SWINERTON 9/17/07 1:58 PM Page 60
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA, FREAR HALL STUDENT HOUSING
projects built by any company through-
out the state.
Collier says there is not much different
for Swinerton because the company
already builds LEED-certified structures
in the mainland, and it follows many
LEED guidelines on projects in Hawaii,
even when not required by the owner.
This is the first time it will be certified
by LEED officials.
“LEED is a lot more administrative-
driven,” Collier says. “Typically, we do it
60 ■ CONSTRUCTION TODAY ■ OCTOBER 2007
anyway. There is a lot of effort in the
field in recycling, waste disposal and di-
verting as much waste as we can from
the landfill. From the staff side of it, we
are making sure the materials the archi-
tects specify are LEED-certified and is in-
deed the material that is put into the
building.
“Between the expertise Swinerton has
on the mainland and the culture we have,
it is not impacting our typical workload
very much to do a LEED project.”
Familiarity with Hawaii
Although this is Swinerton’s first student
housing project in Hawaii, the company’s
previous experience with construction on
the islands has helped it deal with issues
that have come up while working on
Frear Hall. Swinerton started building
high-rise hotels and condominiums in
Hawaii in the 1960s, so Collier is well
aware of the challenges congested sites
present and how to overcome them.
“We are real efficient with the use of
space, and it can be a challenge,” Collier
adds. “It is very similar to a condomini-
um structure.”
Familiar issues for Hawaiian construc-
tion projects include small sites, and Frear
Hall is no exception. The job site is only
about three acres, and once the existing
Frear Hall had been demolished, Swinerton
discovered that 8,000 to 10,000 cubic yards
of soil was contaminated and had to be
stockpiled while the foundations for the
new Frear Hall were built, according to
Senior Superintendent Dennis Billings.
Although the amount of contaminated
soil and poor sub-surface conditions sur-
prised all involved with the project, Bill-
ings says the experienced team knew
that unexpected problems could arise on
a project of this size.
“We had very good planning and
strategizing, and we were interactive
with the crews and subcontractors up
front,” Billings says. “The original site
plan, as with most, is a living and breath-
ing thing. So, we have to be ready for
Plan B at any time. With a lot of commu-
nication and coordination with everyone
involved, we are able to stage, restage
and move at any given time.”
With so much soil already taking up
the limited free space at the site,
Swinerton has employed a just-in-time
delivery method for its materials that
requires meticulous scheduling and a lit-
tle luck with regard to delivery times.
Many general contractors in urban set-
tings on the mainland have to deal with
this problem on a regular basis, but
Collier says it is more of an issue in
Hawaiian construction because of the
limited resources available on the island.
“Sometimes we do get it here just as we
need it or it comes in late or maybe it is
earlier than it has to be,” Collier says. “So
far we’ve been OK.” ■