Introduction
An integral part of the production of the new F-22 stealth fighter, the F-22 Robotic Coatings Facility in Marietta, Georgia houses systems for the application of the special coatings that contribute to the aircraft's performance capabilities. Designed to produce the laboratory-like environmental conditions necessary for a quality coatings operation, it features heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems with a level of precision and control practically unheard of in an aircraft manufacturing or maintenance facility.
From conception through completion, the construction of the coatings facility presented significant project management challenges to the owner, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, and Burns & McDonnell, the firm hired to design and construct the facility. To coat the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world, the F-22 production team needed precise temperatures, humidity levels, and air flow conditions at five different operating modes in the coating and curing process. This would not only require systems capable of operating at extremely low load conditions; it would also require sophisticated controls for integrating the operation of the various chillers, boilers, cooling towers, pumps, air-handling units and other components needed to produce these conditions. At the same time, the project needed to be implemented on a “fast track” schedule to allow Lockheed Martin to meet its obligation to produce more than 300 of the advanced fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force over the next 13 years. Project managers were also operating under strict budgetary constraints placed on the project.
Despite these challenges, the project was by all measures a resounding success. As one of the owner's representatives commented, the facility was not only constructed “on time and under budget, the quality of the finished product has exceeded our expectations.” This paper will focus on the tools and strategies employed by the project management team to achieve this high level of success. Through the use of advanced 3-D modeling, the integration of the design and construction processes, and the continual exploration and evaluation of alternate methods of construction, project managers were able to balance the demands of user needs, scheduling demands and budget restrictions so that all were met with an equal degree of success.
3-D Modeling
The decision to incorporate advanced 3-D modeling into the design process was made by the Lockheed Martin project management team during the initial programming phase of the project. By its very nature, the facility created the potential for complex design problems. While the coatings would be applied in large open bays, the supporting systems would be housed in much smaller mechanical rooms that would be densely packed with equipment, piping and conduit. With 3-D modeling software, designers can generate three-dimensional digital constructions that give viewers the sensation of actually entering a completed facility and allow them to view structures and systems from any angle. Three-dimensional modeling, Lockheed Martin project managers believed, would allow for better coordination of the systems within this confined space, while it facilitated their own review of engineering and architectural designs.
Three-dimensional modeling also allowed for greater input into the design of the facility by its future operators. Concerned with the overall cost-effectiveness and efficiency of the F-22 production program, Lockheed Martin's F-22 program managers wanted to maximize the efficiency of the coatings operation. The best way to achieve this, they believed, was to allow the end users of the facility to have more control over the final product. Because they are more accessible than the engineering drawings typically generated during the design process, the 3-D models facilitated the involvement of facility operators in the design process. At each of five design review meetings, Burns & McDonnell took Lockheed Martin personnel on virtual tours of the facility. During these “walkthroughs,” operators could actually see their future workspaces and evaluate their efficiency. Based on their assessment, designers could then modify aspects of the design.
Exhibit 1. The F-22 Robotic Coatings Facility
Exhibit 2. 3-D Model of Mechanical Room
Although it was incorporated into the project primarily as a means of ensuring that the facility would meet user needs, 3-D modeling also helped to achieve the project's scheduling and budgeting goals. Since users could make changes before construction even began, it eliminated the need for expensive and time-consuming changes during or after construction. At the same time, it also helped designers avoid the construction problems that could have arisen from the need to put numerous complex systems into the confined space of the mechanical rooms. During the design phase, designers did not just construct a digital model of the completed facility. Each separate system—architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical—was constructed in the virtual reality environment. As these separate systems were integrated into one 3-D model, digital tests could be performed and visual inspections could be made to check for conflicts that might not otherwise have been recognized until construction began.
When construction began, 3-D modeling continued to be a useful tool for achieving project goals. At the construction site, the three-dimensional renderings generated during the design process were made available to subcontractors, who used them to ensure that systems were constructed as designed. The digital models proved to be particularly helpful in constructing systems in highly congested areas.
Exhibit 3. Mechanical Room as Constructed
Integration of Design and Construction
It was also during initial programming that Lockheed Martin's project management team determined that construction of the facility could not be completed on time through the traditional design-bid-build process that had been their original approach to the project. To meet their demands for the production of the aircraft, F-22 program managers required the facility be turned over to them by December 21, 2000. With the design-bid-build process, substantial completion would not be accomplished until March 21, 2001. Through consultation with designers, it was determined that the only way to achieve the project's scheduling goal was through the integration of the design and construction processes. With a design-build approach, the construction process could begin before the completion of the final design, allowing for completion of the facility a full three months earlier than with the design-bid-build approach. This approach would also allow equipment to be ordered much earlier, eliminating potential construction delays.
Although it was implemented primarily in response to scheduling demands, the integration of design and construction also supported meeting the project's budgeting restrictions. The design-build contract was executed with a guaranteed maximum price for the completed facility. With this provision, Lockheed Martin project managers could be certain that the cost of the facility would not exceed the programmed amount. With the exception of owner changes or new requirements, any cost overruns would be the responsibility of the design-builder. This approach also allowed for other cost-saving measures. In this unique facility, virtually all of the systems would have to be customized. Since the designer was also the general contractor, bids could be taken during the design stage, and more economical components could be incorporated into the design.
Exploration and Evaluation of Alternatives
Another strategy employed in response to the project's scheduling demands and budget constraints was the continual analysis of alternate approaches to constructing the facility. During design, the design project manager explored different methods of construction that could potentially cut down on construction time or reduce the overall cost of the facility. For example, a modular approach to the design of the structural steel system was used to significantly reduce overall construction time. The traditional approach would be a design that required completion of the entire structural steel system before beginning construction of other systems. However, the nature of the coatings facility—with its two largely open bays and densely packed mechanical rooms—meant that certain areas of the facility would take much longer to complete than others. To allow for an earlier construction start in the mechanical rooms, the structural steel system was designed in four relatively independent modules. As each module was completed, work could begin on other systems while construction of the structural system continued on other modules. This approach allowed time-consuming work on complex systems to begin much earlier than with the traditional structural steel design.
This exploration and evaluation of alternatives continued throughout the design and construction process, as the design manager and the construction manager worked together to find ways to reduce costs and save time. For example, the chilled water storage tanks for the facility's cooling system could be installed either above or below ground. Neither alternative would have an impact on their operational efficiency, and there was not a significant cost difference. However, the tanks needed to be situated on the east side of the facility, which was where most of the construction activity was taking place. Because underground tanks would require excavation, this method would reduce access to the facility, creating the potential for significant construction delays. Based on this analysis, aboveground tanks proved to be the better choice.
Conclusion
When construction of the F-22 Robotic Coatings Facility was complete, all of the project goals had been met. The finished facility not only met or exceeded the requirements of the F-22 production program—the production team was able to take possession of the facility a month ahead of schedule, and the final cost of the facility was $350,000 less than the guaranteed maximum price. In addition, the project received a national Engineering Excellence Award from the American Consulting Engineers Council for its originality, complexity, and technical value to the engineering profession.
Exhibit 4. Structural Steel Construction
The forces that drove the design and construction of the F-22 Robotic Coatings Facility—user needs, time constraints, and budget restrictions—are inherent in virtually any construction project, as well as a variety of other types of projects. As project managers, our greatest challenge is often balancing these demands so that our need to meet deadlines does not push up costs, our need to minimize costs does not compromise quality, and the demand for a quality product does not result in cost and schedule overruns. To effectively balance these demands, we need to continually think beyond the present moment and evaluate each decision we make in terms of its impact on the final product, the project schedule, and the final cost. As this project illustrates, achieving this balance often requires a willingness to break free from tradition in order to explore and evaluate new approaches to meeting these demands.