Quick Turn Around Facilities - A Look at Improvements at IAA

When buildings that need repair are used 24/7 365 days a year, developing a plan for facility improvements requires a little more thought and care. Here’s how 5 Quick Turn Around (QTA) buildings totaling 26,500 square feet on an 8-acre site were rehabilitated.

Background and Goal

Three different rental car agencies operate in the 5 QTA buildings leased by the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA). Each building features an office area, restrooms, maintenance bays for vehicles, wash bays and open canopies for serving returned vehicles. The goal was to rehabilitate each building to improve its condition to current standards for longevity as the Car Rental Agencies could process a combined 3,000 or more vehicles per day, directly affecting passengers and airport operations.

Scope of Improvements

The buildings were built in 2008. Due to budgetary constraints, the buildings were built to a minimum design criteria resulting in reduced life spans for some of the materials and systems. The Etica Group team assessed each building to rate the conditions of the site, building envelope, MEP system and interior finishes. The project focused on items deemed to be near failing in the next year to five years. The results of the assessment identified the following elements to be included in the project.

• Building Envelope: The building exteriors were seeing cracks in the Concrete Masonry Units (CMU). Due to lack of exterior maintenance, water had infiltrated the building. The roofs had issues of age and poor initial construction which included lack of proper sealing along the roof seams.

• MEP: Due to budget constraints upon initial construction, the MEP systems were under designed and outdated. It was also discovered they had not been installed properly during the original construction.

• Site: The asphalt throughout the site was cracked, due to age, splitting and had potholes. The initial budget did not include funds for extensive asphalt repair, but when IAA facilities personnel came for a site visit about the project, it was deemed necessary to increase the project funding to include these elements.

• Interiors: The budget was limited, and the tenants expressed the ability to complete certain interior finish improvements themselves. So this area focused on doors, hardware, ceilings and flooring.

  
  

Issues Identified During Construction

The existing oil/water separator tanks were to be removed and replaced as part of the QTA Buildings 111-115 project. It was discovered they had not been originally piped correctly. Other unknown pipe misconfigurations were exposed during implementation of piping corrections and upgrades.

While the initial fix was being implemented, it caused a secondary issue with an overflow. At that point, the work was paused while Etica Group brought the team out within the day to review existing conditions. The pit was drained, and another concealed piping issue was identified and corrected.

By being proactive and working quickly, Etica Group coordinated with the team to keep the project moving forward while minimizing down time for the rental car vendors and contractors. A modified fix was implemented for the remaining oil/water separators.

Results

The project is complete, having renovated most of the major deficiencies identified in the study. The total investment to renovate the 26,500 square feet of space across the 5 buildings was $5.8M. The project did take longer than anticipated, but it was primarily due to subcontractor availability and diligently working with each tenant to minimize down time for operations.

Impact

Airports have many customers. The passengers of the flights. The staff of the airlines. The vendors and tenants. While many of the customers utilize spaces the general public never sees, it doesn’t mean the space is any less important. Not all money can be spent on projects the passenger sees, but it still impacts the experience at the airport. Investing and working with the tenants on their projects is critical for success at any airport. Working with a team who understands how to prioritize needs and phase projects to minimize down time is critical for success.