Poynter Hall was a complete renovation and remodel within a very tight floor-to-floor height and very limited interstitial space. Due to the existing structural constraints, the building was taken all the way back to base structure while retaining the facade. A new central variable air volume (VAV) air handling system was provided to serve the clinical spaces, offices, conference rooms, and laboratory spaces throughout the building. All of this was designed to be executed while maintaining the operation of the morgue which is located in the lowest level of the building and could not be unavailable for more than 48 hours at any given time during construction.

One of the most unique features of the project was the reconstruction of the roof. The original roof had been modified and buried under layers of new roofs over the decades. In order to fix ongoing issues with leaks and provide a high performance, energy saving roof, the entire assembly and structure was removed and reconstructed. In the process of the removal, a large structural girder was uncovered that could not be removed which was situated where the proposed air handling equipment was slated. SES worked with the other team members to develop a means for maintaining the existing structure through the use of a specialized custom roof curb to support the air handling equipment and encapsulate and protect the original structure while having minimal impact to the project cost and schedule.

SES took on all of the challenges the building offered, and helped deliver a successful project for UNMC that was designed to meet LEED Silver and UNMC’s goals for long-term sustainability.

Services

Mechanical

Electrical

Plumbing

Lighting

Technology

Project Size

40,500 SF

Reconstruction of the roof