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From its dynamic design to the innovative construction contract, Eugene's new federal courthouse is a metaphor for the city's character - a cross between "simple" and "cool."
Thom Mayne, the 2005 Pritzker Laureate, designed the building. For the founder of Morphosis of Santa Monica, Calif., winning the prize is the equivalent of winning a Nobel Prize in architecture. The first American to win in 14 years, Mayne is famous for mixing simple shapes together to form creative spaces attuned to modern technology.
The courtrooms are shaped like two facing parentheses. The top is where the judge's bench located; the other flat side is the entry way. The jury sits in a dim area, sheltered under a lower ceiling than the rest of the room. Natural cherry wood strips run down the walls, drawing a visitor's eye toward the judge. Lighting throughout most of the gallery will be dim, allowing a skylight and huge lighting fixture over the judge to accentuate his or her position and power.
The rest of the 270,000-sq.-ft. building follows in similar fashion, with spaces that allow for intimacy but meet the end-users specific needs.
"Mayne doesn't use odd shapes like Frank Ghery," said Alan Halleck, project manager for J.E. Dunn Construc- tion of Portland, general contractor on the project." His shapes are more even, stressing simplicity but also making it easier for the craftsperson to build."
When the building is finished in July 2006, it will contain five levels, including one underground level for parking and an interstitial level on what would be the fourth floor. The exterior is partially clad in glass curtain wall. Burnished metal panels throughout the exterior act as a rain screen and add to the role light plays throughout the design, said Halleck, who has a degree in architecture.
The mix of shapes and materials did present some risks, especially for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors, Halleck said. The team decided that the mechanical contractor, Total Mechanical of Portland, should take the lead.
Using a 3-D computer program, it laid out all the systems and predicted where they would clash. As a result, conflicts could be corrected before the fieldwork started. Twelve months into construction and with 10 to go, the project is running smoothly primarily because of the accuracy of the "clash reports," Halleck said.
The building was topped out July 11. Features nicknamed "the plank," a rectangular space jutting out over a third-floor plaza; the bamboo garden, a smoking area outside the jury room; and the "guillotine," the large thin rectangular lighting fixture over the judge's bench, are taking shape.
This project is the one of the first in the Pacific Northwest/Arctic region of the General Services Administration to use the "CM as Constructor" method, similar to GC/CM contracts, allowed in state public works contracts in both Washington and Oregon. Dunn, was selected the construction manager, based on its response to an RFP. Then, Dunn selected its first-tier subcontractors and worked on typical preconstruction services to find ways to build the structure for less money than it estimated at the design development phase.
The mechanical/electrical, fire sprinkler, exterior metal panel curtain wall and interior casework subs all came onto the project at the early phase. Based on their suggestions, Morphosis created the final drawings.
"We can't really say how much was saved because the final plans weren't drawn when Dunn came on board, but we think it was between $5 million and $9 million," said Pat Bruner, GSA contract administrator.
"Basically the contract makes sure the owner gets the best value for its money, not the cheapest building like a hard-bid contract," Halleck said. "It also fosters team building from the beginning," because any contractor who can't work to provide the best value for the owner gets the boot."
The owner meets the contractors halfway. If certain elements can't be built as first suggested, the contractor can ask for more money.
Steel prices took a dramatic turn upward after the design development phase, Halleck said. By providing written documentation, Dunn convinced the GSA to approve a price hike. The huge amount of rebar used to reinforce the concrete building, the metal wall studs and the light fixtures were the main culprits leading to the increase.
The contracting method is working well enough for the GSA to use it for the seismic improvements to the Jackson Federal Building in Seattle, which are now being completed by Howard S. Wright Construction, also from Seattle.
Other Action in Eugene
Downtown Eugene, if not a hotbed of construction is definitely a hotbed of gossip about construction projects in the seminal stages, according to Richie Wyman, director of neighborhood planning with the city of Eugene.
*OPUS Development of Seattle may work with Jenovah Land Co., Eugene, to build a four block-mixed-used project near 10th and Willamette in the downtown retail core. Right now Jenovah is trying to acquire missing pieces that would make the four-block area complete, some of which is owned by the city of Eugene. Oregon Research Institute has been discussing buying the city's parcel for a $23 million ORI building.
*Whole Foods may move into the parcel across from the new courthouse, if the project planned by Gerding Edlen, Portland and Guistia Group, Eugene, goes ahead as planned. That project would bring much a much needed parking garage to the area.
*A high-end condo project, The Tate, is currently being built in the retail core, the first of its kind in over 20 years. The project shows how the downtown core is changing from what was a failed shopping district to a vibrant community center. Several blocks away, a non-profit group is planning a 109-unit low income housing project. "That kind of housing is much needed in Eugene. Students can easily displace families in the rental market, because they can pool their rent money, and are subsidized by their families," Wyman said.
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