December 9, 2024 Electrifying the Largest United Club in the World
Sturgeon Electric supports the transformation of the Concourse B-East United Airline Club Lounge and wins silver award for their outstanding work
MYR Group subsidiary Sturgeon Electric Company’s (Sturgeon Electric) expertise and many years of experience working in the Denver International Airport (DEN) directly contributed to the successful renovation and expansion of the United Airline Club in Concourse B East.
Their determination, creative problem solving, excellent relationships and electrical experience led to overcoming various challenges and completing their work scope safely and on time within one of the world’s busiest airports.
It also earned them a silver award from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Colorado which recognized their exceptional work on the project at the ACE Awards Gala on Nov. 11, 2024.
Working for general contractor Turner Construction to support United Airlines, Sturgeon Electric was selected as part of the team for the transformational project which turned the existing lounge into the largest United Club in the world. They managed the entire electrical scope of work.
Investigation and demolition began in September 2021, followed by construction, which was completed on time and turned over to the customer in September 2023.
Throughout the project, Sturgeon Electric identified solutions to various challenges they encountered. When material delays threatened the project, they sourced alternates and when design changes arose, they adapted and problem solved. They also provided value engineering and used Building Information Modeling (BIM) modeling technology to identify necessary adjustments for successful and efficient construction.
Sturgeon Electric achieved safety excellence on the project, completing the work without any recordable or lost-time incidents. This was impressive given the many challenges of the project and collaboration required for all trades to work in the space simultaneously. Using the energy wheel during pre-task planning, a ladders last mentality, updated hardhats and other safety measures all contributed to this safety achievement.
Since its reopening, the remodeled and expanded United Club has received positive reviews from travel publications and bloggers calling it a “tremendous” transformation.
Overcoming Material Delays and Adding Value Through Solutions
More than 77 million people traveled through Denver International Airport (DEN) in 2023, making it a high priority location for new and renovated United Airline Clubs.
Sturgeon Electric supported transformation of the existing one-story club in Concourse B-East into a luxurious and modern three-level space with the demolition of all existing power, fire alarm, telecommunications and emergency communications systems (ECS) and relocation of existing systems that were being retained.
They also installed many entirely new systems: 12 electrical panels with branch circuits, fire alarm systems, ECS system, Audio/Video (AV) system, lighting, power receptacles, lighting control system, TVs, and power for all equipment. Partnering with subcontractors, Sturgeon Electric managed the full scope including installation of the new ECS system, AV system, and the TVs.
Those upgrades required many materials including 80,000 feet of branch conduit, 180,000 feet of branch wire, 7,000 feet of feeder conduit, 17,000 feet of feeder wire and 959 lighting fixtures.
Materials shortages and delays affected items small and large, from the multitude of lighting fixtures to the main breaker. To manage the lighting fixture delays, temporary fixtures were installed to light the space during construction and protected until the permanent ones arrived.
However, a significant delay for the main breaker (which feeds power to the entire lounge) threatened the project schedule. It was backordered three months beyond when they needed it. Critical to meeting deadline, Sturgeon Electric’s general foreman looked for another solution and his excellent relationship with DEN’s maintenance electricians enabled them to source an alternate to install on time.
The team also provided value engineering to improve designs wherever they could. By coordinating with Turner Construction, they came up with the most feasible installation plan for the hundreds of power receptacles needed through the club’s seating areas and took care to ensure outlets and related floor boxes were in the best locations.
Sturgeon Electric also recommended consolidating power packs for the lighting control systems in one location to make them easier to access and troubleshoot and worked with designers and representatives for four months to resolve an issue with the proposed size of a floor box at the e-gates. They were able to find the best solution for the conduit and floor boxes to support those electronic entrances.
BIM Technology Catches Potential Problem Early, Enables Prefabrication Efficiencies
By using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology Sturgeon Electric helped saved time and money on the project – especially on the electric room buildouts.
After taking the engineer’s drawings to see what equipment had to fit in the electric rooms and getting equipment sizes from vendors, Sturgeon Electric’s BIM team made digital models mapping the equipment to fit in the space and conduit paths to connect the electrical systems.
A potential problem was discovered through clash detection in the BIM program which warns when there is insufficient clearance for equipment. Sturgeon Electric’s team realized the planned electric room wasn’t big enough and were able to widen the room before trying to install the electrical equipment – saving time by avoiding rework.
BIM also enabled Sturgeon Electric to utilize its prefabrication shop to bend large conduit ahead of time, rather than on site, which saved time during the installation process.
Energy Wheel, Ladders Last Contribute to Safety Excellence on United Club Project
The utmost important of safety is embedded in Sturgeon Electric’s work culture and reinforced with training and processes used on all projects. Safety excellence was achieved, with zero recordables and zero lost-time incidents, because of the commitment of all personnel, daily safety processes and improved tools.
Each day the team filled out a pre-task plan board with Turner Construction. The day’s tasks were documented, along with potential safety hazards associated with the tasks and mitigations for those hazards.
The project benefited from using the energy wheel, a scientific tool for improving hazard recognition, to identify and mitigate hazards during pre-task planning.
Additional safety measures utilized on this project included the company’s glove matrix, hardhats with visors, and a ladders last mentality.
The glove matrix offers guidance for appropriate gloves for different tasks to help prevent hand injuries. The updated hardhats made it easier for workers to prevent potential eye injuries from falling particulates when working in ceilings.
Because ladders are a leading cause of construction injuries, Sturgeon Electric used lifts, which have greater stability and safety features, to reduce this risk of injury wherever possible – especially when pulling wire.
Perseverance Results in Project Success
Working in any airport comes with unique security requirements, complex logistics, and the need to time some construction work for the least disruption to travelers and airport tenants.
When necessary, Sturgeon Electric worked night shifts to accommodate the need to remove, replace, or relocate certain systems when there was less airport activity. Many of their tasks had to be fully executed during a single overnight shift.
The Sturgeon Electric team also persevered when additional complications arose. In one instance, a second-floor restaurant below the Club had a pollution control unit on the third floor which needed to be relocated to the roof, reinstalled, and operational in a single night. Getting it tied-in with a ventilation hood in the restaurant proved challenging, but the Sturgeon Electric team kept going – working 24 hours straight to ensure the tenant could provide food services without interruption.
Ultimately, Sturgeon Electric excelled throughout the project by finding solutions, working safely and maintaining a team perspective.
Related Project: Denver International Airport
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