SCA has been under contract for the past five years to assist NASA with over 2,000,000-sq. ft. of office, restaurants, assembly spaces, events center, parking and residential guest hotel project for a new Google complex located at NASA-Ames Research Facility. As a federal agency, NASA has a Building Department that does not process permits as done at a typical jurisdiction, but rather operates as construction management for improvements at the base. The Google site is a land-lease/joint-venture with Ames Research that involved a complex design on previously incorporated City of Mountain View property. The design was extremely innovative in its approach and utilized advanced engineering systems (non-dynamic linear design), as well as being in a flood plain, having underground vapor mitigation system, deep geothermal heat system, large-scale integrated photo-voltaic roof system and several alternative materials and method requests. SCA was initially brought in to review the primary building of the campus that comprise three separate structures over a common basement level, while other consulting firms were utilized to review site/civil improvements and future housing/garage structure. However, SCA was so much more successful and responsive to both the owner/design schedule and NASA’s code concerns, we were quickly promoted to complete the entire project reviews, as well as continual inspections. In fact, SCA’s involvement was so well received in this capacity, that we are now providing reviews for the historic hanger renovation and re-uses, as well a base infrastructure (such as roadways and bridges). These reviews are exclusively performed electronically, with document control through our administrative staff until approval and release for printing by the design team, and subsequently submitted to the base. Initially NASA had never undertaken such a large and dynamic process, and they didn’t understand how to streamline and maintain design/construction schedules. However, SCA worked with their management team, as well as Google/Whiting Turner and the designers, to guide the process into a jurisdictional model that is modified to accommodate the aggressive construction schedule. We provided preliminary code review of design development plans for the project, complete plan review and oversight of structural peer reviews, as well as continuing inspection team for on-going construction.
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