Post-hurricane destruction demands complex renovations and extensive collaboration.
Four years after the destructive forces of Hurricane Katrina left the Hyatt Regency New Orleans in tatters, DonahueFavret/ Welbro was hired to provide pre-construction and Construction Services to transform and redevelop the facility to a level far past its former glory. DonahueFavret/Welbro, a 50/50 partnership, was up to the challenge of this $116.8m, 14-month transformation. During production of the construction documents, as our partner and all members of the design team were from out of state, DonahueFavret was relied upon heavily to perform extensive pre-construction investigative services to establish the current condition of the facility. Exterior windows had been replaced in the months after Katrina, and fan coil units in the rooms were replaced as the building was being evaluated. The 28-story, 1.4 million square foot building was badly damaged in most places, and conditions varied greatly from floor to floor. We planned and executed an exhaustive evaluation of every space within the facility noting not just what was visually obvious, but also what was hidden behind walls and above ceilings, and what would and wouldn’t work with the current design intent, thus eliminating for our Owner a huge number of costly and time consuming conflicts in the Architectural and Interior Design documents. We also worked alongside selected subcontractors to evaluate the Plumbing, HVAC, and Electrical systems within the facility. These valuable activities served to streamline completion of the MEP documents and again eliminate a vast number of costly and time consuming conflicts.
Square Footage
1,200,000
Completion
14 months (2011)
Owner
PDSI Inc.
Architect
Project Location
New Orleans, LA
Preconstruction Precision Powers Fast-Tracked Delivery Amid Complex Challenges
Preconstruction efforts were paramount to the success of this project and ensured that our team was able to meet the aggressive 14-month schedule. Our team’s knowledge and expertise during preconstruction ensured that pedestrian access from the Entergy building to the 1100 Poydras building remained safe and uninterrupted throughout construction. Given the previous damage from Hurricane Katrina, a significant effort also went toward the building’s exterior envelope. Our team had to address moisture damage, assess the building’s structural integrity, and determine what material would be replaced or preserved. To that end, long lead time items were identified and ordered to keep the project on schedule. As the project moved forward into construction, additional scope items and unforeseen challenges would arise. Because of our team’s commitment to maintaining a smooth flow of operations, these challenges would be successfully overcome.
Efficient scheduling & agile adaptation
To meet an aggressive 14-month schedule, construction began simultaneously across the entire 1.2 million-square-foot facility, with crews working 24/7 to replace or modernize major electrical, life safety, conveying, and mechanical systems. Early procurement of critical electrical gear within four weeks of Notice to Proceed proved pivotal, while the team also absorbed significant added scope without requesting additional time. This included fast-tracking the renovation of a 32nd-floor restaurant into the Regency Club and Fitness Center late in the project. Sequencing work from the top down in the Guest Tower
