WIESBADEN, Germany - With the opening celebration of the new break room at the Amelia Earhart Center, Dec. 15, 2010, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District officially completes its $5 million office renovation project.
According to Dale Free, Logistic Management chief, the project started more than a year ago and changed nearly every square inch of the district.
Renovations included complete alteration of approximately 18,300 square-meters of office space, three elevators and critical infrastructure changes while district work continued.
"It was an enormous undertaking," said Free. "The planning, organization and execution of a project of this size was extensive. There was a lot of moving parts and took a dedicated team to execute."
Free attributes a major part of the project's success to the team leader, Heath Drako, a logistics management specialist and his team.
"This project improved the quality of work life of all the employees at the AEC and was mainly about organization and timing," said Drako. "Before I started the project, I had no idea how important teamwork was going to be to this project's success."
The project required the cooperation of several branches within the district including contracting, counsel, information management, logistics, and more.
According to Drako, the office layout was completely reconfigured. He says more than 6,000 square-meters of carpet were installed with nearly 11,700 square-meters of surfaces painted. Approximately 1,900 square-meters of noise reducing ceiling tiles were put in place and 35,000 meters of cable were laid.
"All of the renovations occurred while employees continued to work every day," said Drako. "We moved personnel one half of a floor at a time. Then, swing spaces or temporary workstations were provided for the more than 325 district employees."
Floor by floor, employees moved their belongings to another space. The Information Management branch then moved more than 700 personal computers, printers, monitors and phones to the transitory locations.
In the end, more than 300 workstations, 16 conference rooms, team and training rooms were equipped with new lighting and furniture. When each space was finished, IM moved every computer, monitor and phone back.
"We worked evenings and weekends to disassemble and reassemble the entire IT equipment," said Keith Hartigan, a system administrator with IM. "It was a lot of work, but luckily we received help from volunteers outside this office. That made it a little easier on us."
New furniture, lower cubicle walls, and better lighting gives the workspaces more natural light and a more open feel, said Drako.
Besides renovations to the workspaces, safety, health and welfare upgrades were incorporated into the project.
Contractors installed two new, higher capacity elevators and renovated the service elevator.
"Previously, the elevators held about seven people and they didn't always work," said Shelia Jones, an administrative support assistant. "Now, twice as many people can get into them comfortably. When you work on the eighth floor, it's nice to know the elevators are safe and reliable."
Upgrades to the AEC gym included new equipment and flooring.
With the conversion of the bar, located next door to the AEC Playhouse, to a break room, employees can have lunch together, relax or participate in command-sponsored events.
"The additions of the break room and the gym are huge qualify-of-life issues," said Drako. "Now employees can take their lunches away from their desks or head to the gym to de-stress, that's important."
When the project was completely finished Drako and his team received a team award for their outstanding contribution to the district.
"I learned a lot, now I can see how all the branches come together to bring a projects to fruition," said Drako. "I'm glad it's over, but I think the outcome is fantastic. This is a great place to work."
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