By John Parkinson, Program Director and Lecturer in Discipline, Construction Administration
A research team from the M.S. in Construction Administration program recently conducted field research in their pursuit of understanding just how much and how fast construction is changing.
During the site visit to Anne & Jack’s Treehouse in suburban Larchmont, New York, the team of Construction capstone students gained a newfound appreciation for how their industry, long viewed as a laggard in the use of innovative technologies and modernized means and methods in construction, continues to adapt to the new realities on the job site.
Along with other sustainability and resiliency factors, the site visit showcased how a treehouse figures into revitalizing a central business district, adjacent to the Metro-North commuter rail network. The site had formerly been used for several decades as a luxury automotive storage facility.
Interior demolition and excavation were required after construction was well underway at Anne & Jack’s Treehouse.
The plans that preceded the site visit.
The treehouse set the tone and the theme of the community day-care facility that will be the principal use of the site once the project is completed. The under-construction project is complete with exposed ceilings, excavated floors, reinforced concrete elements, new steel for structural support (without the need to dismantle the ceiling and roof overhead), and new, higher-capacity, modernized infrastructure: plumbing, electrical, and mechanical.
Some other highlights of the field research included discovering ways in which a construction project team engages with local stakeholders: the neighbors of a project as well as the local building inspectors, code enforcement, and local fire and police departments. Students got to see how field conditions dictate the ability of a construction management team to maintain schedule discipline and budget certainty, measures of whether the project might be called a success (or not). They also got to witness what steps must be taken in order to ensure the project proceeds on pace despite the many curveballs that can be thrown into the mix.
The new rooftop playspace at Anne & Jack’s Treehouse.
The Capstone Research Team (l to r): Steven Lyons, Noah Burwell, John
Parkinson (site visit coordinator), Fabian Ayala, Sheriff Naggar, Paul Geefex
(contractor), Luis Nunez.
The treehouse theme for the adaptive-reuse project will see what had been an automotive storage facility turned into a thriving day-care facility. The transformation of the space, which students got to see taking place, allowed them to witness how the myriad changes and challenges found on multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects are every bit in play in more modest projects, even as they are as critical to the economic vitality of the communities they serve.
The Construction capstone project teams will pay another visit to the treehouse as it crosses the finish line in time for back-to-school, all the while monitoring and managing essential aspects of the project to ensure delivery.
About the Program
Columbia’s Master of Science in Construction Administration program prepares graduates for a variety of careers at the forefront of construction and project leadership. Graduates develop rewarding careers with some of the world’s most respected architecture, engineering, and construction firms, entrusted with delivering some of the most impactful projects of our time.
