Lehigh University Chandler-Ullmann Building Renovation

An award-winning historic preservation

Turner provided construction management services for the renovation of Lehigh University’s art, architecture, design, and psychology building. The building was constructed in 1883, with additions added in 1919 and 1937. Each addition featured a different structure, including brick-arch construction, steel and two-way slabs. The scope included replacement of over 400 double-hung windows, exterior masonry restoration, replacement of the building systems and infrastructure, and new interior finishes. During construction, there were many challenges encountered. The surrounding soil was contaminated, requiring additional PPE, monitoring and testing. All equipment and material going into the building was restricted to 4’ pieces due to the windows, causing many large items to be broken down into multiple picks. During structural rebuild, many stone columns thought to be solid were hollow, leading to immediate steel redesign to limit impact to the critical path. Amongst the temperature changes of the seasons, the plaster interior of the walls and ceiling began to delaminate, causing both a health hazard and poor aesthetic; this resulted in abatement, lamination or fur-out of over half the existing plaster walls, or additional plaster repairs. The steam line feeding the heat for over half the campus ran under our building, resulting in multiple shutdowns and close coordination to schedule utility tie-ins. Due to the varying depths of the rock at the proposed elevator shaft, a specialty contractor was used to “shave” the rock and allow for clear function. The project endured a multitude of changes while being surrounded by educational buildings and students traveling between them.