Boeck Building Dormitory Renovations
Denison, Iowa  

Project Manager: Scott Shriver

Superintendent: Ken Corbin

Architectural Firm: Kenneth Hahn Architects

Contract Amount: $2,390,305.00

Completion Date: April 2002

Project Description:

This project was the culmination of a multi-year, multi-phase renovation of an abandoned dormitory facility on the Denison Job Corps campus.  The previous phases had involved the complete interior demolition of the structure back to bare studs and joists. Additionally one of the wings of the three wing building had been reconstructed in other previous phases.  Thus, this project involved the reconstruction of the two remaining wings.  

The building is shaped like a capital H with the south wing having been previously finished and occupied by the owner.  The north wing was remodeled into dormitories on the 2^nd and 3^rd floor with the main floor being converted into spaces for job training programs conducted by the Center.  Also part of the project involved finishing the center connecting section into a highly needed student center.

A new stair was constructed in the middle of the dormitory wing to provide better fire egress from the dormitory floors.  The existing fire stairs on each end of the dormitory wing were removed and new stairs and railing installed.  Footings were also installed to allow for future enclosure of these fire stairs by students in the Masonry trade program conducted by the Center.  

While previous phases had “gutted” the building back to the studs and joists, a great deal of demolition work was made necessary to accommodate new openings for doors, windows, duct work, etc.  There were also large areas of the floor system that had to have the joists removed and replaced or reinforced with additional joists to properly handle the new loads from the finished spaces above.

On the main floor, a large commercial kitchen with an attached dining area was constructed for the use of the Center’s highly successful Food Preparation program.  In order to complete this portion of the work the structure required many changes including the removal of load bearing walls and replacement with steel beam and column structures.  Also classroom and other instructional space was incorporated on this floor for the use of the Center’s Security Services training program.  

The new student center created on the second floor of the center connecting section gave the Center some much needed space to provide recreational and lounge space for its students.  The mixture of a large open space for games and activities and some smaller, more comfortable spaces for relaxation and conversation finally provided the Center with some space to allow the students to better relax and interact with each other.  

The top two floors were renovated into housing spaces for students.  Each floor has a complete laundry facility for the students to use as well as a student lounge along with a security office.  Dormitory rooms were constructed to house two students per room with a shared bathroom between two rooms.  These tight quarter spaces required very careful coordination to allow all trades access to complete their work.  The bathrooms were particularly tight making the tolerances for measurements in these areas extremely critical to maintaining a high quality finished product.  The end results were outstanding leading to a rather short punch list and an extremely satisfied owner.

Unusual or Unique Features:

Through careful scheduling, Shriver was able to develop a work plan that allowed the building to be divided into several major sections, and then allowing each major trade subcontractor to have access to complete their portion of the work and move on to the next section.  This flow plan took advantage of the repetitive tasks in the process allowing the entire project to flow quickly and timely, while maintaining a very high quality finished product.  

Another factor that complicated the entire project was that the brick façade on the exterior of the building was not secured to the structure.  The solution was to drill a series of specialized anchors into the brick from the inside of the wall and then secure them to the studs.  This task had to precede all finishes in all three levels of the building, thus making it a critical item to timely completion.  Through careful planning, this work was completed in a sequence that allowed a consistent work flow for all trades.  

One other factor that further complicated scheduling was that the existing roof assembly had to be removed and replaced as well as a great deal of the roof details reworked.  New mechanical units were installed on the roof which kept the roof from being able to be reworked until a great deal of the finish work was well underway inside.  This meant that very careful coordination was needed to install the equipment and the new roof system while maintaining a dry environment in the finished spaces.  Once again, the careful attention to scheduling maintained by Shriver and its subcontractors made what could have been a large problem into just another phase of the overall project.