Largo Community Center - largocommunitycenter

01 Title.JPG
01 Title.JPG 2010-11-19

01 January.JPG
01 January.JPG 2010-11-19

01.jpg
01.jpg 2010-01-04

01 Site.JPG
01 Site.JPG 2010-01-15

01 Groundbreaking.JPG
01 Groundbreaking.JPG 2010-11-19

01 Joan.JPG
01 Joan.JPG 2010-01-23

01 Henry.jpg
01 Henry.jpg 2010-01-23

01 Mayor.JPG
01 Mayor.JPG 2010-01-23

01 Officials.jpg
01 Officials.jpg 2010-01-23

02 February.JPG
02 February.JPG 2010-11-19

02.jpg
02.jpg 2010-02-03

02 Underground.JPG
02 Underground.JPG 2010-02-09

02 Footer Steel.JPG
02 Footer Steel.JPG 2010-02-02

02 Slab Prep - East.jpg
02 Slab Prep - East.jpg 2010-02-25

02 Slab with Rebar.jpg
02 Slab with Rebar.jpg 2010-02-26

02 Slab in Progress.jpg
02 Slab in Progress.jpg 2010-02-26

03 March.JPG
03 March.JPG 2010-11-19

03.jpg
03.jpg 2010-03-01

03 Electrical.JPG
03 Electrical.JPG 2010-03-02

03 Artwork.JPG
03 Artwork.JPG 2010-03-17

03 Tilt Panels.JPG
03 Tilt Panels.JPG 2010-11-19

03 Slab with Start of Panels.JPG
03 Slab with Start of Panels.JPG 2010-03-03

03 Panels.JPG
03 Panels.JPG 2010-03-18

03 Slab.JPG
03 Slab.JPG 2010-03-06

04 April.JPG
04 April.JPG 2010-11-19

04.jpg
04.jpg 2010-04-01

04 Panel Pick.jpg
04 Panel Pick.jpg 2010-11-19

04 Panel Set.jpg
04 Panel Set.jpg 2010-11-19

04 Beam Set.JPG
04 Beam Set.JPG 2010-04-14

04 Steel.JPG
04 Steel.JPG 2010-11-19

04 Stage.JPG
04 Stage.JPG 2010-04-15

04 Ductwork.JPG
04 Ductwork.JPG 2010-04-28

05 May.JPG
05 May.JPG 2010-11-19

05.jpg
05.jpg 2010-05-03

05 Commons.JPG
05 Commons.JPG 2010-05-10

05 Commons Roof.JPG
05 Commons Roof.JPG 2010-05-27

05 Corridor.JPG
05 Corridor.JPG 2010-05-25

05 North Exterior.JPG
05 North Exterior.JPG 2010-05-27

05 Multi-Purpose Roof.JPG
05 Multi-Purpose Roof.JPG 2010-05-25

06 June.JPG
06 June.JPG 2010-11-19

06.jpg
06.jpg 2010-06-01

06 Drywall.JPG
06 Drywall.JPG 2010-06-02

06 Chillers.JPG
06 Chillers.JPG 2010-06-14

06 Landscape.JPG
06 Landscape.JPG 2010-06-22

06 Trees.JPG
06 Trees.JPG 2010-06-26

06 Roof.JPG
06 Roof.JPG 2010-06-07

07 July.JPG
07 July.JPG 2010-11-19

07.jpg
07.jpg 2010-07-01

07 Clouds.JPG
07 Clouds.JPG 2010-07-26

07 Kitchen Hood.JPG
07 Kitchen Hood.JPG 2010-07-08

07 South Side Water Feature.JPG
07 South Side Water Feature.JPG 2010-07-07

07 Windows.JPG
07 Windows.JPG 2010-07-21

07 Roof line.JPG
07 Roof line.JPG 2010-07-21

08 August.JPG
08 August.JPG 2010-11-19

08 Aerial.jpg
08 Aerial.jpg 2010-08-02

08 Bathroom.JPG
08 Bathroom.JPG 2010-08-20

08 Chiller Yard.JPG
08 Chiller Yard.JPG 2010-08-31

08 Fitness.JPG
08 Fitness.JPG 2010-08-09

08 Stone Veneer.JPG
08 Stone Veneer.JPG 2010-08-13

08 Ballroom.JPG
08 Ballroom.JPG 2010-08-30

09 September.JPG
09 September.JPG 2010-11-19

09 Aerial.jpg
09 Aerial.jpg 2010-09-01

09 Art Studio.JPG
09 Art Studio.JPG 2010-09-23

09 Kitchen.JPG
09 Kitchen.JPG 2010-09-16

09 Staff.JPG
09 Staff.JPG 2010-09-23

09 Southern Elevation.JPG
09 Southern Elevation.JPG 2010-09-15

09 PV Card.JPG
09 PV Card.JPG 2010-11-19

09 PV System.JPG
09 PV System.JPG 2010-09-16

10 October.JPG
10 October.JPG 2010-11-19

10 Aerial.jpg
10 Aerial.jpg 2010-10-01

10 Staff.JPG
10 Staff.JPG 2010-10-16

10 Studio B.JPG
10 Studio B.JPG 2010-10-16

10 Studio C.JPG
10 Studio C.JPG 2010-10-25

10 Mural.JPG
10 Mural.JPG 2010-11-01

10 Southern Water Feature.JPG
10 Southern Water Feature.JPG 2010-10-18

11 November.JPG
11 November.JPG 2010-11-19

11 Aerial.jpg
11 Aerial.jpg 2010-11-01

11 Ballroom.JPG
11 Ballroom.JPG 2010-11-01

11 Commons.JPG
11 Commons.JPG 2010-11-04

11 Studio A.JPG
11 Studio A.JPG 2010-11-04

11 North Elevation.JPG
11 North Elevation.JPG 2010-11-01

11 Southern Elevation.JPG
11 Southern Elevation.JPG 2010-11-01

Final.jpg
Final.jpg 2010-11-19

You'll notice a lot of changes on our home page this update.

 

The reason for this is very simple - the City of Largo issued a Certificate of Completion for the new Largo Community Center on November 16, 2010.  This recognizes that construction of the new facility is now substantially complete.

 

Substantial completion is not final completion, however, and a Certificate of Completion is not the same as a Certificate of Occupancy.  When a construction manager informs their team that they believe their work to be substantially complete, an extensive series of inspections are scheduled.  The purpose of these inspections is to double check the construction manager's work and make certain that everything has been done to the owner's satisfaction.

 

(If this process is starting to sound familiar, it's because Creative Contractors does the same thing to our subcontractors as part of the "Zero Punch" program.)

 

Once these final quality control checks are finished, and the last of the corrective work is approved, the team confirms that the project is substantially complete. 

 

We are now in the period between substantial and final completion.  Members of the City of Largo staff are being trained in how their new building works.  Training sessions have already taken place on the plumbing, electrical and air conditioning systems.  Training on the audio visual systems and the irrigation system are soon to follow.

 

Machinery and equipment is off site, soon to be replaced by new furnishings.  Subcontractors have moved on to other projects, leaving a skeleton crew behind to address any last minute owner concerns.  Even these few will soon be replaced by the Community Center's permanent staff.

 

And Creative Contractors has started assembling the warranties and record documents that will be turned over to the City for their records.  These documents are their reassurance that we believe in the work we did on this project, and we will stand by that belief in the years to come in every way that counts.

 

Once the last "i" is dotted and the last adjustment is made, then the Certificate of Occupancy will be issued.

 

Then the construction phase will be finally complete.

Paper is coming off the floor, and protective coverings are being peeled away.  Hammers, nail guns and screwdrivers are being replaced by brushes, mops and vacuums.

The construction phase is coming to a close.  Substantial completion is imminent.  You can see it in a million different ways as you walk across the site and through the building.  The block-outs in the spline wall that were set in place last spring are now filled with brightly colored bits of glass.  The different floorings that you’ve only ever seen samples of are now in place.

 

Signs have been installed – rooms you’ve only known as their designation on a set of plans have taken on their permanent identity.  The sound system is installed and being tested, and lush green grass carpets the south side of the property.  Water features at the north and south entrance are primed and working, and the monument sign at Alternate Keene Road proudly proclaims “Coming Soon”.

 

This weekend final electrical tie-ins will take place.  The photo-voltaic system and the emergency generator will be tied into the building’s grid, making them an integral part of the Largo Community Center.

 

While all the trades are finishing their work – while every last screw is being turned, every countertop being set in place, and every last wire being pulled – Creative Contractors is performing their final Zero Punch walk through inspections.  Lists of items are being distributed, and everyone is working hard to present the highest quality, most complete building possible for final inspection by the architect and the City of Largo.

 

We will be doing one final journal update next week for the construction portion of this site, discussing the differences between substantial and final completion and showing you end results of things that have only been hinted at for all these many months.  In order to help you pass the time until then, we encourage you to look at the new pictures that have been posted, and to watch our “Before and After” video.  The “After” pictures aren’t as complete as they could be, but it does give you some idea of the dramatic difference that takes place over the months that make up a construction project.

If you visit our job site these days, you will see signs posted throughout the building proclaiming "Zero Punch".

 

It's not an anti-bullying campaign.  "Zero Punch" is the heart and soul of Creative Contractors' approach to construction, and at its most basic refers to having the smallest possible punch list at the end of a job.

 

For those reading this who might not be familiar with the idea of a punch list, Wikipedia defines the term as "a document used in the architecture and building trades in the United States to organize the completion of a construction project".

 

In practice, this is the list of items a contractor will receive near the end of the project from the architect - and sometimes the owner - of items that are not completed properly, or are not acceptable quality.  It is generally understood that a large punch list at the end of the job is a sign of mediocre or slipshod work during construction.

 

Responsibility for a large punch list falls on everybody - the people doing the work, as well as the construction manager responsible for coordinating and overseeing the work.

 

Creative Contractors believes that attention to quality and detail starts from the first day on the job.  Subcontractors are encouraged to pay extra close attention to the quality and correctness of their work during installation.  At various points troughout the project you will likely find everyone on the Creative Contractors team, from the Project Manager all the way to the Project Coordinator, in the field helping the superintendent monitor the work being performed.

 

The "Zero Punch" approach means that projects are completed on time, within budget, and with minimal punch lists.  Minimal punch lists lead to a quicker closeout of the construction phase of the project, and a smooth transition to final occupancy.