"Wide Open Spaces"
by
Greg Hanlon |
 Southwest Marine, a member
of United States Marine Repair, America's largest non-nuclear ship repair,
modernization, conversion, and overhaul company, was running out of space. Its
employees in its San Diego, California shipyard worked in ad hoc facilities
that included everything from aging trailers to offices in utility buildings.
In keeping with the company's goal of continuous improvement and the "People
are Important" philosophy established by CEO B. Edward Ewing, the company built
a new office complex for more than 200 employees and customer representatives.
Southwest Marine faced the challenge of constructing the new facility in its
crowded shipyard where there wasn't much space for on-site building, while
continuing its fast paced operations.
Modular 101:
Save Time & Money
"Our goal was to transform a storage area into a modern office complex without
disrupting the daily activities of the shipyard," said Scott McKay, production
support manager, Southwest Marine. "We only had two years to design the
facility, have plans approved by the City of San Diego, and construct the
complex."
To meet their deadline and other requirements, Southwest Marine's project
managers turned to modular construction technology and a modular buildings
dealer who developed a new two-story complex and arranged for the parallel
manufacturing of units and site preparation. Unique to modular construction,
while modules are being assembled in a factory, site work can occur at the same
time, permitting earlier building occupancy and allowing a much shorter overall
construction period, further reducing financing and supervision costs.
 This process often allows
modular construction times of half that of conventional, stick-built
construction. Fabricating the structure off-site also required much less room
for construction at the company's crowded shipyard and was a key factor in the
Southwest Marine's decision to go the modular route.
Six Months Later . . .
Construction began in November 2000 and the Southwest Marine Central Office
Complex was completed in March 2001.
"Without compromising quality, we had to quickly build a distinctive facility
that would serve as an alternative for ad hoc office space," said Bill Mader,
major project sales manager, GE Capital Modular Space. "The result is a
durable, attractive complex that meets the functional needs of its users."
GE Capital Modular Space provided Southwest Marine with 40 rectangular-shaped
modular units, manufactured by Walden Structures.
The Nuts & Bolts
Based on Southwest Marine's preliminary designs and floor plans, three
two-story modular buildings were manufactured off-site to fill a footprint of
110ft by 170ft. To resist seismic incidents, the 40 modules that make up the
structure have steel moment frame construction--four steel columns support each
module.
Although San Diego is not prone to seismic activity, this design meets
California's Seismic Zone Four requirements and lessons the possibility of wall
cracks or fractures when earthquakes do occur. This construction design also
takes pressure off of the modules' walls so that they can have a variety of
windows and doors.
Building Beauty
 Architects and engineers
combined elements of "brick and mortar" construction with the modular units by
building a glass atrium on-site and assembling it on the front of the complex.
The atrium is attached to the modular structure via an expansion joint system,
which has the flexibility to expand and contract to withstand any seismic
incidents. The lobby's reflective glass and pyramid-shaped skylights provide
natural light within the complex's interior environment.
To provide Southwest Marine with flexible space options, the 23,400sqft
contemporary facility features five large areas of open workstation space,
eight individual offices, and four conference rooms. The complex also includes
a mezzanine, lobby, and break rooms.
To enhance the facility's exterior aesthetics, outside features include
traditional stucco walls and columns with a weather-resistant paint finish.
Access to Southwest Marine is via a deck consisting of a colorized stamped
concrete surface and landscaped by decorative planters.
Mission Accomplished
Southwest Marine's new US$ 2,925,000 office complex cost the company only US$
125 per square foot. But most importantly, according to McKay, modular
construction "met our standards." "Along with its good looks, this multilevel
complex fits our professional and administrative needs."
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