OSU Biomedical Research Tower a "Top Project" for 2006

I wasn't paying much attention when I pulled my December 2006 issue of Construction Executive out of the mailbox this past Monday. It sat on the kitchen counter for a couple of days when I picked it up to read with my morning coffee and noticed a familiar building depicted on the cover. At first I thought I needed more coffee, but when I saw the elevated walk coming out of the 2nd floor over 12th Avenue, I knew it was the same building we'd been cabling for the past year and a half.

Quickly I thumbed through the magazine and sure enough, The Ohio State University Biomedical Research Tower was featured in the year end issue recognizing the top 13 construction projects of 2006. Other featured projects included the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory in Maine, the Phoenix METRO Light Rail, the Saluda Dam Remediation Project in South Carolina, 7 World Trade Center in NYC, and three Post-Katrina rebuilding projects. The following is the article regarding the "Biomed" as we referred to it during construction.

The Ohio State University's newly opened Biomedical Research Tower boasts about 180,000 square feet of lab space, making it the largest research facility on campus. The 14-story facility, which took three years to build, is expected to generate $3.7 billion of economic impact and 17,000 new jobs in its first 10 years of operation. Funded by bonds issued through the university and millions of dollars in private philanthropic support, the $160 million project was managed by Bovis Lend Lease.

Key features in the building include research laboratories, specialized core labs, faculty and administrative offices, conference space, a 200-seat auditorium, four seminar rooms, a café, a bridge connector to the OSU Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and an underground tunnel connector to the OSU Tzagournis Research Facility.

Each floor is constructed of cast concrete to accommodate the delicate work done in the research tower. The concrete structure also includes high-grade ventilation and complex piping systems in the laboratories to meet the tower's status as a Biosafety Level Three facility.

Construction was hampered by a few logistical challenges, including limiting noise levels, vibration and airborne debris. With the neighboring buildings remaining occupied during construction, access couldn't be impeded and the air quality had to be tested to ensure ventilation wasn't compromised.

Access to the jobsite was an issue as well. Construction coincided with the widening and rebuilding of 12th Avenue-the street on which the tower is located and the site's sole access point.

Road access was a concern during the 62,500-square-foot concrete foundation pour, undertaken by Messer Construction, Cincinnati. The task required a mat pour of more than 7,000 cubic yards of concrete, making it one of the biggest individual mat pours done in the state. Because the foundation is one single block of steel-reinforced concrete (requiring 1,250 tons of rebar), it was imperative for trucks to arrive on time. The job took 33 hours of constant pouring by about 920 concrete mixers, with 35 trucks arriving and unloading every hour.

We didn't get a mention, but that's okay. The way we got the job was strange enough. There I was, minding my own business when my mobile phone rings displaying an unfamiliar number. I answer and the voice on the other end says, "You don't know me, but I'm the project manager for Vaughn Industries and we have this Biomedical Research Tower project on the OSU campus. We called the university for a telecom cabling subcontractor referral, and they told me 'hands down, call Echo 24'.

Although I was skeptical to say the least, I met with them and then spent half the night in a Kalamazoo hotel taking off the project. By morning I had emailed our proposal and met them back on the jobsite a week later to discuss it in greater detail. By meeting's end we shook hands and had a deal.

We installed approximately 5,000' of cable tray, 5,000 category 6 outlets, and a fiber / copper backbone, in addition to building the MDF and 10 IDFs over a period of a year and a half. The project was supervised on site by our Foreman, David Redrow who did an outstanding job managing the crew and working with our customer. As it turned out, this was a successful project we are proud to have been associated with and Vaughn Industries was a very good company to work for.