The architect, project manager, and builder formed a strong and effective team with the Institution to complete this project on schedule and under budget. As in any construction project, some problems were encountered along the way; however, the team approach encouraged the project team to resolve issues without divisiveness or assessment of blame. The professionalism, dedication and determination of each team member contributed to a very successful outcome.

Located on Cape Cod, WHOI is the largest independent, not-for-profit oceanographic research institution in the U.S. Currently there are approximately 1,100 WHOI staff members, with more than half directly involved in scientific research.

The Institution's higher education programs enroll about 130 students in graduate-level studies and 35 in summer fellowships. The five scientific departments within WHOI are applied ocean physics and engineering, biology, marine chemistry and geochemistry, geology and geophysics, and physical oceanography. In addition to its land-based operations, the Institution also maintains a fleet of three oceangoing research vessels.

WHOI is supported by a mix of grants from federal agencies including the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research, private contributions, and endowment income.

Executive Building Committee

WHOI began planning for its campus-wide renovations by forming an executive building committee in June 2001 to oversee the entire project. Led by Bill McKeon, director of shore operations for WHOI, the initial members of the executive building committee included the president, vice president, and chief financial officer of WHOI, two WHOI trustees, the architect, Ellenzweig Associates of Cambridge, Mass., and the landscape architect, Stephen Stimson Associates of Falmouth, Mass. The project manager, Skanska USA Building Inc. of Boston, joined the committee 10 months later.

"The trustees who served on our committee actually had backgrounds in the building process; one was a practicing architect and the other was a retired building contractor," says McKeon. "A major reason for involving them was to build confidence among all of our trustees and to encourage further support for the project."

McKeon adds that WHOI also involved legal counsel as part of the planning meetings to address the detailed permitting requirements of the Cape Cod Commission, an authority that regulates any new construction on the Cape that exceeds 10,000 sf.

During the project's initial programming phase, representatives from Ellenzweig met with the Executive Committee in the mornings, then with end users—the scientists who were going to occupy the space—in the afternoons.

"Ellenzweig played the key role in this start-up stage," says McKeon, "directing detailed discussions with the building users to establish overall program requirements."

This process involved fairly open-ended discussion of the program. The Executive Committee did not put initial limits on overall project size, instead looking to see what emerged from the scientists' direct participation in the programming phase. This approach resulted in a final building program that was considerably over the initial estimate of project scope and cost. At this point the Institution had to make some significant decisions about the overall project.

McKeon explains that working closely with the scientists at the programming phase can offer advantages, such as reducing the number of change orders during construction, since the actual occupants have specified exactly what they want. However, McKeon also feels that user enthusiasm during early planning makes it difficult to stay within the designated budget.

"When you get to the end of schematic design, you should expect to be over budget," says McKeon. "If you are not, you probably haven't stretched far enough to get your ideal facility.

"In our case, at the end of schematic design, the resulting estimate was $9 million over budget," he continues. "Even though the enthusiasm of the entire team, including WHOI, to construct a functional and exciting design helped contribute to the overage, we were all also equally surprised by the amount. The overage was not one member's problem—it was a collective team problem."

McKeon attributes the overage principally to two key factors: The first was the comprehensive nature of the project, which ranged from new laboratory facilities and building renovations to extensive site work, including new road construction, utility upgrades, and wastewater treatment facilities all of which required review for scope and cost increases. The second factor was that this was the first project in WHOI's history where the Institution charged the architect with the goal of higher design aspirations for the new facilities, rather than concentrating purely on function.

"In this case however, we went a bit too far and we needed to get back on budget to regain the confidence of our trustees," says McKeon. "Prior to this project we had never incurred any debt at the Institution. All of our previous building construction and renovations had come from our endowment."

Value Engineering

According to McKeon the only restriction during the value engineering process was that the functionality of the science program space could not be jeopardized.

"At this critical point the strength of our team illustrated how important it was to have everyone's commitment to solving the budget issue," says McKeon. "We had three very intense, all day meetings involving all consultants, engineers, architects, and cost estimators."

After six months of value engineering, WHOI was able to reduce the cost of architectural components by $3.7 million, and trim more than $3.1 million in mechanical, electrical, and plumbing costs. In addition, site and landscape estimates were reduced by $1.7 million bringing WHOI within $500,000 of its initial budget. There was no intent to ask one discipline to absorb most of the cost reduction. Each discipline reduced costs in proportion to overall costs of the project, which was vitally important in maintaining the sense of team.

Some of the major savings components included:
• Mechanical penthouses were used in lieu of basements in both of the new facilities.
• Open cut excavation was done rather than driving the sheet piling around the buildings. Although additional soil needed to be excavated, it was more cost effective than driving sheet piles to reach the required depth of excavation.
• The number of fume hoods in both laboratories was reduced so that the size of the facility's HVAC equipment could also be reduced.
• An aluminum curtainwall system was used for portions of the exterior closure in place of detailed millwork for both buildings.
• Heat recovery coils were deleted, although provisions for future installation were made in the air handling units.
• An exterior emergency generator with a sound and weatherproof enclosure was installed rather than increasing the size of the addition to the central energy plant.

"Through our value engineering process and thanks to some very aggressive subcontract pricing from our construction manager, we were ultimately able to finish under budget," says McKeon.

Combined, the two laboratory buildings totaled nearly $30 million, with upgrades to the underground utilities and landscaping totaling $2.8 million. The cost of the waste water treatment upgrades were $3.3 million and expansion of the central plant was $5.8 million. The north and south additions to the existing McLean Laboratory were completed for a cost of $3.7 million.

Facilities Overview

Prior to constructing the two new facilities, it was first necessary to relocate a road that went directly through the center of the campus. The road was moved so that it now encircles the campus and serves as a perimeter road.

"Eliminating the center road completely changed the character of our campus," says McKeon. "We were able to reuse this space to create a pedestrian area in the center of campus and it provided the space needed to build the new Biogeochemistry Laboratory and Marine Research Facility."

WHOI's two new buildings and additions provide more than 70,000 sf (a 30 percent increase) of laboratory space. The two-story Marine Research Facility (MRF) includes 2,600 sf of office space and 8,500 sf of laboratory space for WHOI's marine mammal research teams. Since the research within the MRF is very specialized, the spaces in the building are tailored to meet specific research requirements and thus are not modular in nature. Some of the specialized equipment includes mass spectrometers, a CT scanner, and a necropsy suite, all used to study marine samples. The first floor includes labs devoted to acoustical engineering and sophisticated optical research methods. The scanner room is completely shielded, including the roof structure, with lead to eliminate radiation hazards for the surrounding areas. The lab for the mass spectrometer is constructed with a minimum of exposed metal surfaces to support the trace metals research conducted within. The necropsy suite and its associated sample freezer are located adjacent to the scanner room. Data access is provided throughout; the telephone system is voice over IP. A staging area is provided at ground level for use in preparation for science cruises.

The Biogeochemistry Building brings WHOI scientists from various disciplines together to form a biogeochemistry group. The building, which is also two stories, includes 11,750 sf of laboratory space and 2,700 sf devoted to office space. In contrast to the Marine Research Facility, the Biogechemistry Building is much more modular in its layout.  The lab module is approximately 21' x 10'-6"; the office module is 14' x 11'. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the building, 8,600 sf of common space is provided including shared incubator space, a conference room, and a lounge which overlooks a connected outdoor patio. The goal was to create shared space which would foster interaction between the scientific disciplines. The hallways provide alcoves and inviting furniture to create informal meeting spaces. Like the MRF, data access is provided throughout; the telephone system is voice over IP. Again, a ground level staging area is provided for cruise preparation.

Each building is supported by redundant primary electrical services plus emergency power. A centralized UPS system is connected to critical equipment in both buildings. HVAC systems are digitally controlled.

Lessons Learned

McKeon offers his insight on several elements he feels will contribute to any project's success.

"First and foremost emphasize the team approach in all you do. A problem is a team problem; a success is a team success.

"Do comparative cost estimating as early as possible, ideally starting with schematic design," he says. "But before you compare costs between two firms, make sure they are using the same definition of what constitutes a soft cost versus a project cost or construction cost. This allows you to more accurately compare the two estimates."

McKeon feels that it is very beneficial to have the same person who served as your project architect also serve as the onsite construction administrator. He reasons that this person knows the complete design intent. According to McKeon this knowledge expedites the approval process for all submittals and helps address questions that might arise during the final construction stage.

"I highly recommend building mock-ups of everything you can for both interior and exterior elements of your project," he says. "We built mockups of our laboratory benches, and of the exterior closure of the building. It turned out to be extremely helpful because we did not have to waste time experimenting with how things would fit together when it was 15 degrees outside."

McKeon also recommends communicating with anyone and everyone involved in the project. This includes members of your own staff, the rest of your organization, the community, and any and all regulatory agencies that may require permitting.

"Last but not least, pay your bills promptly," he advises. "It may sound simplistic, but it goes a long way with subcontractors when they know they will be paid on time."

By Amy Cammell