$2.1B United Nations Renovation Complicated by Working Within Operational Campus
The need to follow U.N. departmental practices and engage stakeholders lengthened many tasks. Thanks in part to extensive reviews with user groups that resulted in revamps, programming took 13 months, not the six months estimated.
Meeting minutes had to be taken, edited and submitted. "It was not a simple process," especially because the U.N. is a consensus-driven organization, says Paul Eagle, P+W's planning principal.
The project's statistics are staggering. Crews are installing about 15 miles of electrical conduit and 28 miles of wiring without causing any disruption to operations. During the work, there have been more than 600 coordinated infrastructure shutdowns for upgrades to life-safety, water, gas, power and other systems.
The CMP carefully reviewed shutdown procedures and coordinated with the U.N.'s facilities and security departments. "There was no room for any security breach or accidents, and we could not embarrass the U.N. or the host country," says the CMP's Champion.
Skanska and its contractors have logged six million work hours. In an "Upstairs, Downstairs"-like hierarchy, the help has to stay hidden as much as possible. Everyone and everything moves in and out of the site through the underground service drive. Hoists pop up from the drive into the buildings.
"Visitors don't want to see trailers, cranes or workers," says Champion. "You can't have a diplomat riding an elevator with three or four construction workers."
Zero Tolerance
There is an unspoken zero tolerance for any disruptions to U.N. business. "They are very sensitive to noise," says Champion. "They don't want to change history if one of the interpreters misinterprets."
The U.N. factored in noise-level and work-hour restrictions when it bought the job. When there is a request or a complaint, "We just have to say, 'Yes, ma'am, yes, sir,' and stand down," says Champion.
Site security is paramount. Bid documents directed contractors to allow 15 minutes for each worker to clear security at either of the two construction posts. All workers are given thorough background checks. "We've badged and screened 15,000 construction workers in five years," says Champion.
