JE Dunn Construction began work on the Polsinelli office interiors before the exterior of the new high-rise was complete—and the exterior was being built by another contractor. The two companies met weekly to go over schedules and resolve issues.

The result is an office space that offers a wide range of amenities to both employees and clients. Situated on the top four floors of the building, the 86,000-sq-ft, LEED Silver office features a large outdoor terrace that spans the entire west elevation and provides a breath of fresh air and a space for relaxed gatherings. An onsite nurse’s office and wellness suite was also incorporated into the design. An employee café offers a casual setting for meetings.

To coordinate with construction of the core and shell, the contractor scheduled all of the tenant build-out work as far ahead as possible to make sure materials were delivered on time. The first step was installing the grand stairs within the Polsinelli office. JE Dunn worked closely with the core-and-shell contractor to position a tower crane to deliver the stairs. The installation took place early on and was instrumental in getting the project off to a successful start.

Having more than one general contractor on the site also required coordination when it came to safety. Orientations at the start of the project covered topics such as using another contractor’s man-hoist, material handling and trash disposal, accessing floors while stairs were incomplete and working with incomplete exterior glass.

According to the contractor, the greatest safety challenge was hanging the Polsinelli sign outside the top floor. JE Dunn worked with its logistics company, Blue Hat Crane, to ensure safety and prepare a critical pick plan. In addition to the three downtown streets surrounding the building, two complete intersections were shut down while the cranes lifted the sign onto the building.

The emphasis on safety paid off. The project was completed with zero OSHA-recordable incidents and zero lost-time accidents.

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