Atrium Project

[jmohr]

Got an interesting call the other day...

A large inernational company approached us the other day to design/build a landscape for an existing courtyard/atrium that they have deep inside one of their lab/R+D buildings here locally. Its a pet-project of one of their design teams, and they requested a paver installation along with a half dozen shrubs or so and a few planters. They plan on holding informal meetings there from time to time with two tables and what not around to facilitate that.

There is a 30' Japanese Maple that looks like it has held up pretty well through the years in a raised planter that will stay, and some glorious 4-5' Julianne Barberry they want removed (of course!) The initial kicker is going to be removing somewhere around 15 tons of gravel to prepare the area.

We have never taken on a job with such limited access.

There is a loading dock that one of our trucks will match up to that we can use about 50 yards away with no steps and only a small ramp going in. The one major snag I forsee is that just before we reach the area, there is a narrower 5' hallway.

My main questions are:
-What are some common pitfalls that any of you may have experienced while working "inside" of a building?

-We will be asked to work either at nights and/or on weekends, obviously that raises our labor rates, what other issues such as supplyer availability could I overlook?

-They requested sustainable materials be used whenever possible. Has anyone got any products or experiences here? I'm not so worried about this, but I figure if I do find something it would help make this an easier "sell"

I am sure to think of more questions but what ideas do you guys have for now?

[Dreams To Designs]

To start with, how about permeable pavers to allow the rain water to recharge the ground water rather than be piped out.

Looks like a job for a mini machine like a Dingo. Breaking down pallets and materials to smaller quantities to be transported via machine or wheel barrow will be time consuming. What about the removal of soil and plant material as well. Also be cautious of any mess you will make getting back into the building, like saw cuts and even just tracking dirt back and forth. You may have to do a thorough cleaning daily.

Kirk

[jmohr]

Thanks Kirk,

I like the permeable paver idea, and for now that is my leading candidate. Thanks. :drinkup:

Unfortunately I don't think a Dingo would do me much good because of the long haul back and forth to the truck from the worksite indoors. I've been looking into some sort of utility cart that would give me more capacity than a two-wheeled wheelbarrow. Thought also of a mini forklift and a dumping hopper but again I think its a little too cumbersome for the smaller hallway combined with a couple of 90 degree turns.

Jeff

[mike007]

How about a golf cart with a dump trailer behind, or a J.D. Gater?(for the hallway, and a dingo for inside the area (save on labor)?

[JKOOPERS]

you might want to look it a georgia buggy , they can hold 1 yard of material and they can cover some ground really fast . they are only about $90 a day to rent . you keep the dingo in the area where the work is being done and then just run the buggy back and forth . we did a sidewalk and slab for a shed that took 9 yards of concrete and we got that truck unload in less than a hour with transporting the concrete.

[Dreams To Designs]

Maybe make a bin for transporting out of a pallet, and use a pallet jack to transport materials back and forth quickly and easily maneuvered. You can use 48" or if needed the smaller 42" wide pallets.
http://pallettruck.com/pc/multiton/m50.html

Check out Techo-Bloc's new Permea paver for an attractive permeable paver. It really gives the look of a cobble, and depending on what stone you use to fill the joints, you can create a very distinct look.
http://www.techo-bloc.com/contractors/index.php?p=Products&e=view&productId=131

Whatever you do. it's going to be labor intensive, but a unique experience.

Kirk

[jmohr]

Thanks again for all of the good ideas. I was thinking of the pallet/pallet-jack idea as my main go-to, but I will look into this Georgia-buggy. I just don't feel that comfortable operating equipment inside their building while doing at least 20-30 round trips.

Let me know if y'all have any other thoughts. I will let you know how it goes in case we clear the 37 levels of bureacracy and actually end up doing the work.

Thanks
Jeff