Preconstruction

Proactive Approach to Value Management

Redeveloping a Historic Building

Sachse Construction works hand-in-hand with clients, architects, designers, and engineers to provide value management for various projects. The team achieves this level of partnership by reviewing all drawings and specifications to improve efficiency and constructability as well as maintaining an active engagement with all members of the preconstruction team, including the architect and key trade partners, for large and major building systems scopes.

Sachse Construction was hired to convert the former Detroit Fire Department headquarters into a 100-key boutique hotel known as the Detroit Foundation Hotel. Through innovative techniques during the preconstruction phase, Sachse Construction was able to save the client $2.1 million.

Staircase Demolition

Several small-scale selective demolitions and exploratory evaluations assisted the design team in value engineering certain aspects of the project.

Joist Repair Demolition

Several small-scale selective demolitions and exploratory evaluations assisted the design team in value engineering certain aspects of the project.

Elevator Demolition

Several small-scale selective demolitions and exploratory evaluations assisted the design team in value engineering certain aspects of the project.

Wall Repair Demolition

Several small-scale selective demolitions and exploratory evaluations assisted the design team in value engineering certain aspects of the project.

The project team performed several small-scale selective demolitions and exploratory evaluations that assisted the design team in value engineering certain aspects of the project. The mechanical shafts were just one element that received value engineering throughout the project.

Initially, the new building design included 68 mechanical shafts in bathrooms for plumbing risers, serving fixtures, and mechanical equipment. This required structural steel, fireproofing, concrete saw-cutting and removal, and shaft-wall assemblies to create the openings. Sachse Construction proposed removing the shafts by utilizing concrete cores through the concrete slab for the transfer of piping. The team utilized offset toilets to avoid beams in 7 of 100 locations.

With this approach, the design team was able to eliminate steel, fireproofing, shaft-wall, and concrete cutting and removal for an approximate savings of $351,000. Upon completion, the bathrooms and mechanical operations looked and performed the same as they were initially designed.

Other areas that received value management include but are not limited to:

• Structural steel and cold form framing
• Drywall partition executed with standard one-hour assembly
• Elevators: move exhaust fan, eliminate steel, and eliminate rear doors
• HVAC system revision: heat pump used in place of a four-pipe system