The PC team is nearing completion of the latest development at Vermont’s Spruce Peak Resort – the 126,000-square-foot Treehouse at Spruce Peak and associated 65,000-square-foot parking garage.

The four-story contemporary luxury alpine building is comprised of wood framing. When compared to light-gauge metal framing, wood tends to be more prone to environmental factors that can lead to deformation. To achieve the highest level of quality, PC used a Leica RTC360 Laser Scanner to evaluate and ensure floor flatness and AutoCAD Civil3D to generate the quantity of gypcrete needed for a level finish.

The evaluation of the floor was completed using AutoCAD Civil3D with Cloudworx to find the high point in each room, generate a topographic surface, and make a comparison surface which provides the quantity of fill. Finding the high point in each room also allows for appropriate mounting heights of various finishes, ensuring an aesthetically pleasing finished product.

The first phase of this project is now complete with the delivery of 23 units. In addition, the 239-space parking garage was completed early in the project in December 2022. The remaining 25 residential units are slated for turnover next month.

Photos: Top – Elevation Heat Map in AutoCAD Civil3D with Cloudworx; Bottom – Level 5 Gypcrete Floor – Finished Elevation

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During my summer internship with PC Construction, I was given the opportunity to integrate the technology of Procore, the company’s project management software, directly into a project under construction. PC Project Engineer Jon Englehart suggested we utilize Procore’s QR system to generate QR codes specific to each room of a school we are building, and then link those codes to a complete digital profile of the space. The QR code label is then placed on a door frame or other location in the room. All project partners can quickly scan it and easily access inspections, punchlist items, submittals and RFIs, and observations related to that particular room.

This process allows for a coordinated information sharing effort and efficient workflow. For example, during inspections, subcontractors can check off work on the same screen and then digitally sign-off on the inspection using a tablet or phone. All the information is automatically updated in Procore and is fully accessible to the project management team in real time. This allows the entire team to be aware of changes or progression quickly, promotes effective coordination of data for a given space, and eliminates the need for physical signoffs that slow the process. I was also responsible for creating inspection and observation signoffs using the QR system and compiling a concise step-by-step guide to ensure ease of use.

While we are still in the early stages of implementation on this project, the QR concept has already brought significant efficiency and organizational results. This is just one example of how the industry as a whole can use a rapidly growing toolbox of new technology to reap benefits on the jobsite.

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Take the third floor Intensive Care Unit at the Central Vermont Medical Center, relocate all the staff and patients in the unit to other areas of the hospital, renovate the entire 14-bed unit without disrupting the Mother-Baby Unit located directly below, pass all inspections and reintroduce the same staff and patients to their new restored environment – all in 10 days!

The Solution

Use the talent and knowledge of everyone on the team to create a highly coordinated plan, identify and remove constraints, and develop strategies to help the work flow. To that end, PC Construction’s project team held a full-day planning session with our trade partners and the owner’s representative.

The day started with an introduction to Lean. The team then spent several hours discussing the overall approach, including how to break the project into areas, the best sequence between areas and trades, how many shifts to run, material management, safety and minimizing impacts to the hospital. The day culminated in a pull planning session with the team creating a plan where the work could flow 24 hours per day in two shifts in all areas without tradespeople working on top of each other (See Figure 1). In addition, having a member of the owner’s team participate ensured that questions and logistics could be addressed immediately, allowing for uninterrupted planning.

As the work began, the team put strategies in play to help the work flow:

• Huddles were held twice a day between shifts, allowing opportunities for updating and adjusting the pull plan, and making a smooth handoff between shift foremen.
• Wheeled trash hoppers in each work area were constantly filled and emptied by all parties, and were also used to bring materials up to the third floor work area.
• Sequenced checklists of work activities were updated in each room as the work progressed.
• The patient room headwalls were prefabricated, saving time and enhancing quality and safety.

In the middle of the project, we received a major electrical change request. Because of the time spent planning together at the all-day session, the team did not miss a beat with a revised plan to minimize the impact of the change.

With the help of a lean culture that respected everyone’s talent and expertise, the team delivered a completely renovated ICU to the owner in just 14 days despite the major change, and did it with positive attitudes and more than a few laughs along the way!

The post Lean in Action: Small Timeframe, Big Project Plan appeared first on PC Construction.

Waterhead Mill, located in Lowell, Massachusetts, is a four-story, brick building originally built in the early 20^th century as a corduroy mill. The building is situated on a two-acre site surrounded by the Concord River and Wamesit Canal. When PC Construction completes the renovation work, the 78,000-square-foot mill will be transformed into a housing facility including 68 single bedroom units, three studio apartments and resident amenities such as a fitness center and community room.

To document the extensive exterior rehabilitation of this historical building, we used our drone to capture the existing site and building conditions. High-resolution aerials and close-range photos were taken of the building and site. In addition, 3D drone mapping was utilized to provide a complete visual of the entire project for reference throughout construction.

Take a good look – before long this building will be back to its original glory and ready to serve a new purpose!

Below: 3D drone mapping provides a complete visual of the facility for reference.

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The Mill240 Apartments II project in Lawrence, Massachusetts, involves a massive renovation of the former Newark Paper Mill, which has been unoccupied for several decades. PC Construction was selected to bring these buildings back to life and has been on site since June 2017. The project consists of the renovation of the two existing mill facilities – a seven-story, 344,000-square-foot building that will house 198 apartments and a one-story 29,000-square-foot building to include 19 large studio apartments. Both buildings are located directly next to the Merrimack River, making work on the river side of the buildings challenging.

With the project nearing completion, the team needed a way to inspect the painting completed on the buildings’ exposed concrete. The painting on the river elevation was initially completed using chair swing staging because use of typical staging was impossible given the proximity to the river. The quickest and least expensive way to inspect the paint work was to bring in our drone to capture close-up, high resolution photos of each building elevation. From there, the team was able to visually inspect that the painting work was completed accurately. Within an hour, the inspection process was complete. Using traditional inspection methods, this task that would have taken many hours to complete while presenting severe safety challenges.

The use of drones in the construction industry and here at PC has grown substantially over the past few years, not only for inspection purposes, but because drones offer capabilities that can simplify processes and increase efficiency. Stay tuned to hear more about how PC Construction is putting drones to work on our projects.

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The team recognized that they needed a system to identify and organize the components as they were produced to prevent potential confusion during installation. They selected an online labeling service to create weatherproof identification tags to withstand rain and snow. The crew implemented the new approach, fabricating and labeling the railing kits to identify where they should be installed. The new system also provides a more organized site with the added benefit of early inventory for possible missing materials and quicker labor installation, saving time and money.

This is a perfect example of how PC Construction’s employee-owners have adopted the Lean philosophy.

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