P1 Success with Garmin Brings Multiple Project Opportunities

Finished photos of Building 3 and video courtesy of Garmin.

They say when you do a job well you may be tasked with more – and more complex – work. This turned out to be true for P1, and the mechanical teams working at Garmin in Olathe, KS, were up to the challenge.

While the Building 3 renovation project was most recently in the spotlight, earning P1 the Outstanding Mechanical Installation (OMI) award from MCAKC, the history of P1’s work at Garmin began nearly a decade ago.

“It all started in 2016, with the construction of Building 5, a new warehouse and manufacturing facility,” Senior Project Manager Jason Quattlebaum said.

That project also earned P1 the OMI award in 2019, following its completion in 2018.

Above, photos from a 2018 tour through Building 5, still in progress at that time.

“It was this project that ultimately opened P1 up to Garmin’s full campus, giving us the opportunity to perform work in all of Garmin’s main campus buildings,” Jason added.

To date, P1 has performed – or is performing - a total of 86 different projects totaling nearly $57M dollars, with new projects rolling in regularly.

Above, a Wilkerson crane, one of the largest for moving massive equipment, recently removed and replaced the air handling unit on Building 1. The unit removed was the original unit, installed when the building was built around 1995. Building 1 is currently under construction with Phase 1 complete and turned over to Garmin, and Phase 2 scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.

The overall consistency in field staff throughout many of the projects has been one reason for P1's success.

“The field team has been pretty consistent, utilizing the same foremen on nearly every project. Some of the smaller projects may have had a different foreman, but for most, it’s been the same field leaders,” Jason said.

Sheet Metal Foreman Steve Turner says the field team’s seamless work has been a benefit to all the Garmin projects.

“When we restart all the teams, from the office to the field staff, everyone has been ready. We all had a plan and everyone did their part,” he said.

“I could not ask for a better field team. I’m proud of the way Plumbing Foreman John Ogden, Pipefitter Foreman Marcus Connor and I have worked together on the Garmin campus for all these projects.”

Jason describes the challenging Building 3 project as “essentially building a building inside of a building”.

The project began in 2019, on the heels of Building 5 completion, but was placed on hold due to the pandemic in 2020.

“Once the project resumed, we found it difficult to get the same personnel - who had all of the previous knowledge - back onsite as if we never missed a step,” Jason said.

But P1 did get the original staff back, resuming the project as needed.

“We originally built Building 5, which became Garmin’s new warehouse and manufacturing facility and once that was completed, the existing warehouse, which was in Building 3, and manufacturing space, which was in Building 1, was relocated to Building 5,” Jason said.

This cleared out Building 3, allowing Garmin to create more much-needed office space.

However, Building 3’s open warehouse design and 40’ ceilings didn’t lend itself to offices, so the plan was to build three floors within the structural constraints of the existing building…basically creating a building inside of an existing building.

The pandemic could have wreaked havoc with obtaining and setting equipment, but thanks to the proactive efforts of the team, the equipment was ordered in advance.

“We elected to get all equipment ordered ahead of time to avoid delays in the project but also to allow us the opportunity to get into areas as soon as possible knowing that the building was already dried in, and we didn’t have the normal concerns of water infiltration that occurs on most standard projects,” Jason said.

Pipefitter Foreman Marcus Connor says this alleviated a great deal of stress.

“Any time equipment was moved and set was a great feeling,” he said. “Many hours went into planning each specific item to alleviate any issues.”

As a result, P1 had the three chillers delivered to the jobsite in October of 2020, where they were staged in the hallway until the mechanical room was available for the equipment to be set.

Simultaneously, the P1 fabrication shop was building all of the chilled water and condenser water piping and pump skids, so the team could transition directly into the piping install when ready.

“We took possession of the chilled water and heating water mechanical rooms in late January and since all equipment had been previously released and all piping fabricated, it only took about three months to complete and start up each mechanical room and begin providing heating and chilled water to the facility ahead of schedule,” Jason said.

At the end of the day, communication and seamless work between all P1 single-source trades made the project a success, starting with P1’s Virtual Design & Construction (VDC)detailers, who helped set the pace.

“Since the VDC team was on schedule, the shop fabrication staff was able to meet deadlines,” Jason said.

“It allowed our field staff to get all of the hangers installed, piping & duct installed, testing completed, insulation installed and systems labeled before the first wall stud hit the floor. This led to smaller, more efficient field crews that were able to install an area at a time without obstacles that might have negatively impacted productivity.”

Jason says that because of VDC’s diligence and constant push for sign-off, essentially leading the BIM process for the entire project, P1 was able to perform installations on the HVAC piping, plumbing, and sheet metal scopes equally well.

Steve agreed.

“The VDC and office staff where able to keep ahead of install, allowing us to install a good portion of the duct ahead of walls, which was huge,” he said.

Marcus noted how good communication kept it all moving.

“Meetings with detailers were extremely helpful in coordination of piping prior to fabrication,” Marcus said. “We had good communication with all trades about needed time to complete phases, the fab shop on delivery arrival dates and lifting needs, and an in-depth schedule.”

“This led to the greatest victories, completing the job on-time and with-profit.”

Above, the completed Garmin Building 3 includes a state-of-the-art fitness center, multipurpose gymnasium, full-service cafeteria, office space, and engineering facilities.

WHAT P1 INSTALLED

The completed Building 3 is impressive, providing Garmin associates with a state-of-the-art fitness center, multipurpose gymnasium, full-service cafeteria, and 488,000 sq. ft. of office space and engineering facilities.

To make these spaces comfortable and functional for Garmin employees, P1 Construction installed the following equipment and systems:

(19) air handling units
(11) energy recovery units
(2) electric humidifiers
(3) 5,000 MBH boilers
(3) 600-ton mag chillers
(3) roof mounted cooling towers with a 6,000 gallon sump storage tank within the mechanical room
(10) CRAC units
(2) process air compressors with drier and storage tank
(11) ductless split systems
(16) fan coil units
(546) hot water VAV/FPVAV boxes throughout the entire facility

KEEPING IT ALL ON TRACK

P1’s Virtual Design and Construction experts were praised for their ability to put, and keep, project schedules on track during multiple Garmin projects.

Piping VDC Specialist Brandon Ruud notes that, like most projects today, communication is critical.

“We make every effort to stay in touch weekly, if not daily, with the field foremen, PMs, and detailers from other companies,” he said.

“The biggest challenge with existing buildings is making sure the model is correct compared to reality. A lot of time goes into field verifying all the existing trades and structures during the coordination process,” he added.

“If anything is off or out of place, it will typically lead to writing multiple RFI’s that can possibly change design and delay the schedule.”

Brandon also praised the field for their adaptability.

“The field did an excellent job of executing these installations and adjusting to all the changes that naturally take place during a project of this magnitude.”

Senior Sheet Metal VDC Specialist Nate Littlejohn says the project provided valuable best practices that can be carried into future jobs.

“This was a large and complex design build process. We developed a lot of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and best practices from the lessons learned on this job, especially for sheet metal, Nate said.

“Most important was working closely with the project manager to create a good system that allowed us to track and log all of the change orders and architect supplemental instruction (ASI) work so we were able to capture that cost.”

Above, from left: Building 3 F penthouse; mechanical room looking down; mechanical room looking south west.

AWARD-WINNING WORK

P1 was awarded not one but two “Outstanding Mechanical Installation” (OMI) awards from the Mechanical Contractors Association of Kansas City (MCAKC).

The first award came in 2019, for the construction of Garmin’s new warehouse, also known as “Building 5”. The award was in the “Plumbing over $2 Million” category.

Jason said the siphonic roof drainage set the project apart.

“What set this project apart was the utilization of a siphonic roof drainage system in lieu of the standard gravity drainage system. The siphonic system is a fully engineered system that utilizes suction (or vacuum) in the system to essentially pull water from the roof,” Jason said.

P1 fabricated the entire roof drainage system, mains and overflows, prior to installation, to help maintain strict dimensional tolerances in the field. It totaled more than 10,000 linear feet.

Above, Left: from left, David Mallicoat, Garmin; John Ogden, P1 Construction; Kelly Rauckman, Garmin; Jason Quattlebaum, P1 Construction. Above, Right: from right, 2024 Award, from left, Kollin Knox, P1 Construction; Marcus Connor, P1 Construction; Jason Quattlebaum, P1 Construction

P1 was recognized again this year (2024) with the OMI award in the “HVAC Piping over $5 Million” category for Building 3, the merits of which are highlighted in this article.

“It’s quite an honor,” noted P1 Construction President Kollin Knox.

“The OMI awards recognize the very best mechanical projects in Kansas City, honoring and promoting innovation and quality workmanship in the mechanical trade.”