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Comprehensive Seismic & Life Safety Renovations to the Basement, Federal Building
Los Angeles, Calif.
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for this $19.3M project that called for comprehensive seismic and life safety renovations of over 300,000 square feet in the basement of the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, Calif. The contract includes complete abatement of all hazardous materials, seismic strengthening and modernization with major structural steel components, all new HVAC ductwork, fire sprinklers, new lighting and fire alarm upgrades. This public building remained occupied and operational during the entire construction period. Stronghold coordinated work with the owner to ensure the safety of construction personnel, users and the public.
Stronghold self-performed approximately 35% of the work for this project, including project management, electrical and concrete work. LEED/sustainable design features incorporated into this project include energy-efficient lighting, plumbing and mechanical equipment. Antiterrorism force protection features incorporated into this project include seismic and structural upgrades to augment and enhance the building’s ability to support the eight aboveground floors.
This logistically challenging project has required extensive planning due to limited access to the basement for deliveries of supplies, materials, equipment and personal. All deliveries needed to be coordinated and scheduled well in advance so appropriate security background checks could be performed.
Construction activities required advance planning in creating a plan for construction, large structural steel members, some weighing as much as 10,000 lbs, needed to be moved in to the building and installed with very restricted access, and additional demo of walls was required for easier access. Original plans called for existing HVAC ductwork to be removed and replaced upon removal of ceilings. It was determined that 70% more ductwork existed than what was shown on the drawings and it was also shown as aluminum instead of steel. SEI was able to propose deletion or change of scope of some of the other features of work which allowed for the existing ductwork system to be removed and replaced with a current steel duct work system, saving both dollars and mitigating schedule slippage.
"From the get-go, you and your team have partnered with us on this technically and logistically challenging program and carried out construction in a fully-occupied and one of the largest hazardous abatement and life safety renovation projects in Southern California.” – Patricia Chang-Lynn, AIA Branch Chief/Project Executive
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Comprehensive Seismic & Life Safety Renovations, Floors 1-8, Federal Building
Los Angeles, Calif.
Stronghold Engineering serves as the Prime Contractor on this $52M contract that includes upgrading of life safety systems, seismic strengthening and modernization of nearly 1,000,000 of space. This challenging project calls for government tenants to remain in the building as work is phased and completed. Swing space was developed to move occupants. Due to tight budgetary restraints, Stronghold has partnered with the government through hundreds of thousands of dollars of unforeseen issues with essentially no cost and time impact. Indeed, tenant requirements have transformed this Project from a design-bid-build to a design bid assist to greatly limit scope and cost growth, and maintain the approved baseline schedule. SEI manages the Project with 10 members of the Project Team, whom are responsible for interfacing with more than 10 design professionals, the GSA, building tenants, and more than 150 craftsmen on site for Stronghold’s own forces and that of its subcontractors. Currently, the Project is tracking for an earlier than anticipated completion.
This project has had an outstanding record of zero lost time incidents.
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Seismic Retrofit, Historic Renovation and Remodel Project, San Bernardino County Central Courthouse
San Bernardino, Calif.
Stronghold Engineering is serving as the prime contractor on this $22.8M project which calls for the seismic retrofit, partial interior remodel and historic renovation of the existing County Courthouse Facility, San Bernardino, Calif., which is an occupied building. This project includes security monitoring systems, an telecommunications. he scope of work includes seismic upgrades to the Central Courthouse Building and Annex Building (T-Wing), interior remodeling to portions of the Central Courthouse Building and mechanical system improvements which include the replacement of the chiller and air handling equipment, rerouting or replacement of portions of the ductwork in both the Central Courthouse Building and the T-Wing Annex. Work also includes replacement of all existing plumbing systems and most of the existing plumbing fixtures in the Central Courthouse Building, historic renovation including refurbishment of three historic court rooms, main corridors and exterior surfaces of the Central Courthouse Building and general building renovations which involve painting and carpeting in most areas of the Central Courthouse Building. There have been zero lost time incidents and zero safety violations.
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Shopping Center
LAAFB, El Segundo, Calif.
The shopping center project was a $9.7M contract that called for replacement of an outdated shopping facility. The scope of work included removal of hazardous materials; underground site utilities; concrete footings and panels; structural steel; and cabinetry, doors and hardware, flooring and painting. Areas constructed included a food court, retail mall and Material Processing Area. This project has enriched the lives of base personnel and their families by providing a contemporary, conveniently-located retail shopping experience.
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New Dorm Replacement, Chinle Boarding School
Phoenix, Ariz.
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for the $6.2M Chinle Boarding School new construction project, remotely located in a controlled-access Native American reservation located at Many Farms, Ariz. The 33,000 sq. ft. project created two new three-story dormitories with 26 separate rooms (52 rooms total with semi-private and private bathrooms), parking lots, recreational areas and basketball courts. Community and service cores included administrative, office, media center, billiard room, and lounge areas.
During construction, the customer initiated modifications that were not in the original scope of work, such as rerouting of the existing 6' water line, the addition of a radon barrier, and reworking of the primary underground feeder cables to a new transformer. Stronghold responded by adjusting the schedule to accommodate the new work items. No corrective actions were required.
Stronghold surmounted the challenges of extreme weather conditions throughout the project, including exceptionally high winds and cold temperatures. To overcome difficulties of working in high wind conditions, Stronghold started roofing work early in the morning to complete the necessary tasks before the winds picked up in the afternoons. Stronghold worked through extreme winter conditions of daytime temperature lows averaging 20°F, and often reaching temperatures below 20°. Special precautions were taken while heating concrete and mortar during the winter months. There was no delay in the project's completion time due to weather conditions.
"Due to the remote location of the project ... it was difficult for the trades to find local labor and receive materials in a timely manner. Stronghold Engineering did a very reasonable job handling this handicap." - Arthur E. Stoddard, Contracting Officer's Representative
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Temporary Living Facilities
Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for the $1.4M Temporary Living Facilities design build project, located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The 18,200 sq. ft. project required design development and complete interior reconfiguration of a 50 year old facility. This project was the first at Vandenberg Air Force Base to include LEED criteria and energy-efficient design; LEED-certified Bronze rating was accomplished through careful planning and discussion to determine acceptable green building goals and standards.
The project created 13 1,400 sq. ft., three-bedroom, two-bath units with a living/dining area and kitchen, for use by military personnel for up to 30 days of lodging. Renovated community and service core areas included laundry and storage facilities.
Scope of work included site design, preparation and LEED building design; mold and asbestos abatement; demolition and replacement of parking and common areas; communication lines, transformer installation, fire alarm system and mechanical and electrical repairs; common area barbeque and recreational courtyard; low water usage landscaping; wood fences and gates; structural modifications; plumbing, lighting, carpentry and casework; all fixtures and interior finishes; and installation of indoor and outdoor appliances.
Energy efficient features included thermal insulation walls and ceilings, ceiling fans, Energy Star-rated appliances, Low E windows and window sunscreens.
LEED/sustainable features included CAT5 cable, improved indoor air quality, recycling and waste management, repurposed/recycled tile and non-disruption of surrounding areas. Special considerations included procurement of building materials containing recycled content, regionally manufactured products, low-emitting materials and energy-saving measures that promote the goals of sustainable design.
Due to circumstances unrelated to the project, the original construction performance period was accelerated by 23%. The project received an Outstanding Performance Evaluation for attention to detail, partnering approach and excellent quality and safety management.
"Due to the user need requirements, contractor completed the project two months early. Contractor excelled managing a very aggressive schedule and all subcontractor issues were handled in a similar manner. Home office support for the field was outstanding, supporting the field in a timely resolution of issues was supported at the highest levels of the company. This was an excellent contract/contractor." -Harold V. Hartman, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
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Expand GI Department, VA Medical Center
Loma Linda, Calif.
Stronghold served as the prime contractor for this contract which called for an expansion of the GI Department at the VA Medical Center, Loma Linda, Calif. All areas were renovated to bring life safety and fire alarm systems to current code standards. Few to no staging areas were available, which required effective logistical project management skills. The majority of this work was completed in occupied spaces while the facility remained in use, and in heavy patient/staff traffic areas.
Stronghold managed the entire design build process, which required excellent communication between all parties to ensure that customer needs were met. In many cases, multiple parties such as doctors, administrators and hospital staff were involved in the day to day design decisions; as a result, customer initiated changes occurred during construction. This required Stronghold to manage the redesign process while still meeting deadlines.
Working closely with the customer, Stronghold developed construction schedules that minimized disruption and impact to the working facility, while allowing adequate time to complete all phases of work with the highest quality standard. Careful and constant communications enabled each phase of the project to run smoothly, and made sure that all stakeholders' needs were met and that minimal disruption occurred to users and patients.
"I commend your OUTSTANDING performance and 'Can-Do-Attitude.'" - Leonard A. Jimenez, Project Engineer-COTR, VA Loma Linda Healthcare System
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Law Enforcement Hub
Toronto, Canada
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for this $2M project that called for development of commercially-leased office space for a law enforcement hub in Toronto, Canada. The contract called for creating the following areas: public access, controlled and non-controlled access areas, common use and general circulation areas, as well as technical support rooms, including an interface closet and PBX telephone exchange room.
The scope of work included: acoustical ceilings, building insulation, casework, rough carpentry, drywall, gypsum board and metal studs; fiber optic cable and conduit; data, communications and CCTV; HVAC, electrical rough and finish, junction boxes and terminal cabinets; demolition; fire alarm and sprinkler systems installation and additions to meet attenuation requirements; doors, frames & hardware; miscellaneous metals; duct silencers to meet OBO requirements; painting and flooring; electrical conduit, boxes and fittings for alarm panels; and Panduit raceway to allow electrical connection of modular furniture.
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Newly-Acquired Building
Bridgetown, Barbados
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. served as the prime contractor for this $6M project that called for material procurement and construction services for the U.S. Chancery's 3.2-acre, 84,000-sq. ft. Newly Acquired Building (NAB) and compound in Bridgetown, Barbados.
*Stronghold self-performed 70% of the work for this project, all trades except HVAC and plumbing. Stronghold also acted as procurement agent for other onsite contractors.
The focus of this project was installation of Antiterrorism Force Protection features, which included Forced Entry and Ballistic Resistant cladding; firestopping systems; special doors, windows and hardware; and special sound enclosures. LEED/sustainable design features incorporated into this project included energy-efficient fixtures and lights.
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