Every site presents its own set of challenges, but the Encore/HD Supply site more than delivered. With an already tight schedule, excessive amounts of unanticipated rock were encountered during the near seventy-foot excavation required for the parking deck construction allowing the plaza to meet street level.
Working within an already confined area Shell McElroy lead the team in determining what methods could be employed to minimize the impact on the project schedule. Realizing the solution was not within one trade or area of work, SMCC studied the entire project scope to determine the best course of action for the project. Shell McElroy implemented a very detailed acceleration schedule for the project to mitigate the impact of the additional rock.
This accelerated schedule began with the mobilization of a second caisson rig team. Complicating this effort was the location of the work area, nearly seventy feet below street level. Additionally, due to the proximity to the Chattahoochee River, the project had very strict limits of disturbance which were already maximized for the building footprint.
The accelerated schedule also included extensive working hours with six-day weeks, an additional tower crane operator, and shift work for Project Supervision. SMCC also identified means by which to begin key trades much earlier than planned within the original project schedule. This began with early Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical, and Fire Sprinkler deliveries starting at 4:00 AM to 6:00 AM. Continuing in this vein, and starting at approximately 6:00 AM, the Concrete Formwork Subcontractor would begin their critical path activities. This work would run until late afternoon. At that time, the Precast Erection Subcontractor would begin setting Precast Panels into the early morning hours completing work at 2:00 AM. During these 20+ hour days, Shell McElroy operated with two tower crane operators and rotated project supervision and support labor to accommodate the extended work hours.
Through this process, Shell McElroy was able to cut the originally identified impact nearly in half.
