Project Details:
KBE Building Corporation was selected as contractor for the 46,936 s.f. tenant fit-out of the Harris Teeter grocery store located above an underground parking garage at Park Potomac Place in Potomac, Maryland. This high profile store is a prototype ‘Suburban Urban Store’ and included high quality interior floor and wall finishes. All prep area walls, entrance and exit vestibules a
nd elevator entrances were covered with ceramic tile imported from China. The building shell was constructed by others and is fully sprinklered with a three hour fire rated deck separation between the tenant space and parking garage. Two passenger elevators and one exterior stair provide access to the parking garage while two vertical lifts provide access from the main first floor to the loading dock located on the second floor. The fit-out work included the installation of all finish floors, ceilings, lighting and fixture equipment, mechanical, electrical and plumbing. The owner supplied the lights, RTU’s, refrigeration equipment, store fixtures and security and base building fire alarm systems. Because of the high level of finish detail, KBE's focus on quality was critical to the project's success. At first glance a less than difficult project, our major challenges involved coordination of material deliveries, trade contractor coordination and design changes. Due to the unusual configuration of the shell the loading dock is located on the second floor and serviced by two vertical lifts. The equipment and fixtures we were using for the fit-out were larger than the lifts could accommodate. This required KBE to use the main front entrance as the main loading area. This required KBE to coordinate deliveries with normal access and to postpone completion of the main storefronts until after all major equipment had been received. Many of the subcontractors that were used for this job were pre-selected and contracted to the owner directly. It fell to KBE to coordinate these subs on the job site along with the KBE selected subs. A major challenge arose between the owner’s fire alarm subcontractor, the developer’s fire alarm service provider and the local fire marshal. Coordinating the grocery fire alarm tie in into the shell building’s fire alarm system to the satisfaction of the local fire marshal was a long process and involved intensive communication and dedication. The owner instituted several major changes to insure that it was satisfied with its new prototype. One such change resulted in KBE redrilling 50 holes in the ten to twenty inch concrete slab. All new holes had to be approved by the owner’s structural engineer and the unusable holes needed to be backfilled and fire proofed to match the rest of the three hour fire rated deck. KBE rose to this challenge and took the changes in stride, working with the structural engineer and subcontractors to ensure the new holes and sleeves did not set the job back. The result of KBE's attention to quality and schedule resulted in the store opening on time and a prototype that the owner is proud of and that the community is enjoying.
