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Mercer II

Challenge

Several design revisions during this project required organized cooperation between owners, consultants and contractors, beginning with the building foundation. The original project design included an underground parking structure with the foundation installed on a system of Geopier supports. This original plan had the potential to be stalled by weather related issues as it was not exactly a time saving option. In addition to the foundation challenge, the exterior cladding system needed to be designed to meet updated energy codes.

Approach

Since the overall footprint of the building was somewhat small, Synergy provided a feasibility study on the installation of a mat slab foundation in lieu of the planned Geopier supports. The foundation plan was revised to accommodate a new 3.5” thick mat slab. The Geopier supports were deleted from the project scope, resulting in a faster transition onto a finished foundation surface and minimizing the project’s exposure to potential weather related schedule issues. 

To address the updated energy codes, the finished stucco exterior was installed over a substrate consisting of a primary water resistive barrier, rigid insulation, a steel girt rain screen system and concrete backer board. This process required significant coordination of required structural supports inside the exterior walls and modifications to the envelope waterproofing and air barrier details. Synergy worked with the local development services department before permits were issued to coordinate necessary consultant input and facilitate construction commencement at the earliest possible date.

Results

The Mercer II project exemplifies the type of teamwork and overall collaboration between ownership, consultant and jurisdiction that Synergy Construction excels at providing.