The Heartland Hotel is a nine-story building located in the downtown area of a midwestern city. It will be under construction for 14 month, and is budgeted to cost $40.05 million. The hotel will be delivered in a “turnkey” fashion by Mortenson Construction. Mortenson Development Incorporated (MDI) initially bought the plot of land where the Heartland Hotel will be located, and will be a partial owner of the building after construction is complete. The following document is a proposal of analysis and research topics related to the construction industry and the Heartland Hotel. The four analysis areas presented focus on techniques to improve the construction and final product for Mortenson, MDI, and the Heartland Hotel.
Analysis Areas
Analysis 1: 9th Story Design Change:
The Heartland Hotel is part of a 30-year city improvement plan and aims to offer guests an enjoyable escape from the hectic world. With standard floorplan layouts and specified brand requirements, a redesign of the top floor by combining rooms to create suites has the potential to offer guests luxurious variety in their stay. This analysis will look at how including suites can impact and improve the cash flow and business model for both Heartland Hotel and MDI.
Analysis 2: Link Bridge Redesign for Constructability:
A 62-foot long link bridge currently connects the second floor of the Heartland Hotel with the second story of an existing parking garage. Because of the close proximity of the two structures, there is limited space, making it difficult for workers and equipment to fit between. The link bridge protrudes from the building, making it possible to consider prefabricated siding and modularization. After an initial study, one of these two options will be developed and investigated to generate comparisons with the original design’s schedule, cost, and constructability.
Analysis 3: Structural Lift System:
Located in the middle of a downtown area, the Heartland Hotel is limited to a constrained site, which impacts the entire project and schedule. The construction of the façade is scheduled to occur during the middle of an often harsh winter. Keeping these two concerns in mind, a new structural lift method by Upbrella Construction will be applied to this project in order to determine the feasibility and constructability of this technique. This process will then be compared with the original design of a 5-day cycle per floor, specifically investigating the cost and schedule differences.
Analysis 4: Field Labor Experience:
Superintendents are an integral part of every construction project. Many superintendents have come from one of two backgrounds: performing field labor work or gaining knowledge and experience in an office-like setting. This area of research is aimed to determine the benefits that field labor provides and how it impacts the role and success of a project Superintendent. Through interviews and a questionnaire, it is the goal of this analysis to examine potential correlations between successful and satisfied Superintendents, and their past experiences.
Breadth Studies
Analysis 2: Structural Breadth
The “Link Bridge Redesign for Constructability” analysis also provides an opportunity to study the structural components of the bridge. By analyzing both prefabricated exterior panelization and a modularization of the entity of the bridge, attachment methods between panels or models and the structure will need to be designed. This redesign will require appropriate structural strength as well as reasonable and structurally sound attachment techniques. Additionally, because the façade materials, especially the stucco, have the potential to change, this would impact the load transfer as well as the exterior material attachment method.
Analysis 3: Mechanical Breadth
The “Structural Lift System” analysis will provide a focus on designing a heating system while construction is underway. The intended approach includes a semi-temporary wall which surrounds two adjacent floors. With this wall, the lower floor is enclosed and watertight. As construction moves higher in the building, the semi-temporary wall is also transitioned upward until it is removed at the top of the building. In order for trades to begin interior construction while exterior construction is still being finished, a heating system which moves with the semi-temporary wall would provide an environment for workers to begin and finish work. This system would also assist exterior stucco construction, as stucco is a temperature-dependent material. Therefore, a heating system will be designed and analyzed according to required heating loads dependent upon the thermal resistance factors of the semi-temporary walls used and construction activities.
Analysis 3: Structural Breadth (Possibility)
The “Structural Lift System” analysis requires that the roof and floors be lifted up using a jacking method. Because of the originality of this structural construction method, there is a possibility that the initial PT slab and roof design are not feasible with this type of construction method. If this is the case, a structural design and analysis may be necessary to ensure the safety of this technique. This could require a roof and/or floor structural redesign. If this is the case, a portion of one of these elements will be designed to suite the structural lift method. This redesign will need to account for movement in the lifting process and additional loads applied early after construction.
MAE Integration
The information and knowledge gained from the coursework in the MAE program will assist with my research and analysis. Specifically, the first analysis of a redesigned 9th story will incorporate a cash flow and business model investigation. Both of these areas of study were taught and discussed in AE 572 – Project Development and Delivery Planning. The second analysis, where elements or sections of the link bridge will be panelized or modularized, will integrate information learned from AE 570 – Production Management in Construction. Finally, the structural lift system will include a 4D simulation. The technology used to produce this simulation was taught AE 597F – Virtual Facility Prototyping.