Stott Outdoor Advertising

Flexibility in Mid-Project Change
Stott Outdoor Advertising
Office Building
8,200 sq. ft.

Summary
Slater & Son had early concerns regarding the type and colorcast of the outdoor lighting for a new office building project. In addition, there was not a lighting design plan in place for the building’s back patio. At the start of construction, Slater & Son approached the building’s owner for permission to implement a more appropriate lighting source at no extra cost. They also put a contingency fund in place in order to address the back patio issue when appropriate.

Challenge
After winning the competition for a large office building project for Stott Outdoor Advertising, Slater & Son discovered a flaw in the electrical sub-contractor’s plans: they called for fluorescent and halogen outdoor lighting. Halogen light gives off a very white, bright light while fluorescent gives a warm, natural light—one that would accentuate the building exterior’s form and textural materials. In combination, the two types of exterior lights would undoubtedly make for a blotchy, unprofessional look throughout.

Furthermore, an unlit back patio existed with work underway but no plan for lighting.

Solution
Slater & Son approached the owner of Stott Outdoor Advertising for permission to switch to all fluorescent light fixtures for the building’s exterior. Fluorescents truer color of light would give the building a consistent, warm, rich feel at night emphasizing the attractive surfaces in the design. Permission was granted and the design was changed accordingly at no extra cost.

For the back patio, Slater and Son included a contingency fund for the owner. This move allowed both Slater & Son and Stott much-needed flexibility during construction to install lights that met the owner’s needs. In addition, putting the fund in place early on meant that the project would stay within budget.

Conclusion
In both aspects of the Stott project, Slater & Son demonstrated the inherent flexibility in the design-build process. Other approaches do not give the owner and builders flexibility to tackle unexpected difficulty without delays or added costs. Slater & Son adopted solutions swiftly and affordably.

In the first case, Slater & Son demonstrated an ability to react to a problem as it occurred. The initial issue with Stott’s general outdoor lighting plan could’ve easily been overlooked or dismissed as negligible. When magnified to the scale of this new structure, it would have been a design oversight and significantly altered the building’s exterior aesthetics at night. Slater & Son caught this early on in the process and resolved the issue before it came to light.

In the second case, Slater & Son prepared accordingly for an issue that had not yet been resolved. By lining up funding in advance, Slater & Son was able to address the back patio lighting when the owner was able to see the solution—while keeping the project on budget.

The end results were improved aesthetics and function at no extra cost to the owner.