Draper & Associates - Engagements

In the summer of 1996, the Georgia Tech Aquatics Center played host to the Olympic swimming and diving events during the Summer Games in Atlanta . The natatorium's open-air design allowed for Olympic organizers to provide an aesthetically pleasing venue for international competition. While this facility was a marvel of its time and more than served its intended need, the question of what to do about the facility after the Olympic Games still remained for the Georgia Institute of Technology. The facility's design prohibited use during winter months and created a void for student athletics on campus.

In an effort to address the needs of the Institution's student body and faculty, a three-year $45 million design program, the Campus Recreation Center (CRC), was put into place to enclose the aquatic center and turn it into a year-round multi-functional recreational facility and a world-class venue for NCAA swimming and diving events.

The new design was split into two phases. Phase I involved enclosing the Olympic pool and diving well and building a full-service gym over the pool; complete with six basketball courts, weight training and aerobics rooms and an elevated jogging track providing a view of Atlanta's downtown skyline. Phase II of the program would add an additional leisure pool, fitness center, racquetball and squash courts, martial arts rooms, a climbing wall, auxiliary gym, lounge, café, and a 500-car parking deck.

Funding for the CRC project was provided via a private bond sale, backed by the Georgia Tech Foundation. Design and construction of the project was implemented using the Design/Build methodology. Using this method, the general contractor and architect form a joint team and construction is started as design components become available, far in advance of when the entire design would be completed.

In early 2000, Draper & Associates was asked by Georgia Tech Facilities, Inc., the non-profit entity set up by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Georgia Tech Foundation to construct privately funded capital projects on campus, to act as the Owner's Representative for the CRC project.

The Draper Approach

In its role as the Georgia Tech Facilities, Inc., Owner's Representative, Draper & Associates has:

Assisted with the execution of the development management services arrangement between the university entities.
Assisted with the lead of land from the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and the rental of the facility to the Board of Regents during the repayment period.
Assisted with review of the pro-forma for financing the project
Reviewed and recommend approval of design base lines and their relationship to their associated programming analysis.
Reviewed design documents as submitted to verify their coordination with the program.
Facilitated design meetings and coordination of various project constituents, including development of Action Item Agendas in support issue resolution
Reviewed and assessed the contractors overall project schedule and where necessary, required the contractor to revise/enhance the schedule to meet contract compliance.
Participated in and developed reports in support of Owner, Architect, General Contractor progress meetings where in the schedule is addressed, problems are discusses and the action items are assigned.
Reviewed payment and performance bonds and insurance certificates for contractor compliance.
Reviewed and recommend component change orders and guaranteed maximum price change orders.
Reviewed trade contractor and supplier bids.
Reviewed and recommend approval of pay applications based on contractual compliance and assess budget status and when necessary recommend measures to protect against shortfalls.

Results Realized

With all phases of the project completed in July 2004, two months ahead of schedule, Georgia Tech's CRC has doubled its original square footage and far surpassed the offerings of many privately owned health center chains.