The right projects at the right time: Supporting clients during COVID-19

May 11, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by TSP.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced businesses of all sizes to evolve on the fly. Meeting challenges in the COVID-19 era demands that workers minimize disruptions and find a new normal. For TSP Inc., that means building on what the firm does best: serving clients to make them better, faster and stronger — now and on the other side of this global event. 

TSP’s architects, engineers and interior designers are helping clients identify the right projects to develop health care resources for their communities, keep their own teams working and emerge ready to take advantage of the economic recovery that awaits. 

“Obviously, now may not be the best time for everyone to invest resources in building projects. But here are opportunities for us to help the right client do the right project at the right time,” said Tim Jensen, managing principal of TSP’s Sioux Falls office.

“We’re seeing that not only with our health care partners but also with school districts, civic and government entities and private-business clients.” 

The work climate 

TSP’s lengthy experience in long-distance collaboration across a regional footprint is proving invaluable. The firm keeps up to the moment on directives from governors across several states as well as on local responses from mayors making the best decisions for their residents. 

“Our work isn’t stopping, and I think communication becomes that much more important,” said Mike Young, a TSP architectural designer in Rochester, Minn.

We are a critical industry in Minnesota because we have a major role during construction and in how we support what contractors are doing.” 

The pandemic’s effects on clients’ daily operations is as varied as the groups themselves. Some organizations are stretching out their construction schedules to manage cash flow and avoid pressing the pause button. Others can’t move fast enough to complete work already in progress. 

“We’re seeing low interest rates, so money is ‘cheap.’ Contractors are eager to work because some projects have gone on hold, and that’s created a hole in their planning,” Jensen said. “The bidding climate appears to be really good right now.”  

Critical health care needs 

Hospitals, neighborhood centers and residential facilities will be hardest hit as the pandemic surges. TSP’s full-service, integrated approach enabled its in-house engineers to advise fast, safe changes to meet critical health needs. 

Decision-makers at Sanford Health wanted to reconfigure the design of air-handling units in an ongoing construction project with TSP at the local medical center campus. Their goal: adapt the units to run negative-air-pressure rooms as long as the virus’ peak requires. These controlled environments help contain viruses and other contaminants by trapping potentially harmful particles within the negative-pressure spaces.  

“The industry is starting to develop some emergency guidelines for getting these systems running quickly,” senior mechanical engineer Roger Nikolas said.

“With ventilation systems in particular, we don’t have time to make all the modifications we typically would when we design airborne-infection isolation rooms from scratch. But best practices are still very, very important, and we need to balance that to protect patients and staff while giving them what they need now.” 

TSP also worked with longtime clients at Monument Health in Rapid City to fit up shell space as temporary isolation rooms.

As at Sanford Health, designs must be sound and safe in the short term but flexible enough to avoid unnecessary cost and rework when the crisis passes and health systems convert those rooms to serve originally intended functions.  

Empty school buildings  

K-12 school districts and higher-education institutions typically plan major construction phases for summer break. The pandemic has shifted nearly all education nationwide to distance learning, creating a longer construction window. 

TSP’s large-scale builds at Brooklyn Center Community Schools in Minnesota are moving ahead of schedule because crews have access to unoccupied spaces sooner than planned. Another K-12 district in that same state, MACCRAY Public Schools, is holding virtual work sessions to manage its planning and design effort.  

Other school districts and college campuses are using this time to make incremental upgrades. Entry vestibules, controlled-access doors and integrated video-surveillance and alarm systems all are smart ways to get a head start on preparations for the next academic year. Some of those elements are part of a TSP-designed project at Vermillion High School. The district just broke ground on a 6,000-square-foot addition for administrative offices, alternative-program spaces and a new secure entrance.  

Civic safety and life-quality projects 

The public-safety sector is a major player in local communities’ COVID-19 response. With a virtual groundbreaking on Sioux Falls Fire Rescue Station 12 and continued work with EMS facilities, law enforcement and dispatch hubs, TSP is serving clients who save lives and protect property. 

Construction also is moving along on the new city hall in Dundas, Minn., and for phased renovations at the City & School Administration Center in Rapid City. As the pandemic stretches on, some local leaders are considering the possibility that their parks facilities and grounds might miss the spring or even summer seasons altogether. That has spurred them to examine whether they can take on additional projects or expand the scope of new construction to get more for the taxpayer dollar during a favorable bidding climate. 

 “All of that is valid,” said Jensen, the local managing principal who also is a senior electrical engineer. “Anywhere they can’t operate right now, they’re looking at work that needs to be done.” 

The new ‘business as usual’ 

Project Manager Ed Lund has been part of many design and construction industry innovations during his 45-year career. He believes the pandemic will change the landscape of those fields even after coronavirus cases dwindle. He’s now using Google Duo and other live-video apps to take virtual walk-throughs of builds with contractors or job supervisors on location. 

“There’s nothing like being on site on a project, so on-site meetings are still very, very valuable,” Lund said. “But these intermittent video conversations are going to become priceless.” 

TSP team members who need to be on location typically schedule their observation visits during the construction crew’s off-hours. They wear masks and gloves, observe social distancing when meeting in person and follow recommended guidelines to reduce exposure for themselves and others. 

“We know from our manufacturing-industry clients that there are real delays in some materials and supply chains,” Jensen said.

“Some of them have temporarily shifted their efforts to produce protective gear or other health care-related items. In a business that depends heavily on timelines and milestones, it can seem indefinite at times. But everybody gets it. These projects are important to our clients, and they’re important to our firm. But the projects aren’t the most important things to anyone right now. We’re all in this together.” 

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The right projects at the right time: Supporting clients during COVID-19

From health care to education and many industries in between, you might be surprised how many organizations are still doing building projects in ways that make sense and promote safety.

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