St. Paul, Minnesota. (October 2, 2008) – Ryan Companies US, Inc. announced today that it has completed the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse renovations and alterations project.

The Courthouse, located at 316 North Robert St. in downtown St. Paul, was built in 1966 and renamed in 1987 to honor Warren E. Burger, who was born on a farm near St. Paul and served as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1969 to 1986. 

The U.S. General Services Administration, the federal government's real estate manager, awarded Ryan a contract in 2004 to serve as contractor/construction manager of the renovation project which included 160,000 square feet of the building. Three years later, the project’s scope of work more than doubled to include the building's entire 400,000 square feet.    

The original scope of work planned for the project, known as the Original Prospectus Development Study (Original PDS), was estimated at $30 million, and comprised a 160,000-square-foot renovation and alteration Project which included the construction of four new District Court courtrooms, renovation of four existing District Court courtrooms and renovation of the front entry to the building. Also planned was the construction of a grand stair case, a new public elevator which served the main lobby, the skyway and the buildings parking area, prisoner elevator, new detention areas, judges’ chambers and office spaces to support the new court functions.  The work included demolition, hazardous waste removal, new plumbing, fire protection, mechanical and electrical systems, and architectural revisions and upgrades for the new and renovated spaces. 

In the early planning of the project, it was decided to vacate the building allowing construction to proceed as quickly and cost effectively as possible.  To meet this goal, the General Services Administration (GSA) worked closely with the building tenants to move them to temporary office spaces  in St. Paul and Minneapolis for the duration of the project.

Mid-way through the Original PDS project, the GSA saw an additional advantage that could result from working in a completely unoccupied building.   The now-vacant building would present an opportunity to replace building mechanical and electrical systems that were nearing replacement age.  Replacing them now would avoid disrupting or displacing tenants once again in the future.

To renovate the remaining 240,000 square feet, the GSA secured funding from the U.S. Congress for the Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Prospectus Development Study (MEP-PDS).  The scope of work for the $25 million MEP-PDS project included the renovation of five existing Bankruptcy and Magistrate Court courtrooms, the renovation and expansion of the judge’s chambers and office space needed to support the new court functions.  As with the scope of the Original PDS project, the MEP-PDS project included demolition, hazardous material removal, new plumbing, fire protection and mechanical and electrical systems for the new and renovated spaces.  However, the MEP-PDS project also included expanded building security systems to make the building and site compliant with the new security requirements for Federal Buildings enacted since 9-11 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility changes throughout the building. 

The MEP-PDS project also had a goal of achieving a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification rating.  To achieve this, the project had to meet minimum prerequisites in erosion control, systems commissioning, energy performance, CFC (chlorofluorocarbons) management, indoor air quality and tobacco smoke control.  Other LEED-related enhancements to the building included: adding a reflective roof membrane to lower ambient site temperature and decrease the impact on the microclimate and habitat; removing turf grass from the site to reduce water usage by 33,230 gallons per year and improving energy savings through lighting and temperature controls, occupancy sensors, air volume controls, and high-efficiency pumps, motors and fans. In addition, a recycling program was implemented during the construction of the project, which resulted in more than 65 percent of all construction debris being recycled.

In addition to the Original PDS and MEP-PDS projects, several  building tenants also decided to take advantage of the vacated building to construct new or renovated spaces for their agencies.  These separate projects, totaling approximately $16 million, included construction of a new Tax Court courtroom, complete demolition and renovation of the US Court of Appeals spaces on Level 5 (including renovation of three existing courtrooms), new office spaces for the Veterans Administration (VA), renovated office spaces for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), removal and replacement of all exterior building caulking, power washing entire exterior of the building, adding a second prisoner elevator, construction of a new Bio-hazard Mailroom and other enhancements.

The project team included several players performing various roles.  The GSA, Region 5, based in Chicago, Illinois, and St. Paul, Minnesota, acted as the building Owner and Property Manager.  The U.S. District Courts, based in St. Paul and Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts based in St. Paul, the U.S. Court of Appeals, based in St. Louis, Missouri, were key building tenants.  The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Protective Service (FPS), based in St. Paul and Washington, D.C., dealt with building security, inside and outside of the building.  Teng and Associates, from Chicago acted as the Architect, Structural Engineer and Landscape Designer of record.  Michaud Cooley Ericksen from Minneapolis acted as the Mechanical and Electrical Designer of record. 

Ryan Companies US, Inc., using resources from its Minneapolis and Cedar Rapids, Iowa offices, acted as the Construction Manager as Constructor in charge of all estimating (with the assistance of Cost Planning Management International (CPMI) of Minneapolis), scheduling, contract management, construction management, LEED consultation (with the assistance of HGA and EcoDEEP, Inc. of St. Paul) and building commissioning (with the assistance of Dunham and Associates and Burns and McDonnell of Minneapolis).  To minimize disruptions during the course of the project, Ryan pre-planned each stage through the use of weekly “look ahead” schedules and monthly project schedule updates.  Ryan and its partners helped maintain and ensure great relationships between all team members throughout the course of the project.

“There were many groups involved with the successful renovation and construction of the Warren E. Burger Federal Building and US Courthouse,” said Brad Whitmore, Senior Project Manager, Ryan Companies US, Inc. “Ryan is honored to be a part of team with such passion and looks forward to working with the GSA on future projects.”

The $71 million Warren E. Burger Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Renovations and Alterations Project, included the construction of 400,000 square feet of high-end courtrooms, judges chambers, detention facilities and office space, constructed over a 36 month time period.

“This project was completed on time, on scope and on budget while meeting the requirements a LEED Silver certification.” said Brad Whitmore. “The project team accumulated more than 500,000 hours of work without lost time injury while meeting or exceeding all other Project’s goals.”

About LEED
Developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington D.C.-based, nonprofit coalition of building industry leaders, the LEED rating system is designed to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being. The LEED rating system for new construction offers four certification levels for new construction — Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. See the U.S. Green Building Council web site for more information: www.usgbc.org.

About Ryan Companies, US, Inc.
Ryan Companies US Inc., a nationally recognized developer, design-builder and real estate manager, has specialized in fully integrated solutions for more than 70 years. Ryan builds lasting relationships with a project delivery model based on full-service customized solutions and total collaboration – pairing the customer’s needs and expectations with the talents of a team of developers, financiers, architects, engineers, constructors and property managers. In addition to its Minneapolis office, Ryan has offices in Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, Tampa, Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa. Ryan was named the 2007 National Developer of the Year by the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP).

Warren E. Burger Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Project Team