Multi-tradeservices

Fire Protection, HVAC & Pipe Fabrication Services for Office Buildings in the Milwaukee Area

Kohl’s Innovation Center had a new construction project and it was no small task! The Fortune 500 company, whose headquarters are located in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, wanted to remodel an existing 300,000 square-foot warehouse facility into a newly expanded 372,000 square-foot corporate office building for its associates. Ahern was tasked with an 11 month turnaround time to design and install the underfloor air distribution system, chilled water system, and hot water system. To ensure the project moved along without any conflicts on the job site, Ahern utilized its Pre-Construction capabilities to coordinate job site efforts. Internal processes such as a 6-week look ahead planner, prefabrication, and staged equipment delivery played a huge part in completing this large task on time.

From the office team to the field crew, all of Ahern’s coordination efforts paid off and the project was completed according to the scheduled deadline. The field crew was consistently ahead of the other trades which made for great installation rates and kept the project moving quickly. Additionally, Ahern installed the large prefabricated duct and 40-foot pipe lengths prior to the wall construction allowing ease of access on the job site. Between the sheet metal and pipe fabrication, Ahern prefabricated 200,000 pounds of duct and 5,000 feet of pipe.

Kohl’s sought LEED Silver certification of the new construction/retrofit project and to help achieve this goal, Ahern’s design practices reflected this. Energy saving practices/installations included high efficient roof top units and boilers, variable frequency drives (VFDs) for chilled and hot water systems, and solar electric car charging stations.

Expertise Provided

• Commissioning
• Fire Protection Special Hazards
• HVAC
• Pre-Construction
• Pipe Fabrication
• Sheet Metal Prefabrication

Values Delivered

Quality

• No warranty rework was required

Issue Resolution

•  Pre-Construction coordination meetings eliminated conflicts on the job site

Meeting Deadlines

• 100% of the Pipe Fabrication loads were delivered on time
• 100% on-time completion

Budget Certainty

• The project was completed within the original estimate

Safety

• No lost-time injuries

Energy Savings

• Ahern’s energy practices aided in LEED Silver certification