An installation of lighting fixtures for Amazon
Key facts
Trade
Trade
- Electrical
Mobilized expertise
Mobilized expertise
- Electrical installation
Project figures
Project figures
- Used 30% recycled material
- 164,000 hours worked
- 12,000+ light fixtures installed
Introduction
Amazon selected two parcels in the Nashville Yards, an 18-acre development located in the heart of downtown Nashville, to build their Operations Center of Excellence. The office towers serve as the nerve center for all of Amazon’s Southeast Operations. Conti, an EQUANS company, was contracted for Tower 1, which stands 20 stories tall, boasts 500,000 square feet of Class A office space, a landscaped rooftop patio with a full bar, a 4000 square foot dog park, and 32,000 square feet of amenity deck space. The building also features several in-house restaurants, communal workspaces, and state of the art lighting controls.
Challenges
Typically, a project of this size and magnitude would take at least 16 months to complete. Amazon needed this build accomplished within a 9-month window, from the first wire nut being twisted on, to the last desk chair being rolled in. The aggressive schedule, combined with a worldwide pandemic, meant the Owner, GC, and the 60+ subs who followed had to be in lock step throughout the entire life cycle of the project. This was completed by daily scheduled meetings by floor, system, and room to ensure everyone involved had buy in on the schedule. The schedule evolved during the project to ensure trades stayed productive and efficient.
Solution
From the onset, our Project Management and Field Leadership recognized that the key to staying on track with the compressed schedule was material and labor force management.
Lacking access to a storage yard or laydown area, we worked closely with a local vendor to create kitted, pre-labeled material packages for all overhead and inwall rough. To maximize productivity, each floor was treated as a standalone project. Deliveries were scheduled with the GC to grant access to service elevators after hours and 2 Journeymen worked to distribute and repopulate the floors prior to the next shifts arrival to ensure full productivity. At the end of each week, the vendor would swap the used cages with fully stocked ones, thus eliminating waste and material excess.
Crews were broken down by system and scheduled in conjunction with the GC’s Build Plan, allowing all trades to be in the same area and work efficiently. Daily morning huddles were held to focus on tasks with Foremen leaving a 2 to 3 week look ahead to be completed by the General Foreman. This was a monumental task with a workforce that peaked at 150 tradespeople working a 7-day, 12-hour shift.
Results
With the ability to adapt and overcome every obstacle presented, Amazon was able to move their newly created 5000-person workforce into a central hub to increase productivity and breed an environment of collaboration.
