SiliconX Construction Builds Club Auto Sport-Phase II on the Fast Track

Highlights

•   Completed the project on schedule and on budget even while working through the Santa Clara Valley winter

•    Formed and poured 43 concrete panels in stacks in the highly confined parking area behind the existing Club Auto Sport facility

•    Relied on an oversized crane and innovative lifting techniques to safely and efficiently hoist the panels into their vertical positions in the building

Club Auto Sport is a high-end club for auto and motor sports enthusiasts, as well as a unique business community and event center that attracts thousands of upscale guests annually. After a slow start caused by the Great Recession of 2008, Club Auto Sport shifted into high gear. Today, the approximately 87,000 square foot facility is home to a growing roster of more than 40 businesses operating within the unique club. With the main building approaching 90% occupancy, Club Auto Sport-Silicon Valley gave the green light to begin building Club Auto Sport-Phase II. SiliconX Construction was selected as the general contractor.

Challenge

While the winter of 2011–2012 will be remembered as one of San Jose’s mildest and driest, it was still winter. Days were short. And when the rain fell, as it did from time to time — it negatively impacted schedules and created difficult working conditions for the construction personnel. This presented challenges in keeping the project on track for a spring completion.

In addition, the club’s second phase was built in a highly confined area behind the initial building — an area that had provided overflow club parking. This necessitated some creative solutions for casting the tilt-up panels used in the phase II structure.

Solution

SiliconX Construction broke ground on the 33,000 square foot Club Auto Sport-Phase II in mid-December. Club Auto Sport had the foresight to prepare a building pad for the second building when the first building was built in 2007–2008. Because of this, the construction on Club Auto Sport-Phase II got off to a fast start, even in the dead of winter.

To allow for the casting of the 43 panels required for the concrete tilt-up structure, SiliconX placed casting slabs in the club’s parking lot. The general contractor also formed and poured a number of the panels in a stack. This was the only way all of the concrete panels could be cast in such a small area.

Finally, to safely and efficiently lift the panels into their final vertical position with so little clearance on the site, SiliconX had to arrange for a crane with an extended height to be brought in — and relied on innovative sliding and rotating lifting techniques to get the job done properly.  Other than some minor redesigning of ADA parking adjacent to the new facility, the rest of the design and construction was relatively straight-forward.

Results

SiliconX completed construction of Club Auto Sport-Phase II by the end of April, 2012 — only 4 1/2 months after groundbreaking. Staying on schedule and on budget through the winter months, even with a minimum of weather issues, was a credit to the entire SiliconX team — from the project superintendent to the individual craftsmen and laborers.

“Club Auto Sport was very pleased with the teamwork that SiliconX Construction brought to our Phase II building — in bringing the project in on time and on budget,” said Ralph N. Borelli, co-founder and co-managing partner of Club Auto Sport-Silicon Valley.

The Phase II facility includes 16 individual condos, with five contiguous units leased prior to the start of construction to anchor tenant, Goodies Speed Shop. Goodies is a well-known, highly respected name in the Santa Clara Valley, having provided speed and performance parts and services to hobbyist-owners of American “muscle” cars and other high-performance vehicles, including hot rodders and drag racers, since 1962. Goodies moved its entire retail operation, signature service center, and a fabrication area for many of the custom parts it sells into the new space at Club Auto Sport shortly after the Phase II building opened.

Tony Gonzalez, Director of Construction Operations for SiliconX, oversaw the construction at Club Auto Sport-Phase II.