Project Overview

Reaching more than 600 feet high, the Rhodes State Office Tower is the tallest building in Columbus, Ohio. Built in 1974, the building houses more than 4,000 state employees. The 41-story building is clad in thousands of large granite panels. Corrosion at the underlying steel connections was the impetus for a significant repair program to restore the building's granite facade. In 2017, Berglund Construction was hired as a design-assist partner to develop the repair scope and, ultimately, perform the restoration.

Approach

The owner’s team brought Berglund onto the project early as part of a design-assist effort that includes hands-on inspections throughout the façade, offsite mock-ups of the proposed granite installation, drawings of conceptual repair procedures and details, 3D logistics plans, and phasing, scheduling and budgeting exercises to develop a GMP. Site Utilization Planning was performed to communicate site logistics to the owner, allowing for an informed conversation surrounding public safety implements. BIM was utilized to generate virtual mock-ups, which demonstrate the means by which we intend to safely replace heavy stone cladding from a suspended position.

The final repair scope will require resetting and repairing several hundred granite units, weighing up to one ton each. Berglund tradespeople will self-perform all the granite work, which is expected to span three years.

Outcome

Starting in preconstruction, we worked hard to understand our clients: Their goals, their priorities, their hopes and worries. Then, we came with ideas and innovation. And we worked hard to ensure every member of the Berglund team was aligned on those priorities. To ensure alignment, Berglund embraced a lean approach to the project, empowering our diverse crew of 30 tradespeople who spent their days working diligently on the side of the building. We strove for continuous improvement and embraced the best ideas - especially when they came from the people performing the work. As a result of this process, our cohesive team aligned with our partners to deliver a safe, high-quality project on budget and under schedule.