The EERC building at The University of Texas is transforming engineering education through cross-disciplinary teaching and research. The modern facility boasts flexible classrooms, student project laboratories and new research spaces that facilitate state-of-the-art teaching to bring together students, faculty, and researchers to redefine engineering education for the 21st century. Totaling over 400,000-square-feet, the open-concept facility is the Cockrell School’s largest multidisciplinary building.
Zero/Six was contacted directly by UT System to evaluate the exterior envelope during the design and construction phases of the project. During the pre-construction meeting, the lack of cohesiveness in assembling building components together among trades became evident. Zero/Six switched gears and instead provided the contractor, Hensel Phelps, with a large change order that was ultimately the basis of construction for the entire exterior envelope. Zero/Six assembled the building systems in a BIM framework to coordinate shop drawings for the facility. Numerous architectural and structural drawings multiplied the potential for discrepancies both before and after construction. By combining the envelope drawings and structural model into an intelligent 3D design, the team was able to identify issues that would have been costly to remedy once the pieces came together on-site. Additionally, Z6 Commissioning (Z6) worked alongside Hensel Phelps to create a commissioning checklist that made sure the entire envelope was inspected and all necessary corrections were made. The teams issued a detailed report which included defect identification findings, test results, and recommendations regarding the necessary remediation actions.
