Chicago, IL (1888PressRelease)
September 24, 2009 - On August 20, the City of Chicago was presented the 2008 Harry H. Mellon Award for Job Order Contracting excellence for their restoration project of the world’s largest Tiffany art glass dome, located in the Chicago Cultural Center. Named after the inventor of Job Order Contracting, the Harry H. Mellon Award is given annually in the field of construction management to recognize the nation’s best projects employing Job Order Contracting principles.
The Chicago Cultural Center refurbishment involved a painstaking process that started with removal of a concrete and copper exterior dome that had been added during the 1930s. After unveiling Tiffany’s original work, now almost unrecognizable, workers proceeded to clean and repair the art glass piece-by-piece, re-finish the ornate cast iron framework of the dome, and refurbish the delicate rosette lighting around the cornice of the dome. Ultimately, the project was completed restoring the 1897 masterpiece to its original glory and allowing natural light to shine through and illuminate Center once again.
Since this project not only involved a prominent landmark, but also necessitated multiple trades coordinating together, the City’s Department of General Services decided to use their Job Order Contracting (JOC) program to help centrally manage the project and keep costs under control while still delivering top-quality work.
JOC is a competitively bid construction-procurement system that enables facility owners to complete large numbers of repair, maintenance and construction projects for less money and time, with complete accountability (via custom workflow software), compared to traditional job-bidding processes. JOC was invented by Harry H. Mellon while he was Chief Engineer for NATO. Upon retiring from the Army, Mellon founded the Gordian Group, Inc, now the world leader in JOC solutions, to help bring the benefits of JOC to any facility owner in need.
“This project is the culmination of over a year’s worth of teamwork and dedication,” said Mellon, “and it is a prime example of how Job Order Contracting brings facility owners and contractors together in a spirit of partnership so that they can deliver a top-notch final product to the community.”
“It was truly an honor that the Chicago Cultural Center Tiffany Dome Restoration Project was chosen for the Harry H. Mellon 2008 Best of the Best Award,” said Tom Vukovich, City Architect for Chicago. “The project was certainly challenging but it also showed how the use of the JOC contracting method fosters the type of "team" approach that was absolutely essential to the successful completion of this restoration. I think I can safely say for the entire project team, that this was one of the most gratifying and rewarding projects that we have worked on in a very long time.”
“We are honored to have been able to contribute to this historic renovation,” said Ken Osmun, Group President of Wight & Company, the prime contractor on the project. “The Tiffany dome is a master work of art, which through the dedication, collaboration and craftsmanship of countless individuals, can now be better appreciated and enjoyed by all.”
About The Gordian Group
The Gordian Group (www.gordian-group.com) established the first commercial JOC programs in 1990 and remains the only full-service JOC consulting firm in the nation. It provides all products and services from project start to finish necessary for a successful JOC program, including development of a customized catalog of construction tasks, general conditions and bid documents, and proprietary PROGEN® information-management and proposal-preparation software. The Mauldin, S.C.-based company is a member of the Wicks Group of Companies, L.L.C., a New York-based private-equity firm.
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