UVA Inn at Darden – The Forum Hotel
Charlottesville, Va.
Excellence in security
Presented by: WM Jordan Co.
Region: ENR Mid-Atlantic
Owner: UVA Darden School Foundation
Main design company: Cooper Carry
General contractor: WM Jordan Co.
Civil engineer: HBV
Structural engineer: Uzun & Case LLC
MEP Engineer: Barrett Woodyard and Associates
Developer: Matthews Development Co.
Owner’s representative: Dear Body
Subcontractors: Moore’s Electrical & Mechanical Construction Inc.; Donley’s Inc.; Faulconer Construction Co.; Steel Liphart; Roof Services Corp.; Campostella Builders and Supply Corp.; Masonomics Inc.; Pompeii Inc.; James River Nurseries
For the Inn at Darden University of Virginia – The Forum Hotel in Charlottesville, Va., “We had to contend with a lot of unforeseen conditions,” including rocks, unstable ground and COVID-19, says Patrick Barbier, senior project manager of construction venture manager WM Jordan Co., of the 200,585-square-foot, 199-key boutique hotel that includes a conference wing, a main house and a residence wing.
The biggest challenge started early and added more than a month to the schedule. During excavation, problems with unstable ground required rock removal from the slab area of the lecture wing. The revised design required drilling 60 feet to 70 feet to reach bedrock, doubling the number of deep foundations. The project recovered three weeks of schedule when the MEP and structural trades reduced the size of concrete placements but increased their frequency from one to three times per week.
Barbier said the team opted for a “different mindset” at safety. During weekly visits with trade foremen, for example, the group was on the lookout for potential safety improvements. The project underwent a voluntary Virginia Occupational Safety and Health Inspection, which resulted in no problems. During the project’s 1.35 million work hours, the team saw no OSHA recordable incidents or lost time accidents.
