Gilbane Building Co.

Architect:

JCJ Architecture

Client:

City of Hartford

Scope Of Work

The City of Hartford engaged Gilbane to provide construction management at-risk s for the Safety Complex. The facility, consisting of three main structures, was updated and expanded the City’s current police headquarters and consolidated over 500 police and fire personnel.

The project was originally a gut to an existing historic 1891 Board of Education (BOE) Building, construction of a new four-story addition, and construction of a new two-level pre-cast parking structure. Gilbane worked with the City and JCJ Architecture during preconstruction to produce construction documents that fit the City’s needs and budget. The initial phase of work demolished the existing buildings on the site and prepped the site for construction.

A major challenge for the project came when it was discovered that the existing walls of the BOE Building did not have the inherent structural strength originally anticipated. It was determined that to any portion of the BOE building was unsafe. The project changed paths and a new building was constructed and designed to resemble the old structure. Gilbane was able to negotiate changes to construction and the project schedule to keep within the owner’s budget. The BOE Building’s lower-level houses information technology, animal control, traffic, motorcycle and emergency s, locker spaces, and a credit . The upper two levels house the Fire Department, Fire Marshal and Emergency Management offices, as well as dispatch. The second new structure’s lower-level houses detainee booking and holding areas, forensics lab, evidence storage, crime scene and criminal staff space, vehicle bays, and the main electrical generator and boiler rooms. The upper levels contain mainly Police Department spaces and the penthouse houses mechanical equipment, including a 400 KW UTC Fuel Cell.