A NEW DANCING MOOSE CAMPUS
Drew Taft
Museum Campus opens in Lehi
ARTICLE BY: Drew Taft - PROJECT MANAGER
Expanding Education
Dancing Moose Montessori Schools offer a hands-on approach to learning, both inside the classroom and outside in their gardens. Part of their model is ensure schools are built in accessible commercial locations that caters to working parents, allowing them easy drop-off and pickup access during the workday. When Dancing Moose decided to expand, they partnered with SIRQ Inc. and GSL Electric was fortunate to be selected to provide electrical design and installation on the project. The new campus would be constructed at Thanksgiving Point to provide educational access to families in Lehi and the areas that surround it.
Dancing Moose schools offer comprehensive resources for their students to provide the best possible educational experience to their students.
The scope of the project was complex and required significant coordination between the contractors, the project owner, and the local power company. The schedule was arranged to be completed within two years, which included the electrical design in addition to the installation. GSL Electric's prefabrication department was instrumental in this project and allowed them to keep the crew size small throughout the majority of the project's duration. Preparing devices in advance improved our overall efficiency, allowing us to avoid trade stacking, and hit project schedule targets. We were able to maintain a small and effective crew of 3 to 4 electricians throughout the duration of the work.
Coordination and collaboration were essential on this project because they allowed us to complete a variety of tasks without impacting the schedule. We worked with the owner on the electrical design to provide a system that could incorporate equipment that Owner already possessed. One of the most significant challenges presented itself at the start of the project when the local power company determined that the project team would need to provide power from a different location, which would have cost the customer an additional 7% to in electrical scope. However, GSL Electric's engineering and project management teams worked closely with the power company to find a solution that would not result in any additional costs to the project and allow for the power to be provided without the use of the alternative location.
Safety is a cultural touchstone at GSL Electric, and I am always proud of the efforts of our field teams to maintain that mindset. Throughout the entire 2 year duration of the project, our electricians were able to complete the entire installation without a single recordable injury or safety violation.
Ultimately, our Design-Build efforts on the Museum Campus were successful thanks to significant coordination, communication, and collaboration between the all the parties involved. The challenges presented required innovative solutions and a commitment to meeting the our high safety and craftsmanship standards, while keeping up with the tight construction timeline. Embracing lean construction principals to find solutions, and the use of prefabrication allowed the project team to overcome obstacles and complete the project within the scheduled timeframe. GSL Electric is proud to have been a part of this project and looks forward to future opportunities to work with these partners again on other projects down the line.
