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LCLS Office Building Completed

(Photo)
Building 901.
(Photo by Brad Plummer.)

Good news for SLAC office space! Building 901, the new Linac Coherent Light Source office building, is complete—on schedule and on budget.

When occupants move in later this spring, the building's 22,000 square feet will provide workspace for about 90 staff members, students and faculty—as well as LCLS users from around the world. The two-story building is located off PEP Ring Road, just across from the Near Experimental Hall.

Building 901 is not only SLAC's newest building, but it will likely also be SLAC's first LEED certified building. The U.S. Green Building Council, which confers LEED certification, is still in the process of validating SLAC's application, but Project Manager Lori Plummer said that she expects the building to receive Gold certification soon. That's thanks to the photovoltaic panels on the roof, bike lockers near the entrance, electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot, automatically dimming lights and many other environmentally friendly features.

Green-certified furniture, as well as internet and phone lines, will be installed over the next few weeks in preparation for occupancy in early summer. From the start of construction through move-in, the building will have taken less than 12 months to complete.

"This was possible because the project was very well-run," said Jess Albino, director of LCLS civil construction. "Many, many SLAC departments needed to coordinate and cooperate to make this happen. Everyone involved deserves a round of applause. They went above and beyond."

Plummer, who led the planning efforts, added: "We tested out the one-lab concept, and it really worked. We had great support from across the divisions."

The LCLS project plan originally included a larger office building, the Central Lab Office Complex, or CLOC. But when bids for that building came in unexpectedly high and no longer fit into the budget, it had to be cancelled. In early 2009, it became clear to the LCLS project leaders that they had enough contingency funding to build a smaller office building: Building 901.

"I was very grateful when it became clear that we could do this. But it was very important that we got this done on time," said LCLS Director of Construction John Galayda. "Adding this to the project so late added significant schedule risk. We had enough time—but that's all we had. There was no extra. My sincere thanks to all involved in the project for your hard work and dedication."

Galayda specifically noted the important contributions of Plummer and Albino, who kept the project on schedule and wrote an engineering standards document to ensure the building met standards; Purchasing Manager Barry Miller, who wrote a construction contract that limited cost growth and incentivized schedule and safety; the Building Inspection Office, which reviewed the design and kept the project moving swiftly; the SLAC Site Office, which helped guide the project and keep it on schedule; the contractor, Rudolph and Sletten, which performed well and understood the importance of safety; University Technical Representative Rai Cuadrado, who took ownership of the construction site and managed it to the highest standards; Environment, Safety and Health Coordinator Mike Scharfenstein; and procurement personnel including Sherrie Remington and Carol Silva. 

—Kelen Tuttle
  SLAC Today, April 27, 2010