HQ2 started construction at a rough time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Just before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Amazon selected <\/strong>Bethesda, Maryland-based companies Clark Construction and JBG Smith to lead the $2.5 billion project\u2019s first phase of construction and development.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Neither firm could see the challenges just over the horizon.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Nevertheless, Clark took time to plan.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMost people say the pandemic didn’t start any trends \u2014 it accelerated trends that existed,\u201d said Lee DeLong, CEO of Clark Construction\u2019s Capital Group. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n During the complex\u2019s grand opening ceremony Thursday, DeLong told Construction Dive his team worked on planning for Amazon\u2019s future second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, for over a year prior to starting work, which helped ease pandemic-related issues that plagued other builds.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur involvement with the project began quite early. And I think that’s a recipe for success,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n That planning helped lead the project to an on-time completion, culminating in Thursday\u2019s grand opening of Metropolitan Park, the first of two planned phases of the HQ2 complex.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Met Park, as it\u2019s called, features two 22-story buildings and includes more than 2.1 million square feet of space, a 2.5-acre community park and 50,000 square feet for retail businesses. In addition, builders used mass timber technology on the build, and the project team used concrete with carbon capture technology to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>reduce the building\u2019s total emissions<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Amazon selected Arlington in 2018 following a competitive pitching process from other locations around the country. Met Park has been <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>open since May 22<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n An outside shot of one of HQ2\u2019s buildings.<\/p>\n Permission granted by Matthew Thibault<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n DeLong said the pandemic put a premium on space, particularly for indoor projects. But, by a stroke of luck, the project had just begun the early stages.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe were able to modify our construction techniques on site to ensure that workers were staying away from each other,\u201d DeLong told Construction Dive at the event.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Modifications were no small feat, even as supply chains became snarled and labor issues intensified.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For instance,\u00a0DeLong said that picking the right trade partners for the project was crucial. During the interview process, each potential partner produced a \u201cmanpower curve,\u201d to forecast what their depth could be.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n While estimates are important, many contractors also struggle to adequately staff their projects. On that front,\u00a0DeLong praised the project\u2019s prevailing wage agreement,\u00a0<\/em>a big get for enticing potential workers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen the wage is set at a prevailing wage, that’s an attractive thing. So we were fortunate that our client made that commitment,\u201d DeLong said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Wooden stairs at the interior site of one of HQ2\u2019s buildings.<\/p>\n Permission granted by Matthew Thibault<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Clark also thought out how to deal with material issues, particularly as other contractors across the country reported issues obtaining materials for their jobs.\u00a0During construction of Met Park, DeLong said that the team put a cement batch plant at nearby Pen Place, the future site of HQ2\u2019s planned second phase, lessening the waste and the time needed to move the crucial construction material to the jobsite.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Other Amazon facilities have had different trajectories in recent days. Amazon had <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>closed, canceled or delayed nearly 100 facilities<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> as of February. In nearby Loudoun County, Virginia, Amazon recently purchased nine office buildings, but instead of occupying them, the company <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>plans to tear them down<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a> to build data centers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In addition, groundbreaking has been delayed for Pen Place<\/a>, HQ2\u2019s planned second phase, which includes the \u201cHelix\u201d building, a spiraling glass tower with vegetation on the outside. Officials at the event and at a later panel said that the delay was due to an abundance of office space at Met Park, but offered no insights as to when the project will move forward.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Christian Dorsey, the chair of the Arlington County Board, told Construction Dive that he was confident Phase 2 would eventually break ground, and he estimated that more information would be available early next year.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAmazon is doing what everybody else is doing right now, trying to figure out what the future of their office space requirements will be and seeing whether or not what they have approved still makes sense. So they’re going through a period of figuring that all out,\u201d Dorsey said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nA giant complex<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>Looking ahead<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n