors, fire alarm, card access security, paging, lightning protection, site lighting and an extensive amount of lab wiring

With a complex plan well underway for relocating more than 1,000 people from other NOAA locations to the new facility, hitting the move-in date was of paramount importance. The complexity of the project and the installation of a never-before-used data cable presented major challenges for Ludvik. And, ironically, it was the weather that contributed one of the biggest obstacles along the way.

A few numbers will tell you the story about the complexity of this state-of-the-art building. Ludvik installed 250,000 feet of conduit in the poured-in-place 8-inch concrete slabs and 6,677 feet of custom laboratory raceway configured to meet the power and tele/data requirements of individual scientists. In addition, the entire building had 6-inch raised floors. There was 350,000 feet (66 miles) of Category 5 phone cable, 315,000 feet (59 miles) of fiber cable, and 560,000 feet (106 miles) of the Level 6 data cable. There were 5,536 light fixtures, over 5,000 power outlets (evenly split between conditioned and non-conditioned depending on scientific needs), and 1,365 Standard Information Outlets (SIO). SIOs originated from one of 44 Immediate Distribution Facility (IDF) rooms located throughout the complex. Each SIO required two telephone, two Level 6, and two 4-strand fiberoptic connections. Ludvik custom fabricated special whips for the under-floor connection. These customized whips enabled Ludvik electricians to precisely position boxes according to individual office layout requirements while allowing flexibility for future reconfiguration.

The use of the new Level 6 data cable required some special procedures. In response, Ludvik sent two Project Supervisors and the Project Manager to the manufacturer's plant in Hickory, South Carolina, for a 2-week certification course. They were schooled on the ins and outs of handling and installing this leading edge product—everything from shipping to bending radius limitations to termination. This extra effort prevented damage and guaranteed a quality, trouble-free installation.

The Solar Observatory presented another unique problem for Ludvik. The building has the same sophisticated phone, power and tele/data requirements as the main complex. Wire and cable were run through an underground ductbank from the main facility. But getting it there proved to be a unique

adventure. Because of the close proximity of ancient Native American burial grounds that could not be disturbed, extreme care had to be taken in trenching for the duct. Compounding the problem were boulders up to 15 feet in diameter, both in the path and underground, as well as existing underground sewer and water lines. Rather than routing hundreds of feet out of the way (at great expense), the Ludvik solution was to move the boulders with D9 tractors and use them as natural landscaping—all under the watchful eye of a tribal chief.

Ironically, it was the weather that contributed the biggest problem on the job. With over 90% of the electrical installation complete, one of the area's infamous flash floods inundated the garden level! Ludvik had no alternative but to remove all installed wiring. The flood's silty residue required that all conduit had to be flushed, blown out, treated with antibacterial chemicals, and dried before re-pulling the wire. Installed boxes and other electrical devices that were affected also had to be removed or cleaned, treated and dried where possible. This was necessary to insure there was no chance of a "sick building syndrome" that could possibly affect the health of workers in the future. Despite the setback, the completion date could not be changed. To address the problem, Ludvik secured additional electricians and authorized whatever overtime hours it would take to complete the monumental task. Meanwhile, to meet the non-negotiable move-in date, work proceeded on other levels of the building according to schedule—it was like two projects in one!

In addition to its regular comprehensive safety program, the flash flood is a reminder of the special safety precautions Ludvik's Safety Director initiated on the project. The building's proximity to the foothills called for special attention to hazards posed by strong winds, lightning and severe storms. Safety meetings included recognition of threatening weather and placed added emphasis on fall protection. Despite more than 110,300 man-hours, Ludvik experienced no lost time due to accident or injury.

A complex high-tech electrical installation, innovative materials, and a flood of obstacles to work around—Ludvik handled it all for NOAA and 1,000 people moved in on time!