How A Centergate At Gratigny Building Project Led To Innovation In Construction Sequencing
When Foundry Commercial approached Miller Construction Co. to help build two quarter-mile long properties in less than 10 months, the general contractor saw a chance to break industry paradigms.
Miller, founded in 1973, has built over 5M SF of industrial space. For Foundry Commercial South Florida managing director of development and investments Ford Gibson, the company was a natural choice to build the $25M second phase of Centergate at Gratigny Industrial Park.
“Miller’s team knows how to tackle complex challenges, perform and deliver,” Gibson said.
Filling a need for industrial space in Miami-Dade County, Miller was tasked with building twin, 301K SF buildings, each with 32-foot clear height and 54-foot column spacing for efficient racking, and a 185-foot truck court with a 60-foot speed bay.
Faced with a property of this scale, and an expedited timeline, Miller streamlined the traditional construction sequence. The tilt-wall process normally has crews pour large concrete panels on-site, hoist all of them into place and then install steel structural reinforcements. Miller’s team brought in steel tradesmen to start work sooner, when just a quarter of each building had tilt panels in place. This process shaved several weeks off construction.
“We knew the critical path had to run directly through structural steel,” Miller senior vice president Brian Sudduth said. Under this model, Miller Construction poured 28,000 yards of concrete in 90 days, with steel work advancing as the walls took shape. “The project proved to us that, for buildings of at least 150K SF, this approach can yield speed and high quality, while cutting the owner's costs.”
Miller Construction also saved time by tilting both buildings at the same time, roofing one end of the building while pouring concrete at the other. Sudduth said it almost became a competition.
“It was as though the two buildings raced each other to the end, with a 330-ton Crawler crane switching buildings each morning,” he said. Miller Construction treated the entire build like a race, pouring concrete six days a week, including 75 nighttime pours.
Miller completed the second phase of Centergate at Gratigny on time and within budget. In an industry that often sticks with tried-and-true methods, the general contractor went against the grain, leveraging its experience — and the pressure of a tight deadline — to re-examine the entire construction timeline. Centergate represents the latest in innovation from a company that for decades has taken fresh approaches to tough challenges across all commercial real estate sectors.
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