Navy Federal Credit Union

Experience, Professionalism, and Creative Consideration in a 24/7 Facility:

The Shapiro & Duncan- Navy Federal Credit Union Story

WHY IT MATTERS

Leveraging experience to navigate project challenges. This project required adhering to pre-established security measures implemented in the campus’ existing structures.
Leadership knowledge to coordinate entire project teams to ensure on-time and on-budget completion. Shapiro & Duncan’s expert team took on the role of on-site executor on this project. This meant ensuring all phases of the project and team members were progressing efficiently and in a timely manner.
Reputation for quality and expertise. Shapiro & Duncan was chosen for this job as a result of their proven experience in the construction space, their reputation as an industry leader, and in-house BIM and Pre-Fab Shop.

THE CHALLENGE

The project to construct Building #3 in Navy Federal Credit Union’s Call Center campus located in Winchester, VA, came about as a strategic investment by the organization to expand its operations into 24/7 service. The new facility also adds 1,400 employees to its staff and provides a wealth of expanded employee and wellness benefits.

The project’s largest challenges were due to the 24/7 nature of the facility itself, which, by definition, left no room for downtime while the project was underway. The Shapiro & Duncan team had to be particularly mindful of the noise factor so as not to disturb the activity constantly going on around the work, and maintain high levels of cleanliness to work alongside the facility’s employees.

UNIQUE ELEMENTS

24/7 Functionality. Building #3 functions as a 24/7 call center facility. As a result, Shapiro & Duncan had to consider systems and materials that are able to operate on that schedule and function at top capacity while the building is occupied and in use all day, every day.
Security Requirements. The Winchester call center campus uses a full ‘ensemble’ security system for each of the buildings that is interconnected for maximum efficiency. As construction progressed on Building #3, Shapiro & Duncan’s team was required to first set the new facility up as a standalone system until it could be integrated with the larger network. This required additional steps and proactive planning at various phases of the project.

THE SOLUTION

The Shapiro & Duncan team officially broke ground in the late winter of 2018, and got right to work to address the needs and goals of the project at Building #3. The total facility space of 245,000 square feet was to also include a fitness center and dance studio as a way for Navy Federal Credit Union to promote wellness initiatives among its staff.

Throughout all phases of the project, the Shapiro & Duncan team was responsible for leading the MEP coordination effort. This meant accomplishing the following tasks to ensure timely completion of the project overall:

Proactive management of BIM drawings to ensure accurate planning for each step of the project and ensure as many unforeseen issues in the field are anticipated ahead time.
Coordination of all trades and outside contractors to uphold a high level of quality and productivity throughout the project. Chief trades who participated in this project were teams from Airway Sheet Metal. Shapiro & Duncan also coordinated with outside sprinkler technicians, electricians, and others at various stages of the work.
Conduct Pre-Fab material development on-site at Shapiro & Duncan, to prepare materials in am more controlled environment before they arrive on the job site. This helps to maintain top quality as well as uphold overall project schedule and budgetary constraints.

RESULTS – THE SHAPIRO & DUNCAN DIFFERENCE

Start-to-finish completion of the completely new 245,000 square foot space. Throughout each phase of the project, Shapiro & Duncan’s team played a leading role, driven, in large part, by the extensive experience and reputation for quality work that landed them the job. Ability to plan for unforeseen issues and use their on-site Pre-Fab shop to create materials helped to ensure on-time and on-budget completion of each element of the project.
Consideration of security measures, new on-site employee amenities, and existing structure aesthetic parameters to work within. Building #3 was being added to an already-developed campus, Shapiro & Duncan team members had to work within the confines of pre-established security measures, and the steel beam structure of the other buildings to preserve a consistent look and feel. The addition of the on-site amenities, including a fitness center and dance studio, also added to the level of work to be done in this project to satisfy the needs of the Navy Federal Credit Union.

“Shapiro & Duncan’s professionalism, in-depth knowledge, and level of experience were essential to our decision to work with them on the build-out of Building #3 on our Winchester Call Center campus. Not only is it a large space, it is up and running 24/7, which required a high level of consideration to navigate key activities and work alongside the facility occupants without disturbance. Throughout each phase, Shapiro & Duncan made sure each step was completed and each piece of the puzzle was placed, on-time and on-budget.”

-Zachary Gard, Project Manager, HITT Contracting

THE BOTTOM LINE

Shapiro & Duncan’s expertise was an essential element in the on-time and on-budget completion of Navy Federal Credit Union’s Winchester Call Center Campus Building #3. Creativity and experience were required to navigate the nuances of the 24/7 operational nature of the facility and its security systems to achieve project goals and desired outcomes.