When weather-related delays, complex building details and other constraints put the 33-story tower 30 days behind schedule, the team turned to lean practices to recover time. Skanska, the design team and eight subcontractors participated in several pull planning sessions. For example, the building’s facade, or podium, featured mixed materials that initially complicated the planned sequence of work. By helping the trades understand various activity durations and the logistics involved, the team was better able to buy into an accelerated schedule.

Another session was held for the 33rd level, which features an exterior balcony that cantilevers off the building. Scaffolding for that space cost roughly $5,000 per day, so having an efficient schedule would directly impact construction costs. Through pull-planning, the team also avoided the potential for a flawed schedule, logistical bottlenecks and costly rework.

The team also used technology to monitor concrete strength, which enabled the team to perfect the concrete pouring process and improve efficiency from floor to floor. By the time the last pour occurred, the team had recovered more than 30 days and closed the schedule gap.

When completed in July 2018, the 810,000-sq-ft project brought a modern elliptical glass tower with 533 guest rooms, 37 suites and more than 50,000 sq ft of ballroom and meeting space to the heart of Music City.

Back to "Southeast's Best Projects Shine With Stellar Results"