Construction Managers & General Contractors
Cleveland, Ohio
Est. 2006
PROJECT
SPOTLIGHTS
Finished photos ©️ Inside the Eye Photography by Michael Finizia
Mentor on the Lake Library Addition
Location: 5642 Andrews Rd., Mentor-on-the-Lake, Ohio 44060
Completed: October, 2020
Type: Public, Institutional
Scope:
The Mentor-on-the-Lake Library facility reopened to the public in fall of 2020 with a newly constructed addition and a whole new look. Over the summer of 2020 the Lawler team built a new meeting room addition, expanded the main area of the library and created a brand new back of house area with expanded work space and a break area for staff. Within the public space new accessible restrooms were created for the ease and comfort of patrons. Parking for the facility more than doubled from the previous amount and a new bio-swale was added to severely limit and storm water runoff from the site or additional load to the storm sewers. All of the HVAC equipment was replaced with new and the old gazebo was retained in the new layout. The new and old pair seamlessly together through HBM Architects well planned design. We are very excited to have had the opportunity to work with such a great group at the Library and trust that the new improved facility will serve them well for years to come. The Library Board recently completed a video that they have posted and that you can view by following this link https://www.mentorpl.org/branches-and-hours/mentor-on-the-lake/
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Lion cage Replacement
Location: 3900 Wildlife Way, Cleveland, Ohio 44109
Completed: September, 2020
Type: Specialty
Scope:
In late 2019 we decided to try for a second project at the zoon because we were already onsite and felt that we had an advantage in the public bidding process. We were successful at obtaining this work and wound up with another very unusual opportunity. The original lion cages, housed in the building behind the lion exhibit, were old and showing signs of wear and deterioration. The zoo generally liked the arrangement of the cages but wanted to upgrade to all stainless steel construction as well as make some improvements and changes to benefit both animal welfare and keeper safety and ease of use. With very few original drawings, we had to record the existing construction and then work to incorporate the new and changed work items into the plan. Through a multi-month effort entailing several rounds of design and review a final plan was settled upon.
While final design was being pursued, the order for stainless steel materials was placed so that they be available timely to fabricate once the design was approved. As fabrication neared completion we scheduled a 3-week shutdown period with the Zoo to take the animals off-exhibit while we demolished the old cages and installed the new. With some difficulties and adjustments required to the work, the animals ended up being off-exhibit for a bit longer than planned but the Zoo was still not open to the public due to the pandemic and so this did not become a matter of concern.
Once completed, the new cages provided a new isolation cage for keepers and animal vets to work with individual cats while remaining in the building. Previously any individual work had to be done in a remote location requiring transport of the animal.
This one of a kind project will afford the zoo and the lions many years of service and we are proud to have contributed to this effort.
Ursuline Mullen Art
Location: 30849 Pine Tree Rd., Pepper Pike, OH 44124
Completed: November, 2020
Type: Institutional, Educational
Scope:
After having completed Ursuline College’s Besse Library conversion to a Learning Center in 2019 we had developed a good working relationship with the school. We were approached in the spring of 2020 to submit a Construction Management at Risk proposal. Shortly after making the submission we were notified that we were the successful contractor and got right to work. The work was necessitated due to larger projects in other buildings including the impending demolition of the building that previously housed the Art Department. The Department needed a new home and gallery by the time that school began in the fall of 2020.
With a tight timeframe over the summer of 2020, the biggest hurdles in getting the project completed timely proved to be mechanical equipment lead times that were dramatically exacerbated by the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. Construction of the classrooms and the Art Gallery followed a reasonably straight forward path as both of those areas relied predominantly on architectural finishes and locally available construction materials.
HVAC equipment was a vastly different set of conditions. Due to some particular requirements stemming out of specialized air handling needs for the kiln room and acid etching hoods, there was extensive work in the attic of the space. Due to the size of the equipment required, it was necessary to create a large opening in the masonry gable end of the building so that the equipment could be flown into the attic. In addition to the HVAC equipment an existing large air compressor was relocated from another campus location into this attic space. Due to restrictions on the location of certain equipment and limited routing pathways, as well as the required sizes of supporting utility piping and location and sizing of some related remote HVAC equipment several weeks of investigation and work with the design team was required before final equipment orders could be placed. Once placed, the manufacturers experienced repeated delays in acquiring component parts as well as being unable to achieve timely production due to COVID-19 related problems in the supply chain and plant closures due to exposures of some of the line workers.
As it became clear in July that equipment would not be available in time for the start of classes, the College worked with Lawler to develop a plan to open the gallery and classrooms in time to receive students and to then bring the air handling equipment on line as it became available and allowing the studios to become fully functional. Another blow came when the equipment was received and set. Somewhere in transit a key component of the air handling unit was damaged and could not be repaired. It had to be replaced. Obtaining that replacement component took several weeks during which time the project was forced to sit idle. Final connections and startup of all equipment was achieved in early November with all aspects of the project being functional by mid-November, 2020.
With the cooperation and understanding of the College, the design team, and the subcontractors Lawler was able to achieve a phased opening that afforded the school the maximum utility of the space at all times. Lawler Construction appreciates the hard work and flexibility of all involved and is grateful to have been a part of this important project.
CWRU Adelbert Fire Alarm Upgrades
Location: 2040 Adelbert Rd, Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Completed: September, 2020
Type: Specialty, Institutional, Educational
Scope:
A terrible fire gutted Case Western Reserve’s historic Administration building, Adelbert Hall, in 1991. Over a several year period the building was restored and rebuilt (the shell had remained largely undamaged) with completely new interior construction and up to date amenities.
By the 2010’s the fire alarm system had become obsolete and Cleveland Fire began discussions with the University about replacing or updating the system. This review, together with the development of a design plan, continued over several years until early 2019. At that time Lawler Construction was engaged to develop alternative budgets with greater and lesser work scopes but always maintaining the architectural integrity of the space by minimizing any visible revisions to the finishes and completely concealing all infrastructure work within the existing constructed spaces.
By late 2019 this project was green lighted by the University and Lawler proved to be the successful bidder for the project which was awarded in early 2020. We had begun to mobilize in preparation for a start of work when the University determined to close the building to all outside personnel due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The project remained on hold untll the fall at which time we were released again to proceed.
With a planned three (3) month work schedule, we began in early November, 2020 and worked steadily on an overnight shift to avoid contact with and disturbance to the regular building users. Work progressed well throughout the course of the project and was actually simplified by pandemic related issues. Normally a very busy building with many off-hours events, it now became virtually vacant during off hours and we were able to schedule work throughout to the best advantage of the project progress and schedule. We were thereby able to complete the project early by a few weeks and demobilize in late January of 2021.
The building now has a state of the art addressable fire alarm system with code compliant devices and more extensive coverage than previously. We were able to find some ingenious cable routes that saved time and effort while at the same time avoiding any disturbance to any of the sensitive finishes throughout.