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Client: City of Worcester (MA)Project: Worcester City Hall – Council Chamber Renovations Description: City Council Chamber and third floor toilet renovations Unique Challenge Governing Massachusetts second largest city is a non-stop job for the city councilors and administrators who regularly convene at Worcester’s City Hall Council Chambers. Whipple’ restored the Chamber’s majestic 30-foot high ceiling, its imposing three-sectioned, 15-foot long rostrum, and the often required nearby bathroom facilities, carefully coordinating project logistics to accommodate the non interruption of vital government meetings. Cost: $500,000 Project Team: Rod White – Project Manager Steve White – Project Engineer Gary Griffin Pat Gorman Architect/Designer: Benoit – Reardon Architects |
Client: Union StationWorcester, MA Project: Waterproofing and Roofing Repairs Description: This historic building had recently under gone extensive renovations to restore its original grandeur. Despite this, runoff and groundwater persisted in seeping into occupied spaces and rendering other spaces unfit for rent. Contacted by the city to render their opinion as to possible solutions, Whipple performed initial investigative work to uncover the existing conditions and aid the architect in understanding the problem. Months later, Whipple won the competitive bid and embarked on the project of removing the existing plaza surfacing, its underlying waterproofing membranes and the adjacent membrane roofing. Intense scheduling was required to avoid exposing the riders to the hazards as well as the dust and debris created by the work. In addition, because of the severely restricted parking in the area, all concreting operations were performed after midnight. Testing of the membrane to ensure its water-tightness was essential prior to covering it with the new plaza surface. This involved a sequenced series of dams and running water to simulate downpours. Cost: $500,000 Project Team: Thomas O’Connor – Project Manager James Duncan – Superintendent Earl Turner – Project Supervisor |
Client: Code Enforcement DepartmentWorcester, MA Project: Interior Office Alterations Description: The project involved the renovation of a century-old former city school building and upgrading of interior space where the building and health inspectors are located. Our first step was to see how we could assist the city managing the expenditure of their funds so they got the greatest return for their investment. This involved working with the administration and the architect to budget and engineer value into the work. Due to the age of the structure there also arose numerous code compliance issues that had to be addressed. The work was scheduled so as not to impair the department’s ability to remain in operation. Cost: $300,000 Project Team: Steven White – Project Manager David Perry – Project Supervisor Earl Turner – Project Supervisor |
Client: Worcester Department of Public WorksProject: HVAC Upgrades Description: The DPW HVAC project was unique in the challenges it presented. We functioned as project coordinator on this primarily mechanical / electrical upgrade, contributing a small amount of self-performed work in supporting the major infrastructure installation. Key to the success of this project was the integration of new ductwork, equipment and refrigerant piping throughout the four-story building, while not disturbing or displacing the critical municipal functions. To achieve this, Whipple developed with DPW management a sequence that involved night and other off-hour work. Additionally, because of the age and type of building, it was necessary to make the pieces fit by investigating what could be done in the room allotted. This required the creation of extensive ductwork coordination drawings and many hours of meetings both with the subcontractors and the engineers. As with any HVAC system today, the controls were very sophisticated and required much attention to get them in tune with the needs of the people in the facility. Though an arduous process, the end result was a functioning central system that replaced the thru-wall units that had served the facility for many years. Cost: $500,000 Project Team: Thomas O’Connor – Project Manager James Duncan – Superintendent |