The exterior of the Garrison Wellness Center utilized masonry extensively.

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University administrators were eager to provide more on-campus recreational and wellness options for these physically active young adults. They also wanted to add to the campus’ appeal to attract more new students.

The university’s vision to meet this growth included boosting academic programs to 60 from 24. That was seen as addressing educational appetites.

But, the students’ thirst for physical activities – basketball, racquetball, exercise facilities, running, swimming, and more – must be satisfied too, school officials concluded.

To meet that need, the new Garrison Wellness Center was born. It opened during the spring term and Fall 2010-Spring 2011 will be its first full academic year of operation.

The design-builder of the project was 3i Construction LLC, with offices in The Hartford Building in downtown Dallas. Sheila Jeter was the project manager and Rusty Morse was the superintendent.

The architect was Anthony Mottla Architects. The project owner is Southwestern Assemblies of God.

The $5.139 million contract included a 90-day design period and a full year of construction for the 45,125sf facility.

“The owner was very specific. Officials wanted an indoor swimming pool, racquetball courts, an elevated walking and jogging track circling the gymnasium above the basketball court, and a two-story design for weight lifting, aerobics, and so on,” says 3i Vice President of Construction Tom Fagg.

Construction was predominantly masonry-structural steel with a TPO roof. TPO is thermoplastic polyolefin, which is typically fire and chemical-resistant and contains ultraviolet inhibitors for added longevity in new, re-roof, and re-cover roof constructions.

“We had walls that were made of brick with CMU backup, particularly in the pool area, and some of the walls were load-bearing, while others weren’t,” notes Fagg.

CMU (concrete masonry unit) construction has advantages of being durable, which means greater longevity, requiring little maintenance, and offering availability in a wide variety of attractive textures and patterns, he said.

3i is well familiar with durability and longevity being important priorities in construction for educational institutions because this is an area of specialization for this general contractor.

The firm, minority-owned and certified as a HUB (Historically Underutilized Business), concentrates on educational institutions but also takes on projects for federal, state, and municipal government.

3i’s private commercial clients include banks, churches, and retail.

While standard construction materials and techniques dominated the project, there were some special considerations for HVAC.

“The pool – 30 ft. wide by 70 ft. long – created some issues with humidity,” he says. “With the heated water of the pool, condensation and moisture pose a very serious problem and must be regulated to prevent deterioration of materials.”

Dehumidifiers from Desert Aire were installed to remove humidity and promote greater comfort.

Another HVAC measure that was specifically taken to address the youthful users of the facility was the use of collapsible ductwork in the pool and gymnasium areas of the wellness center.

“We used a balloon type of fabric duct material that collapses when the air conditioning or heat is turned off,” he notes. “When the air is flowing, the ductwork swells up and has the appearance of a round tube.”

By being collapsible, damage to ductwork from stray basketballs or overly zealous athletes can be avoided, he noted.

The 3i executive highlights Anthony Mottla Architects and three subcontractors as being especially key in the success of the project. They are: 3D Mechanical, the HVAC contractor; Hueneke Electric Co.; and Prestige Masonry.

“A great relationship with the architect came out of this project. Anthony Mottla Architects had done work for the university in the past and knew the owner’s needs,” Fagg says.

“The architect put those elements in a plan and worked closely and in a positive manner with us every step of the way,” he says. “We worked with the architect and the subcontractors on this project to solve any problems and head off any issues we could see coming up.

“We didn’t do this alone and we couldn’t have done it without them,” adds Fagg.

3i Construction LLC was founded in 2001 by Micheal Williams, president and CEO. There are 43 employees. –mh

©2010 Construction News, Ltd.