Turning aging buildings into 21st-century spaces

Just as in our daily lives people are increasingly reusing and recycling things that would have been discarded a few years ago, so — on a larger scale — many organizations now realize that not just cans, bottles, and paper, but buildings too can be reused and recycled.

PPS is among the Bay Area’s construction industry leaders in injecting new life into aging buildings. A premier example of this kind of reuse and recycling is the work we are often called on to do in helping modernize old school buildings. Often erected in the 1960s and 70s, many of these structures are no longer congenial places to learn and teach. But rather than wasting all the materials and energy involved in tearing them down and replacing them with new facilities, we can help give these schools a second life.

How does PPS help turn your parents’ outdated “schoolhouse” into a 21st-century citadel of teaching and learning? It’s neither the brain surgery nor rocket science that some of the students in the schools we modernize will one day practice. Rather it’s simply installing things that contribute to the productive reuse and recycling of educational infrastructure. Things like:

• Data Infrastructure
• AV Systems
• The Latest in LED Lighting
• Emergency Power Infrastructure
• Copper and Fiber Cabling
• Complex Fire Alarm Systems
• Paging and Communication Systems
• Clock Systems
• Security and Access Control

Naturally, schools are hardly the only buildings we modernize. A great many business/industrial parks and government complexes are dotted with buildings that no longer fully meet the need for contemporary infrastructure of a growing number of tenants (and would-be tenants).

At PPS we have a wide range of experience in building modernization projects across all business sectors and sizes. A typical project might be the renovation of existing occupied space requiring significant work to be performed after hours to minimize interruption to existing operations. It could also involve the expansion of an existing building footprint that requires the same high level of “fit and finish” facilitation and complementing of a high-quality final product.

The importance of initial mobilization through to occupancy is often elevated for building modernization projects over virtually any other construction model due to factors such as:

• “Surprises” in pre-existing construction not anticipated until demolition/construction has begun.
• Working on an active campus or building without disrupting ongoing instruction/learning or other activities.
• Urgency to begin operations as soon as formal occupancy approvals are received.
• Significant challenges in coordinating requirements with construction managers and owners.
• Critical time-sensitive logistics for seamless power and communication cutovers between the existing and new premises.
• Project challenges due to unforeseen conditions and delays that may force clients to pav premium rental fees to stay in their existing premises — which is not always an available option.

Let PPS help bring your organization’s facility into the 21st century.