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Historic Design Build Renovation

Out with the old; in with the new. That was the overall project description for the design/build contract completed by Dynaletric for Federated Department Stores in downtown Columbus.

Portions of the old Lazarus building, which is owned by Federated, were renovated to house the new Lazarus Government Center. The refurbished 10-story office tower includes space for a host of business tenants, in addition to the original ground-level retail area. General contractor, Turner Construction, selected Dynaletric for the electrical design/build portion of the renovation project, as well as some of the data wiring.

"Dynalectric was responsible for 210,000 square feet of space, which included all common areas of the office tower and tenant improvements for the Ohio EPA offices," explained Tom Kessler, vice president of Dynalectric. "We managed every aspect of the project, from design through construction, with an aggressive project schedule," Kessler said. Dynalectric’s project work started with preliminary concept ideas, moved on to design narratives, then progressed to final production.

The scope of the electrical work was sizeable. Dynalectric wired the primary service entrance, four elevators, power distribution center, lighting branch circuits, fire alarm system, card access system, lighting control system, all raceways for tel-data lines for telephones and computers, and the power distribution center for HVAC equipment.

The electrical contract was a negotiated design/build project, as opposed to being awarded through a competitive bidding process. "Our experience with Dynalectric is what earned them the job," said Dick Shaw, Turner Construction project manager. "We have a long-standing relationship with Dynalectric, which is supported by our track record of successfully completing challenging projects together."

The Lazarus project posed specific electrical challenges, including those associated with the age of the building, and the fact that the structure was occupied while work was in progress. Further, there were no drawings available to map out the current or subsequent electrical networks. "The building is a 90-year-old structure, which had all of the old wiring still in place," noted Shaw. "It was a major challenge just to identify active circuits," he said. "In some cases, you literally had to follow a wire around to find where it was connected."

Before the new electrical networks could be installed, all old wiring had to be removed. Most of that electrical tear-out and installation work took place on the fifth and sixth floors. "As we worked upstairs, we had to take care not to interrupt the building’s main power sources, because the Lazarus department store was open for business on the lower levels," Shaw added.

To service the new office tower, four elevators were added to the existing building. "It was a major undertaking, cutting elevator shafts from floor to ceiling in a 10-story building," Shaw remarked. Dynalectric installed the wiring systems for these elevators, as well as a 500 kW emergency generator to support the complex.

For the Ohio EPA office space, Dynalectric designed and wired a computer control room to service the 200,000+ square foot office area. "Dynalectric did a great job on the computer room," said Bonnie Crockett, chief of operations for the Ohio EPA. "They really created a wonderful, high-tech environment. The people who work in the area are very pleased." Along with the computer room, Dynalectric wired 735 existing computer workstations, as well as vacant office spaces. That portion of the job also included installing switch gear and tying the new lines into the primary voltage substation.

"Dynalectric helped create a fabulous space in this building. The finished look is amazing," noted Crockett. "It was like moving this space from the Dark Ages, into the 21st century."

Dynalectric completed its portion of the complex contract in six months, beginning in May, and ending in November 1998. Dynalectric’s contribution to the success of the project earned it special recognition: Dynalectric was awarded Turner Construction’s "Sub Contractor of the Year Award" for 1998. "This project was not cut and dry. There were a lot of uncertainties in that old building," said Shaw. "Dynalectric really performed well for us and completed the electrical work on time and on budget," Shaw concluded.

"This design/build project was a defining job for us," said Dynalectric president, Gene Belew. "Not only was it a large contract in terms of the actual wiring, but it had a few extra challenges that were directly related to the structure and function of the building," he added. "That first-hand experience has helped us broaden our expertise in the field."

Dynalectric vice president, Tom Kessler, receives Turner Construction Company’s "Sub Contractor of the Year" award. Left to right: Turner Construction’s Dean Aquino, Sherry Whitacre, and Dick Shaw; Tom Kessler; Turner Construction’s Kurt Pointing; Dynalectric general foreman, Chris Kennedy.

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