Case Study: Comparison of four buildings at universities
Case Study Summary
The four projects listed below are all academic buildings of similar construction and use, being built around the same time frame. Of the projects, three Design/Bid/Build projects with a square cost between $355.40 to $534.33 compared to the Construction Manager at Risk of $679.44. If you take the difference between the highest Design/Bid/Build cost and the Cosntruction Manager at Risk you get an additional cost for Construction Manager at Risk of $145.11 per sqft.
Levy Hall Academic Building University of Wisconsin Madison
This is a new multi-story 142,000 sqft academic building that will house 8 departments of the College of Letters & Science is under construction. The proposed building will include 13 classrooms ranging from 24 seats to 426 seats, along with offices and support areas of each department. The new facility will be a cast-in-place concrete structure. The exterior will be a combination of brick, architectural precast panels, aluminum curtain all and alumni storefront cladding. Interior partitions are primarily metal studs and drywall with cold core wood doors and hollow metal frames. Floors are primarily epoxy terrazzo, carpet, polished concrete and porcelain tile; ceilings are primarily acoustical panel lay-in, drywall, acoustical plaster, and exposed structure. This project is a Design/Build Build Project with a bid date of November 8, 2023. The contract amount for this project is $75,875,069 for a sqft cost of $534.33. Davis Bacon Carpenter rates for Dane County is $65.92/hour.
New Health and Science Building University of Wisconson Eau Claire
There is a new multi-story 330,000 sqft academic building that will house 5 departments from the University is under construction. The building is cast in place concrete frame on deep foundation system connected to campus utilities. It is a five-story building with an additional 6th floor that includes mechanical equipment spaces, a greenhouse, and an observatory. Exterior enclosure is a rainscreen cavity wall with CMU and face brick, and curtain wall glazing systems. The building is by code a high-rise due to the site of the 6th floor level enclosed area. Interior spaces include teaching and research labs, offices and support spaces for multiple departments. The ground level includes a planetarium. This project is Design/Bid/Build Project with a bid date of April 18, 2024. The contract amount for this project is $163,309,000 for a sqft cost of $494.87. Davis Bacon Carpenter rate for Eau Claire County is $65.92/hour.
New Pharmacy building University of Iowa
This is a new multi-story 228,371 sqft academic building that house the College of Pharmacy was completed in 2020. The building consists of a six-story, rectangular shaped academic/research tower and an adjacent three-story structure that house the lobby, commons and large teaching spaces. Exterior enclosure is a combination of buff-colored terracotta panels, metal panels and glass. This project was a Design/Bid/Build Project that was bid in late 2016. The construction budget was $74,634,818 for a sqft cost of $326.81.
New Health Sciences Academic Building University of Iowa
This is a new multi-story 263,000 sqft academic building that will house 3 departments of the University is under constructions. The building is a combination of cast in place concrete and structural steel. It is six-story building with a 7th level for mechanical equipment spaces. The exterior enclosure is curtainwall glazing systems and aluminum panel. The space will include academic, research, administrative and clinical spaces. This project is a Construction Management at Risk a GMP date of November 2, 2023. The contract amount for this project is $178,689,688 for a sqft cost of $679.44. Davis Bacon Carpenter rate for Johnson County is $56.24/hr.
| Levy Hall Academic Building University of Wisconsin Madison | Health and Science Building University of Wisconson Eau Claire | Pharmacy building University of Iowa | Health Sciences Academic Building University of Iowa | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Construction Delivery System |
Design/Bid/Build |
Design/Bid/Build |
Design/Bid/Build |
Construction Management at Risk |
|
Total Sq Ft |
142,000 sqft |
330,000 sqft |
228,371 |
263,000 |
|
Total Cost |
$75,875,069 |
$163,309,000 |
$74,634,818 |
$178,689,688 |
|
Cost per SqFt |
$534.33 per sqft |
$494.87 per sqft |
$326.81 per sqft |
$679.44 per sqft |
Conclusion
Of the projects, three Design/Bid/Build projects with a square cost between $355.40 to $534.33 compared to the Construction Manager at Risk of $679.44. If you take the difference between the highest Design/Bid/Build cost and the Cosntruction Manager at Risk you get an additional cost for Construction Manager at Risk of $145.11 per sqft.
At 263,000 sqft, that is an additional $38,163,930 to construct the New Health Sciences Academic Building at the University of Iowa. One has to wonder what the Tax Payers and tuition paying students of Iowa are getting for the additional $38,163,930 they are being asked to fund using their hard-earned tax dollar and tuition.
