< PreviousCDC AtlantaKatherine Welles / Shutterstock.comThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Roybal Campus headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia is a perfect example of how a building can be designed and constructed to play a vital role in the health and well-being of society. The CDC is the leading public health institution in the United States. Its location was chosen for its proximity to the malaria outbreak that was affecting the southern United States in 1947, but it has evolved with the needs and priorities of the nation.MAY 201810 Written by Jessica FerlainoThe Roybal campus is made up of several remarkable build-ings that serve the organization’s overall mission. What is most impressive about the various buildings at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters is that each was completed by the highly-regu-lated public-sector entity within the confines of a budget. Building 110 is home to toxicants bio-monitoring and was the largest and most complex LEED Gold-certified federal labo-ratory at the time of construction in 2005. The building was designed with flexibility in mind so it would be able to adapt to available resources and technology as well as being ready to respond to shifts in program emphasis. Upon completion, Building 110 was acknowledged as the ‘Best of the Best’ for green interiors by the Georgia chapter of International Interior Design Association (IIDA). The design team was awarded the CDC Partners in Public Health award, the first instance in which a team outside of CDC research won.Healthy buildings and institutions are critical to the efficient functioning and performance of a healthy society. Buildings are about more than protection from the elements and safety. Buildings, when thoughtfully designed and well-constructed, can define a space or a commu-nity. From their design and layout to the materials and methods used, the construction team must reconcile numerous factors to realize an owner’s or developer’s vision. The CDC is dedicated to disease prevention and control, which can extend to chronic disease, workplace health, envi-ronmental health, foodborne pathogens, terrorism prepared-ness and education. As one of only a handful of labs that are equipped to deal with the most dangerous germs, it is an important part of public health and safety. Beyond its essen-tial function of housing this agency, the CDC campus was designed and constructed sustainably and exemplifies the importance of building design that incorporates both aes-thetics and purpose.11 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS “What happens when a building that is heralded as being the new standard in the public sector does not last as long as expected?”The CDC Atlanta headquarters also contains Building 20, a five-story building that encompasses offices, as well as the organi-zation’s health and wellness center. In the mid-2000s, there was a huge push for the organization to become a model of health in the public sector, and as a result, $21 million was invested in the new building, which included a state-of-the-art fitness center on the main floor.The commitment to health has had positive results, drawing many employees into the facilities every day. Employees are encouraged to use the fitness center and well-being programs during lulls in the workday and music is played in the stairwells to inspire their use. Now, not only does the CDC support public health safety, it extends the same to the thousands of employees who work at its Atlanta campus. It has also overhauled its culture to become the model of health. While the campus is impressive and each of its buildings is a part in the CDC’s overall success, what happens when a building that is heralded as being the new standard in the public sector does not last as long as expected? Recently, the CDC requested $400 million to upgrade Building 18, the Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory. The building was originally constructed in 2005 for over $200 million with an expected lifespan of fifty years. Thirteen years later, many people are left scratching their heads about what went wrong. Regarded as the premier biocontainment facility of its kind in the world, it has the equipment, capacity and security features to handle the most exotic, dangerous and infectious patho-gens. The laboratory works to understand disease outbreaks and protects the public from potential threats.When it was designed, serious consideration was taken regard-ing coordinating the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Even materials were carefully selected to ensure effec-tive, safe operation. The project required specialized equip-ment and innovative construction techniques.Building 18 received several awards, including 2006 Excellence in Construction award for a mega project by Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Georgia, 2006 Outstanding Achievement Award in the high-rise category by the American Concrete Institute and many more. While security and safety were considered during design and construction, something that was not considered was that the building would be in operation at all times. Recently, the lab has been experiencing problems such as a decontamina-tion shower failure in 2009 and a fire in a lower-level lab in 2015. What complicates matters is that it cannot be upgraded without completely shuttering it. Many of the parts that are needed to repair and upgrade the CDC laboratory are no longer made. Due to the complexity of the systems, it would be better for a completely new facility to be constructed, repurposing the existing building once the new one is completed.The general contractor on the project was responsible for creating an airtight environment and testing various internal components such as air pressure resistant doors and windows, bio-seal dampers, sealed electrical, plumbing and HVAC controls. The facility is one of few facilities that have biosafety level 4 laboratories, the highest-containment labs in the world. An attached five-story building includes biosafety level 2 and level 3 laboratories, offices, equipment and a glass-washing area, as well as a central utility plant with mechanical, electrical and plumbing support. The new building would require the same amount of lab space and security considerations. The design would include biosecurity level 4, 3 and 2 enhanced laboratories and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in the supply and exhaust systems, pressure cascade zoning, systems for collecting and treating effluent, chemical showers and other safety systems. MAY 201812 Early estimates put the construction timeline of a new facility at four years. The request is being made with some urgency as there is fear that the longer the process takes, the more likely there is to be a failure of epic proportions. This is only a prelimi-nary budget and the project could cost far more. There is space available at the Roybal Campus for this expansion, but a final decision has yet to be made. If the building is no longer performing as expected, the CDC’s ability to contain some of the most dangerous diseases in the world is being compromised, putting public health and safety at risk. If the facilities are not updated, not only will they not be able to serve a preventative role through the ongoing research and studies, but there is also a risk of these dangerous conta-gions breaching the security protocols meant to protect those who work in the building and the public. The fact that even a well-designed building can have failures of this magnitude drives home the care that must be taken when redesigning and constructing a new Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory. What can be done to prevent the same thing from happening? How can the design and construction teams ensure that the lifecycle of the building fulfills expectations? These are the questions that will need to be asked to make certain that public funds are not spent in vain and that the laboratory performs as expected for the long haul.13 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS For 55 years, BRR Architecture, a firm that’s all about building relationships, has been designing the built environments people use every day – the places where they shop, go to work, eat or relax. With national headquarters in Kansas, 10 office locations and licenses in 50 states and three provinces, the firm’s philosophy remains consistent: Listen first, then create.AMC Theatres Village 7 - New York, NYPhotography credit: Randy Braley14 Written by Margaret Patricia EatonWhen James Hailey, BRR Architecture President and CEO and Rich Majors, the company’s Chief Operating Officer reflect on BRR’s 55th anniversary, the words ‘listen’ and ‘relationships’ come up repeatedly.“We listen to our clients,” says Hailey. “We listen to our suppliers and consultants. We listen to the jurisdictions where our build-ings will be going up, we listen to our employees and then we create. It really gets down to listening to the challenges, what the needs are, whether it be the jurisdiction you’re trying to get approval from or the people who will use the buildings, and then responding quickly and efficiently. That’s where being well-rounded comes in. You can’t just be a great designer; those skills are the basis of everything we do, but we have to have other skills on top of that.”Relationship building is one of those key skills. Many of the accounts are national accounts which also have businesses in Canada and Mexico, “and our company vision involves multiple projects,” said Hailey. “When we start a relationship with a client it is usually with one that is doing a multiple building program and that fits in with our skill set to develop that relationship and develop a program that can be adapted to different regions across the country. Our goal is not just doing one project but working shoulder-to-shoulder with our clients.” This includes designing the prototype, developing and drawing the architectural plans, doing site adaptations of the prototype and working through the permits, while consulting with the clients every step of the way. Adds Majors, “Most of us, as architects and designers, are creative thinkers, so that is the part where we’ve developed processes to create design solutions to problems. One thing we pride ourselves on is that we include our clients as part of that process, because it’s really important for us to work with our customers. By bringing in clients in the design phase we are solving their problems and incorporating their ideas into the design, whether they be big or small.” BRR also listens to its own employees. “We’ve created research and innovation groups, so we have a hospitality innovation group and ones for grocery, retail and office environments, and they do research, study and track trends, look at future fore-casts, learn what’s working and what’s not and then we can use that knowledge base to help our clients advance their projects,” he says. “It’s an investment we’ve made internally, but we think it helps put us in the forefront of markets we want to serve. We want to be trend setters and not followers.” ‘Accelerate’ is another key term that comes up frequently. As Hailey explains, “When someone is building, whether it’s retail or hospitality, they need to get it open for business so they can start generating income and start paying back the loan. So accelerating is important, and we put processes in place “By bringing in clients in the design phase we are solving their problems and incorporating their ideas into the design.”Rich MajorsPhotography credit: Aaron LindbergJames HaileyPhotography credit: Aaron Lindberg15 to get the drawings done accurately and quickly. And we’ve implemented a ‘sundown rule’ which means when we get a question or an RFI (request for information) from a contractor they’ll get a response from us within 24 hours.” Because getting the design done to the customer’s satisfaction before construction begins is crucial to avoid costly delays, BRR has implemented cutting edge virtual reality technology, a real game-changer, that lets customers walk through the design. It’s one thing to look at 3D modeling and say, ‘this looks too high or too narrow;’ it’s another to say, ‘this feels too high or too narrow,’ and that is what virtual reality technology offers. “It’s pretty powerful,” says Hailey. “We took our machine to a client’s office recently, set it up and had 40 of their end users, who don’t usually get into the design process, walk through the building with our VR system, which tracks your location in the model, and they were able to say, ‘These microwaves for the customers are too low. We need to move them up,’” he shares. “They’d experienced the building before they’d spent any money on building it. Doing a walk-through when construc-tion is nearly finished is too late because you’re going to have change orders and spend massive dollars to correct something that we can do with VR. It’s something we’re integrating into our design process and our clients are blown away by the opportunity to experience their building before they spend a penny or move a bit of dirt.” The process can be used in existing building as well. “So if we have a client in New York, for example, and he wants a redesign on a building in Arizona, we can scan that building, do a cloud point – which is both images and laser scans of that space – and the client can walk through it even though he’s never flown there. And as the design progresses, he can continue to walk in the new space from his home office.” Developing relationships with local jurisdictions is another way BRR accelerates the process. “Some designers have an almost adversarial relationship with them,” says Majors. “They’ll say, ‘I have to get this permit and I’m going to try to get it done quick and they’re going to try and make me do something different.’ But we have a different take on it and we include the jurisdic-tion on the design team to listen to what they’re looking for. We might be working in a jurisdiction that had a problem and their fire department put in a special requirement because of that experience, so we want to know about that and build it into the project. Then when those drawings come across their desk they know we’ve taken it into account and that shortens the duration of the review by providing a set of drawings that work for their community. It’s a win for us and for our clients.”Photography credit: Alistair TuttonMAY 201816 Looking back, moving aheadA 55th anniversary is an impressive milestone for the firm started by architect Bill Franklin in 1963. “It was a small firm,” says Hailey, “that did retail, office buildings, housing, anything and every-thing within driving distance of Kansas City. Then in the late 80s the firm began to develop an expertise in retail, specifically in grocery, and that led to rapid growth.” At that time, Hailey and Majors were classmates at Kansas State University, graduating with degrees in architecture in 1991. Majors joined BRR that same year, becoming the eighth employee. By the time Hailey joined two years later there were 17. Today the company has 240 employees, with 80 licensed architects and designers, and whenever another gets licensed, there’s a celebration.There are now 10 offices across the country, including head-quarters in Kansas City with others in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Austin, Phoenix, Bentonville, Arkansas, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but BRR will work with clients anywhere and the team has been responsible for a significant amount of architecture. “In terms of numbers it’s hard to nail down; we got to 10,000 or so and it was hard to keep track after that because these are projects of all scales,” Hailey says. “Some were new buildings, some were existing spaces we adapted from the ground up. We’ve done hotels, theaters, restaurants, office buildings and most of the top 25 grocery retailers. We can reliably say that half of the U.S. population has been in one of our projects.”Most recently, BRR has designed distribution centers which Hailey says is a natural fit since many of the retailers, with whom it has a relationship, have an industrial component or supply chain. BRR is also designing fulfillment centers to support online retail. “There’s a lot of automation involved, tons of coordination and a lot of mechanical conveyance as they are really complex projects,” Majors says. “They’re giant buildings and on the employee side there are amenities for locker rooms, showers and break rooms where they can eat and feel comfortable. It’s not just about putting up a box; it’s about looking at the human factor. There are a lot of parts and pieces and automa-tion but we need to design for human interaction too.” Recruiting and developing professional employees is a crucial part of BRR’s planning. “Rich and I pride ourselves on having healthy relationships with the universities in the regions where our offices are located,” Hailey says. “We start identifying talented students in their third and fourth years and in most of our offices we hire at least one summer intern so we get to know students and we track them through their final years, so there are students graduating who already have eight or nine months of working with us and they understand our culture and can fit right in with us.” Part of that culture involves teaching SMART goal-setting skills (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals). It’s something BRR leadership does and something employees are encouraged to do, both in their professional and personal lives. Majors explains, “During the summer we have almost an in-house university, really teaching them how an architectural firm operates. Not a lot of firms do that, but we take the time to teach some of the skills and introduce parts of the business they wouldn’t get in university. It opens their eyes to what lies ahead, and it explains how we’re about building long-term relationships with our clients, our suppliers and our employees, because our goal is that when we bring someone in, they will be with us throughout their career.” “And we’re also looking for professionals who are five to seven years down the road in terms of experience,” adds Hailey. “We’re looking for folks with a great attitude. They may not be well-rounded (in all skill sets) when they get here, but they need to have the enthusiasm and the spirit of continuous improvement that is the mindset of our company.” When the company celebrated its 50th anniversary there was consideration of flying all employees back to the home office “It’s not just about putting up a box; it’s about looking at the human factor.”Photography credit: Alistair TuttonMAY 201818 for a big party. Instead, says Hailey, “we decided to do 50 phil-anthropic and charitable events and we’re doing it again for our 55th year in communities where our offices are located. Actually, we do a lot of these things every year, such as athletic events where we participate in a run to support a charity or a Habitat for Humanity project or a Can-struction Competition (which provides non-perishables for community food banks). It’s a way for us to spend time with our folks, not talking about work and a way to give back to our communities.” “We’ve already challenged our future leaders that in 10 years they’ll have to come up with 65 events,” adds Majors “and then in 100 years…” And there’s no doubt BRR will celebrate a centennial as the leadership continues to set goals, make five-year plans, and consider succession to ensure the company’s future.Fishtech Headquarters - Kansas City, MOPhotography credit: Alistair TuttonFairfield Inn & Suites - Rawlins, WYPhotography credit: Alistair Tutton19 CONSTRUCTION IN FOCUS Next >