Bradford County, PA

Chesapeake Energy Office Building

Larson Design Group (LDG) worked as a subconsultant to an architectural firm to assist their client with the development of approximately 103 acres of land into a multi-phase industrial office complex within the Marcellus Shale Play.

The six-phase project includes the installation of two high-rise (five-story) office buildings, two dedicated shop buildings, and three office/shop buildings. The first five phases of the project included a total of seven buildings with 186,900 square feet of office space (555 offices); and 70,840 square feet of shop/storage area; and approximately 73 acres of stone surfaced laydown yard. A 3,800-linear foot road is also being constructed as part of this project. The new road will be constructed to Township standards and dedicated to the Township when completed. The last phase of the construction is a compressed natural gas (CNG) dispensing facility; the first of its kind in the area.

Project services included site evaluation, land development plans, soil erosion and sediment control plan/stormwater management, NPDES permitting, traffic engineering, PA DEP sewage planning approvals, and the processing of the project through the local township.

LDG provided structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical services. The multi-story buildings were designed as a steel-framed structure and the single-story buildings were designed as pre-engineered metal structures. The floor systems of the ground level of all buildings were designed as slab on grade. The multi-story building required special foundations. Challenging soil conditions at the project site required additional investigation to determine the suitability for shallow spread footing foundations. The initial design scope called for a full basement; however, a weak layer of soil and high water table at the expected elevation would have required aggressive permanent dewatering methods as well as pile or mat foundations. Subsequently, the design was altered to allow for slab-on-grade construction with shallow spread footings and an additional story in the superstructure.

HVAC systems included Mitsubishi city multi units. One condensing unit feeds many evaporative units, where they can heat and cool different spaces at the same time depending on the room needs.

Electrical distribution for the site included coordination with multiple utilities to serve the buildings; as well as a new substation for the area. Energy-efficient lighting and mechanical systems were specified for the new construction. The site included significant site lighting for the yard area where materials are stored. Design for communication systems included coordination with the appropriate utilities, as well as providing interconnections between the buildings for the client’s various systems. Significant effort went into design and coordination for multiple large cranes and wash systems in the various shop buildings.

LDG provided full construction administration services for the project construction, including site visits, shop drawing review, answering contractor inquiries, final inspection, and as-built drawings.

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