Los Alamos Multi-Use Office Building

Award Criteria

Architectural Excellence

As the Design-Build contractor, Ramtech partnered with Wilson & Company and Thornton-Tomasetti Engineering, both based in Albuquerque, NM. Ramtech’s in-house team generated the floorplan and exterior elevations, Wilson & Company was responsible for the civil and MEP designs, and Thornton-Tomasetti designed the concrete foundation and site-built elements. The two-story building includes a modular elevator, 14 private offices, extensive open workspace, upper and lower-level breakrooms, communications rooms, men’s and women’s restrooms, and mechanical and electrical rooms.

The building exterior complements the industrial nature of the broader facility using horizontal steel siding panels topped with a built-up SBS roofing system. The floor finishes utilize carpet tile, porcelain tile, and non-static VCT, along with textured and painted walls. Life safety systems such as fire alarm and automatic sprinklers as well as data, communication and security were installed by local contractors.

Technical Innovation & Sustainability

Ramtech’s proprietary “floorless” modular system offered a clear span approach to the overall structure allowing for versatility in floor space planning, and the building was comprised of twenty-six 14’ x 60’ modules. The building was constructed as Type II and had to incorporate resisting elements for both wind and seismic loads inherent to northern New Mexico. The concrete foundation was designed as a footing / stemwall system resting below the frost line with an integral floor slab. Stair towers were fabricated offsite with 12-gauge steel studs and connected to the modular building to ensure continuity of the horizontal diaphrams.

Although the project was not required to be LEED certified it had to meet the DOE sustainability requirements. This mandated high efficiency mechanical and electrical systems along with increased exterior insulation and low consumption plumbing fixtures.

Cost Effectiveness

The closest metropolitan area to Los Alamos is over an hour and a half drive which results in higher construction costs at the lab making qualified contractors hard find. This element along with the intensive technical and security programs used at LANL makes off-site construction a huge benefit. The modular approach for this project allowed the building to be installed and dried-in in less than half the time of site-built construction at the Lab. A solid off-site inspection program saves the Lab both time and money compared to using their own inspectors or third-party inspection agencies while remaining compliant with DOE standards.