180 Walnut
KLH Engineers is serving as the Engineer of Record for a new $90 million office tower being developed at The Banks along the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati. The 15-story, 371,000-square-foot building will have 11 floors of office space, two floors of parking with 90 spaces, one floor of retail and restaurant space, and an amenity area on the top floor.
During the conceptual design phase of work, owner representatives wanted to develop the preliminary plans to finalize the project’s financing package. KLH provided a schematic design set of drawings in lieu of a traditional written conceptual/design narrative. The firm’s goal was to provide prospective construction management firms with a greater level of detail as they developed their cost estimates. Some of what KLH provided at the conceptual stage included:
- Full electrical single-line diagram with all feeders and equipment sized.
- Fully sized mechanical plant with the piping distribution and terminal equipment layout.
- Domestic water distribution system laid out and sized for the entire 15-story building.
After reviewing the information provided by the design team, Skanska determined it could provide a more accurate cost estimate due to the level of detail provided by KLH. When the owner inquired how the estimate could be altered, Skanska indicated that the level of detail in the MEP drawings was well beyond conceptual and considered them to be more like schematic design. The owner took comfort in the consultation of the construction manager and design team and was able to get final project financing approval to advance the project. The new tower is currently in design.
