Submitted by Howard S. Wright Constructors, LP

The two, 33-story high-rise office buildings at The Bravern, occupied by 2,400 Microsoft employees, include private offices, conference rooms, main building lobbies and reception areas, cafeterias and server labs.

The project team built these tenant improvements at the same time as another contractor completed the shell and core. Separate architecture firms also completed the shell design and TI design.

Both contractors substantially completed the project in thirteen months at a significant cost savings, due in part to their thorough logistics planning prior to the start of construction. Construction teams from both companies met weekly to compare project schedules and discuss city inspections, material deliveries and shared use of vertical transportation.

The coordinated schedule and materials handling plan resulted in significant cost savings on this $98-million project. There were no subcontractor claims for change orders related to inefficiencies, trade stacking or acceleration, and Howard S. Wright was able to return the entire construction contingency budget to the owner.

Owner: Microsoft Corp.
Architect: Collins Woerman
General Contractor: Howard S. Wright Constructors
Construction Manager: Jones Lang LaSalle
Engineers: DCI Engineers; Holaday-Parks; Coffman Engineers
Subcontractors: Western Partitions; Pacific Construction Systems; Patriot Fire Protection; Holaday-Parks; Cochran Electric; Corporate Casework; Herzog Glass; Eastside Glass