Gilbane Building Co

Owner:

Waukesha County

Architect:

Zimmerman Architectural Studios, Inc.

Scope Of Work

Gilbane provided construction management services for a 62,000 SF courthouse and holding area addition to the existing courthouse in Waukesha County Wisconsin.

The work involved overseeing the preparation of the budget, design and demolition of the original jail facility and intake court, as well as construction of a four-story addition that houses eight new court rooms. The addition includes a three-way separation as recommended by the National Center for the Courts.

One of the key challenges for the project included keeping the campus services (namely court holding) active during the project duration. Gilbane worked alongside the County and design team during preconstruction to vet out various options to minimize any disruption, and it was determined the most cost-effective solution was to build the project in two phases. This was to ensure the new court holding could be completed and operational before demolition of the existing court holding building began.

Constructing the project in two phases increased the challenges related to the tight project site that is surrounded by existing buildings on three sides. Proactive planning and detailed logistics were required to ensure trucks and equipment used for deliveries and erection fit in the available space. Additionally, since there was only access to the building from one side, any activities blocking the access road leading to the building were scheduled as to not hold up access for other activities.