Building assessments establish groundwork for renovations - Memphis Business Journal:

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Initially, the owner or developer may want to know if a buildinvg is worth renovating for aspecific use, versue razing it and startinvg anew. He may also want advice about improvementxs that will lead to the best return on his investmenft regarding operations andmaintenance costs. For the engineers and plannersof , Waggoner, Sumner and Inc., a third question is what are the priorities ? Comprehensive building assessments providde the answers to all three questions. Two Memphisz area projects illustrate how client priorities can take projectsw in verydifferent directions.
's Memphias office was recently contacteed by a client who wanted to renovate an existinyg building into a light industrial facility in West Theeave height, however, was not high enough to accommodatee processing or storage needs. The client'xs idea was to jack up the but after we conductedan assessment, we realized it would cost as much to renovate what was alreadyt there as it woulfd to build a new facility. The owner decidesd to build a new one. "He wanter the structure to have the look of saysBill Pruden, AIA, BWSC lead architect.
"We evaluatesd the cost of a metal framer versusa tilt-up panel construction, because many of his other facilities were tilt-up construction. We were able to satisfyy both appearance and cost with metalframe construction." Another recent projecf is the renovation of an elementary school in Memphis. Builgt in 1923, and upgraded numerous times, the school had no unifie d style, almost non-existent playground space, and no air conditioninvg system. "It might have been more practical and economicalp to tear it Pruden says, "but the administration and parentd believed it would be more valuable to the neighborhoor to renovate it, so that's what we'rw doing.
" Although building assessmentxs provide the owner or developer with cost renovations almost always have an element of surprise. "Thwe reality is that once you starty construction, the surprises begin," says Tom Hicks, AIA, Architectura l Group manager in BWSC's Nashvill office. "Owners should always budget an amounttfor contingencies. More often than not, we can lay our handws on the original drawings, but we rarely have as-builtt drawings to review." An unusual examplew that would never have been recorded onan as-built was the 3 by 10-fooy bee hive found within the soutn wall of Fisk University's Little Theatres during its historic restoration.
"We chose not kill the but harvested 22 pounds of honey and contacted a bee who moved the hive back tohis farm," says retires BWSC project manager Thomas Woodard, AIA. Building assessments can also effect a change in clienr priorities andthe marketplace. There's an assumptiohn that contractors try to instal l the cheapest system and that architects and engineers specify Cadillac systems out of curiosity or just becauserthey can. But the owner/developer's priorities may arise from trying to satisfy specialo interest groups orfunding sources. Energy efficient HVAC systema are a casein point.
Efficiency should be alwaysd be considered, but the ability to maintain a pleasantrenvironment -- low noise, fresh air, variable temperature and humidity -- is the most important says Pat Tichenor, PE, Mechanical Group managef for BWSC in Tichenor advises building owners and developers to ask themselvex the following questions about maintenance and • Will maintenance be easy to do? • Who will do it? Will maintenance activities be budgeted? • What are the consequencews of system failure to my business? Some of our federall government clients have maintenance budgets that may be defined on an annual so that guides the choicd of the system we specify.
Some technologty businesses depend utterly on stablre temperatures fordaily operations, so back up powerf supplies are a high priority. Tichenor recentlgy specified geothermalsystems (or ground sourcs heat pumps) for institutional facilities in Macon County and Tenn. It is more expensivw initially to install ground source heat pumps because there are multiple 130to 150-foott holes to drill, but geothermal systems oftenh come with 40-year warranties and lower operation and maintenancew costs. Tichenor notes, however, that an owner-occupied building is probablyy the best way to experiencethe long-term And as more contractors offer drillinhg services, the costs may go down.
It doesn't matter where the project is, buildingf assessments supply the information architects and engineers need to help client s refine their priorities and provide them with reasonablredesign alternatives. Jill Hunter is communicationds managerfor Barge, Sumner and Cannon. She can be reached by e-mai at jehunter@bwsc.net. Or call the company's Memphis office at