Villi Electrical Group, Inc.

ABC of Western PA

2006 Award of Merit Recipient

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR - INSTITUTIONAL

Project Description Westminster College - Old Main Revitalization

37,605 Square Foot - 3 Floors

Owner  Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA

Larry Ratvasky, Project Manager   724-946-7019

Electrical Contract Value $ 906,195.00

This project consisted of the design, renovation and updating of electrical power, lighting, life safety and backup emergency electrical power systems to a landmark building for Westminster College "While retaining its distinctive historic character." 

The existing "Old Main" building was actually the third building on this site.  The first "Old Main" was built in 1855 and burned to the ground in 1861. 

The second "Old Main" was lost to fire in 1927 and was replaced with the current building in 1929.  Throughout the building's history, it has served as the academic, administrative, symbolic, and spiritual heart of the college.  However, infrastructure and other improvements were needed for Old Main to successfully accommodate the increasingly complex needs of today's educational programs.

The goal of the Old Main improvement project was to preserve the building's character and functions while upgrading its infrastructure, accessibility, teaching and public program areas, and general aesthetics to meet current standards and accommodate the broader educational needs of the 21st century.

What made this project unique was the attention to detail of the interior finishes. 

A landmark renovation requires perfect attention to detail and VEG rose to the challenge. 

It was the client's goal for the Look and Feel of the building not to be changed. 

When the building renovations were complete the building should look exactly as it did prior to the renovation with the exception of the paint being fresh.  i.e., it needed to offer a "Refreshed" but, Unchanged Appearance.

During the pre-construction investigations of the existing systems our personnel realized that the existing drawings from the previous building construction were not very accurate at all.  Villi Electrical Group Inc. personnel were instrumental in the redesign, of the power distribution and new lighting systems, required for the timely completion of this project. 

Performing a detailed site survey of the existing electrical and lighting distribution systems in the building before the start of the design helped VEG to accomplish this goal. 

Based upon the site survey, VEG made recommendations on how to update the building to present building codes and standards and also accommodate for future needs of the college.  All outdated power and lighting systems were removed and replaced with updated systems.  The existing systems did not provide for electrical system needs or requirements' of today's codes or allow for the demands of a modern office and classroom facility.

The intent of this project, for the owner, was to bring the college's most recognizable building into the next era of the college's life.  The current codes called for accessibility needs being met by the installation of an elevator and two (2) new restrooms to the building.   

The electrical demands of the modern classrooms were addressed for the Departments of Education and Economics & Business by incorporating power distribution for the student computers, the audio-visual equipment for the professors and instructors and for the wireless classroom application of the future.

The offices of student and administrative services such as the Chapel Office, Academic Affairs, Registrar, Business Offices, Institutional Advancement, Graduate Program and the President's Office all reside in Old Main and were required to stay in operation during the renovation of the building.  VEG help accomplish this by setting up temporary office space on campus to allow the displaced departments to have a home while under construction. 

The building remained in operation during the entire renovation and crews worked night shifts to help accomplish this goal.  The end of the business day was the start of the construction day for the building and by the time the occupants returned the next day there were no traces of the work that had taken place the night before.

Safety As with any VEG project, Safety is #1. 

Our team at VEG's successful implementation of our Safety Program allowed this project to be completed with No Lost Time Injuries. 

This in itself is a tribute to the superior project control exhibited by our project team.

Other facets of our teams superior performance were exhibited in the following arena's:

Design-Build Construction

Through Inventive Re-Design and the use of Cost and Time Saving innovations the Villi Electrical Group and Bridges Construction Team were able to maintain the initial Electrical Cost Estimates of this project, while delivering greater value to the project owner.

Aggressive Scheduling

The use of VEG's design/build expertise in conjunction with the re-design of the affected Project systems allowed for the owner to take possession of this facility on schedule and on budget.

Quality - Value - Service

The entire time this project was being constructed VEG kept a careful eye on the QUALITY of the final product.  This project was completed with the maximum level of VALUE allowed for the dollars spent to insure that the public while using this facility would realize many years of continued SERVICE.

Merit Shop

This project was just another fine example of a Merit Shop Contractor applying its' resources for the successful completion of a Major Institutional Renovation.

Without the Value Added Engineering and Construction performed on this project, by VEG, this project would not have been completed on budget and on schedule.

Villi Electrical Group Inc is Proud to be a member of ABC and Equally as proud to have represented the Merit Shop Community and ABC on this project.