Project Management, Construction Management, & Project Controls Archives - Page 9 of 11

DJC Names Sarah Oaks 2020 Phenom

DAY CPM and Otak are thrilled to share that the Daily Journal of Commerce (DJC) has named Sarah Oaks, Operations Manager for DAY CPM, as a 2020 Phenom under their Phenoms & Icons Award. The award honors long-time leaders and up-and-coming professionals in the building industry who are expected to share the future of architecture, engineering, construction, development, transportation, energy, and sustainability in the region.

Sarah was nominated by her peers for not only her significant contributions in her day-to-day work, where she is responsible for overseeing the entire construction and project management division with its 60 employees, but for her efforts that go beyond.

Of significance is her creation of the mentorship program for DAY CPM. Henry Alaman, Senior Vice President notes,

“Through this mentorship program, she has come to understand each employee’s responsibilities within the division, their strengths and weaknesses, where the employee can execute their strengths to their advantage, and how all employees can simultaneously work together. Her knowledge has been invaluable for our implementation of better practices as a division.”

Sarah recognizes and empowers all staff to share their expertise with others through training and peer development.

Combining her skills at identifying and pushing forward best management practices to lead the work of her division, with her unfailing support of her colleagues made Sarah an obvious choice to her nominators who included Henry Alaman, Shawn Klinker, Healthcare Market Sector Leader, and Jon Nyone, International Market Sector Leader for DAY CPM.

Sarah will be honored at the virtual Phenoms & Icons Award Event to be held on Thursday, December 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Cathy Kraus Leads Teams To Deliver Award-Winning Projects

Every construction project starts with a concept, moves into a plan, and eventually comes to life. To best orchestrate the shifts from idea to construction to operable building requires a highly collaborative team that truly wants to serve the project, each other, and the client. Successful teams rely on leaders who create a safe environment where members can safely share their ideas, questions, and challenges and work together to deliver award-winning projects.

For the past four years, Otak and DAY CPM have relied on Cathy Kraus, project manager and owner’s representative, to build and lead projects and teams that ensure client wishes are met, or often exceeded, and projects come together flawlessly. “Cathy is one of the most remarkable listeners I know. She takes in everything said and unsaid with a sincere interest and intentionality that leaves others feeling truly heard, which is invaluable in building client and team relationships,” said Sarah Oaks, operations manager at DAY CPM.

While she is a licensed architect and started her career in that realm, Cathy later turned to project management and found her niche. “I love architecture because it allows for the creation of spaces and utilizes an intriguing mixture of art and science. And I found I have a greater opportunity to positively impact projects when I work closely with the owner. I love supporting the design team’s vision and being an advocate for both the project and for the owner,” Cathy explained.

Her skills have been utilized over the past few years on a series of expansion projects for the Vancouver Clinic, completing Ridgefield and Camas, and beginning work on Salmon Creek. Cathy and her project team brought in the Camas clinic, under budget, and more than five weeks ahead of schedule.

A highlight of her experiences with the clinic projects was witnessing the LEAN Integrated Design Events with Vancouver Clinic, ZGF Architects, and Andersen Construction. A facilitator brought together all the clinical staff and project principals to identify the daily workflows and the means to make movement, and therefore each job, more efficient. Participants were given a ball of yarn to “record” their steps across their routine services for an ambulatory surgical center. The yarn was measured to see how far everyone walked and where workflows could be made more efficient and time and steps could be shaved off. Armed with this information, the design team adjusted department layouts and constructed mockups that everyone could experience and suggest further changes to improve patient care and bring more cost efficiencies to the clinic.

The Vancouver Clinic’s commitment to this early planning process and a talented design-build team has resulted in recognition for both of Vancouver Clinic’s newest Ridgefield and Camas clinics, which have both received Vancouver Business Journal’s “Top Project” awards (2019 and 2020, respectively). Additionally, the Ridgefield clinic is a DJC “Top Project” award finalist for 2019.

Cathy is quick to say that successes are truly team efforts and the real winner is the client and the communities these new clinics will serve. She also believes that by effectively serving the client, the team, and the overall project, she automatically serves Otak, helping the firm to grow and prosper. Otak is fortunate that she relishes her role in each part.

DAY CPM Hired As Owner’s Representative for Multiple School District Projects

DAY CPM, a division of Otak, has established an ongoing working relationship with school districts throughout Oregon and a strong track record of completed projects for K-12 schools. The past two years, in particular, have included a number of schools projects of note including:

The Judson Middle School remodel and expansion for the Salem Keizer School District
Construction of a new Seaside High and Middle School, renovations and seismic upgrades to Seaside Elementary School.
Nestucca Valley School District K-8 conversion
Renovations and safety improvements for the eight schools in the Central Point School District
Technology, seismic, security and safety upgrades, repairs, and expansions throughout the Tigard-Tualatin School District
Conversions, renovations, expansions, and new construction within the North Clackamas School District

These projects are in large part due to the passage of various bond measures within the districts in 2016, 2018, and 2019. DAY CPM, acting as the owner’s representative on behalf of the respective districts is helping to guide these projects through to successful completion. While some projects will be ongoing, others are on track to be completed ahead of schedule this year, or in early 2021. The Nestucca Valley School District project, for example, was started in June of 2019 and, despite COVID challenges, is 4.5 months ahead of the original project schedule, according to senior project manager, Brian Hardebeck.

DAY CPM’s experience with coastal projects has been another key factor in their work with the Seaside School District, which is committed to the safety of school children and moving the schools out of the Tsunami zone. Jim Henry, senior project manager, has been actively involved in various projects for the district, drawing on the DAY CPM team’s experience in wetland mitigation and working with the Army Corp of Engineers and Oregon Division of State Lands Cooperative. “One of the advantages of being a multidisciplinary firm is the breadth of knowledge and expertise we can offer to help guide projects through well-informed decision making,” Jim asserts.

The firm has also provided project management and owner’s representative services on several campus projects for some of Oregon’s colleges and universities including Portland Community College, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Oregon Coast Community College. Henry Alaman, Sr. VP at DAY CPM states, “we are proud to partner with our clients in support of projects that serve our community.”

OAME Honors Otak and DAY CPM With Construction Company Award of the Year

The Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs (OAME) has selected DAY CPM, a division of Otak, as Construction Company of the Year. This award recognizes the commitment and advancement Day CPM and Otak have achieved in providing meaningful opportunities to minority, women, POC, and MWESBSDV, businesses, and employees. DAY CPM’s strong partnership with OAME to achieve its mission to promote and develop entrepreneurship and economic development for ethnic minorities in Oregon and SW Washington is another factor that stood out in an industry of committed peers.

Formed in 1987, OAME is a non-profit, tax-exempt, organization whose 850 members include entrepreneurs, public agencies, large businesses, and partner non-profits. The organization provides free technical assistance and business counseling and has the overarching goal of eliminating discrimination and racism under its motto “Everybody’s In, Nobody’s Out.”

DAY CPM has long recognized that construction is a sector ripe with opportunity for minorities and women to grow into industry leaders. Otak has always been driven to create inclusive communities in the projects it undertakes and is proud to be recognized for creating a business community that is also inclusive. We show the values we hold in our own workplace are the same as those we take to our work.

The award was presented during OAME’s 32nd Annual Conference, entitled “Diversity is Practiced” held virtually on Thursday, October 8.

Creekside Community High School

A school bond program for Tigard-Tualatin School District created the opportunity to make improvement to its facilities, including a new addition to Creekside Community High School. A projected surplus in annual energy savings of $13,000 is anticipated to offset the expanded use of the existing buildings onsite.

Leveraging a School Bond for a Unique, Net Zero K-12 Building

Formerly the Durham Education Center, the updates offer a central commons and cafeteria with a kitchen accessible to instructional programs. A new centralized main office with breakout rooms for collaboration between students and staff, outdoor recreation space, science classroom, and maker space to enhance the STEM program. One of the most unique aspects of the building’s design is that it has been developed to be one of the first fully Net Zero K-12 education buildings in the state. Students will have an opportunity to learn from the building as a teaching tool and participate in maximizing the building’s performance with access to metrics through an “energy dashboard” and weather station in the school’s commons.

Vancouver Clinic

With over 121,000 square-feet added across a three-site expansion, the Vancouver Clinic would grow its ability to provide healthcare services for communities across Southwest Washington. Close coordination with city and agency stakeholders helped navigate complex site challenges and a compressed schedule to completion ahead of schedule and under budget. As owner’s representative, Otak managed project delivery in the development of the new multi-specialty medical facilities.

Managing An Integrated Design Approach to Deliver a Multi-Site Healthcare Facility Expansion

Utilizing a Lean Integrated Design / Design Build approach, the Vancouver Clinic expansion designed all three facilities concurrently. The design processes were augmented by full-scale mock-ups to confirm functionality while leveraging the experiences of clinical staff and medical consultants to prioritize patient care with optimal clinic workflows. An established governance process including the Vancouver Clinic’s executive sponsorship team and two physician board structures led to efficient approvals while maintaining a high degree of integration with Vancouver Clinic operational leadership. In providing a full scope of owner’s representation across each expansion, the Otak team managed planning and design, medical equipment coordination, construction management, as well as move in and close out. For the Salmon Creek expansion, the team guided the project through various jurisdictional approval processes, including a full Certificate of Need application in Washington state. After a change in financing brought on by the pandemic, the team’s role shifted to become a strategic advisor through the completion of construction. This effort helped the client convert the project from an owner financed and constructed project to a turn-key build-to-suit with Pacific Medical Buildings, retaining all original design-build team members.

APWA Names Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex Project of the Year

The Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex (RORC), an ambitious 53-acre outdoor facility for sports, recreation, and education has received the APWA-Washington Chapter Project of the Year Award. Hired as the Construction Manager and Owner’s Rep for the City of Ridgefield and the Ridgefield School District, Otak guided the $22M project to successful completion in the Spring of 2019.

Jointly owned by the City and the School District, the RORC was built in conjunction with a new Intermediate and Middle School campus. The partnership between the city and the school district offered a tremendous opportunity for the community to develop a new recreation complex while also saving millions of dollars on land acquisition, road improvements, and recreational and community space infrastructure.

The RORC features an innovative two-floor Community Building with concessions, kitchen, and meeting facilities; six multipurpose sports fields; a playground and trails; and a large plaza with connections for food and concessions carts and trucks. The RORC project is the first installation of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) in Clark County. From supporting beams to the roof structure itself, the Community Building is an architect’s and structural engineer’s dream, showcasing the strength, durability, and architectural look and feel of CLT from both inside and outside of the Community Building.

Continuous and comprehensive communication and cooperation were key to completing the project. In addition to the complex design, concurrent construction, utility projects, frontage improvements, site work, and community-building efforts, all required continuous coordination between a multitude of contractors, community schedules, and events—over the past two years the site hosted the annual Ridgefield Oktoberfest and Experience Ridgefield, together, attracting as many as 10,000 visitors! The complex is also home to the Ridgefield Raptors, a West Coast League baseball team. During construction, project partners decided they wanted to add something else to set the RORC apart from others: a rollup door on the second floor overlooking Field 1, so Raptor fans would be able to “hear the crack of the bat” during baseball games.

Consideration was also given to protecting and preserving the surrounding natural wetlands. Measures were taken to protect the environment, as well as private property, property access, and utility service. As the construction manager and owner’s rep, Otak’s team was in continuous contact with utilities, contractors, and property owners when sensitive and potentially disruptive construction phases were underway, including utility cutovers, paving, and restoration.

Under the leadership of Tim Leavitt, PE, CESCL; and Chuck Green, PE, Otak guided the project through to completion on time and on budget providing construction engineering expertise, as well as construction management, inspections, and design review and support. Additional Otak team members included Mike Hale, Nick Redinger, Kyle Farnsworth, and Robert Dethlefs, PE.

Projects like the Ridgefield Complex are not only representative of Otak’s expertise in multi-disciplinary work, but also represent the community and environmental stewardship that have become Otak hallmarks. The RORC is a prime example of a project that promotes outdoor recreation, community cohesion through events, healthier lifestyles, and improved quality of life.

To read more about this project, click here.

Photos Courtesy: Jason Rayne, Rayne Studios

Building Renovation Will Help DAS Achieve “One State” Vision

In January 2019 the Oregeon Department of Administrative Services (DAS) became aware of a building for sale along the I-5 corridor in Wilsonville that has turned out to be an ideal location and size for the DAS to achieve their vision of bringing multiple state agencies under one roof. Working through existing State contracts, SERA was hired to perform a due diligence study and subsequently building opportunity studies for various tenants. After the purchase of the building, Otak/DAY CPM was brought in as the Owner’s Representative and SERA has been retained to continue design based on the earlier studies.

The 175,000 SF building housed a Microsoft manufacturing facility with an office/warehouse that sat on a 425,146 SF (9.76 acres) lot in a Planned Development Industrial Zone. After performing a due diligence study and building utilization exercise the state purchased the building in December of 2019 with the support of the Legislature and the Capital Projects Advisory Board.

Since the purchase, the state, working with Otak/DAY CPM and SERA has been focusing on establishing a holistic “One State” vision for the building that would be a collaboration between state agencies that perform regulation and inspection functions and reduce the amount spent on maintenance requirements in having offices housed in several buildings in and around Portland.

The project mission driving the design is to: “Enhance the DAS property portfolio with the adaptive reuse of space for the State’s tenants in a “One State” collaborative environment using sustainable construction and operations techniques including provisions to support critical services response”. The intent is to create synergies between tenant needs and shared resources such as laboratories, security systems, and electrical facilities.

Tenants and activities to be included are the:

Department of Agriculture for testing animal and plant health including entomology, metrology, and other regulatory services provided by the agency.
OSHA
Department of Administrative Services Operations and Maintenance
Flexible space for Emergency Response.
Oregon State Police for long term evidence storage

While early design plans were being formatted, the arrival of COVID gave the building a new temporary function which supported the business case for the building purchase. The facility was converted into a home for Emergency Response Teams and included office space for 400 temporary employees in a call center. Accommodating emergency response efforts and providing temporary workspace is a function that the building will be able to provide in the future as well. This use and the corresponding response is one example of the flexibility that this building/project will provide DAS.

Ogden Middle School Renovation in Oregon City, Oregon

While the return of students to classrooms across the country this fall is in a state of flux due to the pandemic and COVID19, school districts across the region have been moving forward with construction and renovation projects supported by voter-approved bonds. One such project in Oregon City is the Ogden Middle School remodel and expansion which broke ground in March and is slated to be completed in time for the 2021/2022 school year.

Otak has been the owner’s representative for the Oregon City School District, providing bond oversight and guiding the 34 million dollar renovation of Ogden Middle School. Stephen Wasserberger, bond manager and senior project manager, and Tracy Goodman, PM CM, have been working with district leaders, including Superintendent Larry Didway, project architects and general contractors since early 2019 to ensure the newly envisioned middle schools will satisfy the vision set forth by the district and the community.

The passage of the bond at the end of 2018 “presented a generational opportunity for the district to invest in the future and to reimagine the way middle school students are taught,” Stephen stated, adding that “it has been exciting to be a part of such a significant project in our community.” The DAY CPM team is providing budget oversight, managing the scope of the project and the schedule, acting as a liaison between the design team and the owner, and orchestrating the complex logistics inherent with moving classrooms. They have been involved every step of the way, initially advising the district with pre-bond services to both meet the vision and allow for contingencies.

During the design phase, in January of 2019, Stephen and Tracy, along with the team of designers, Superintendent Didway, and other school officials and teachers visited six schools in San Diego. The targeted schools are on the cutting edge of public education and are setting the example for the rest of the country with their successful implementation of design-thinking method, which is student-centered, project-based learning. The new Ogden Middle School design will incorporate much of what these leading schools have set as the new standard and it will become an example for other schools in the region to follow.

Oregon City Middle School students also participated in the design phase and were able to share their own needs and goals, as well as their anxieties and concerns. “Involving the kids was a crucial decision and instrumental to the overall design,” Stephen said. For example, “we learned how important a connection to the outside and nature is to their positive school experience.” The newly renovated school will include ample natural light and connections to the outdoors.

The bond project includes two middle schools. In addition to the remodel of Ogden Middle School, the project is replacing Gardiner Middle School with a new state of the art 78 million dollar facility. Originally the two projects were going to be staggered, but to keep costs down, minimize disruption to the teachers and students, and better meets the goals of the District, the two projects have moved forward in tandem. This work is also focused on move-management – taking everything out of the classrooms to a staging area in the gym, then moving everything into modular units, and finally back to the new classrooms.

The owner’s representative team is also overseeing the procurement of all the furniture, fixtures and equipment for both schools, based on the architect’s specs and a “furniture fair” the team held to get feedback from teachers and students. As Stephen points out, “the district is really making an effort to support the teachers and help them be successful in the new schools.” To that end, a life-size, 3-D mock-up of a learning neighborhood was built in the old high school gym. The furniture fair was held in the model neighborhood, where teachers and students were able to try out the furniture and also become more accustomed to the new classroom setting.

Both schools are projected to be completed in time for the fall of 2021, and teachers will be able to move into their new classrooms in August 2021. They will have a full month to get set-up, acclimate to the new space, and learn how to function and teach in the new classrooms.

Renderings courtesy BRIC Architecture

Oregon City School District

An Oregon City School District $158 million school bond aims to improve schools in 3 key areas by reducing overcrowding, enhancing learning spaces, and improving safety. Together, the projects provide the opportunity to change curriculum by designing schools for a new cutting-edge way of teaching that enhances student-centered and project-based learning.

Prioritizing School Improvements Through Bond Management

Management of the school bond allowed the district address priorities. Those aimed to reduce overcrowding by replacing Gardiner Middle School and enhancing learning spaces with an extensive remodel of Ogden Middle School improving safety and security throughout the district, and updating school facilities by replacing HVAC systems, plumbing, roofs and electrical systems, and by installing LED lighting. Services also include lighting and energy upgrades through the Energy Trust of Oregon and SB1149 grants. As owner’s representative, Otak is provided services to the Oregon City School District as the Bond Manager for the Bond Program.