Solving on-site surprises in a pre-war building: 48-hour redesign when steam pipes were discovered during demo
$16,000
SAVED
4 weeks
SAVED
SITUATION
During the demolition phase, steam pipe risers (which were used in the early 20th century) were unexpectedly found inside a wall, directly where the owner planned to put the entry to their guest bathroom
CHALLENGE
Neither the building super nor the building architect were aware these pipes existed before they were exposed, and neither were willing to risk tearing them down due to unknown danger and impact on the building. The steampipes had to stay, and the design had to be adjusted to incorporate them.
SOLUTION
The design team worked quickly to come up with new, code-compliant layouts, that would achieve the original design intent of the bathroom and not change the construction budget.
The new design was buildable and approved to be implemented 48 hours after the steampipes were found.
The amazing outcome here is that the final design actually had a better flow than the first!
Sometime design constraints can bring out new creative ideas and actually improve the final result.
IMPACT
In a typical scenario where the GC and the design team are not operating as partners, it may be weeks before the problem is even realized, since during demolition the GC is simply clearing space and not looking at design specs.
Once the GC finds a problem exists, they contact the owner, who in turn would notify the architect, who would then redesign and share back options with the owner. The owner and architect would work with the GC on construction implications. This cycle continues until final approval on the change order is granted.
During that time, work stops, crews are released, and when it’s time to start again they need to be rescheduled.
Because mdg is on-site and closely partners with our GCs, the issue was caught immediately. GC was able to continue work elsewhere while the area near the steampipes was redesigned. There was no stop in work - the field team was able to continue without impact to schedule or cost.