Tang Hall is a purpose-built facility designed to support Cornell University’s rapidly expanding Biomedical Engineering program. The building encompasses a diverse mix of wet laboratories, dry laboratories, design studios, collaboration spaces, and all associated support areas required for advanced research and instruction.
The project involved constructing a four‑story addition that ties into an existing, fully occupied facility. Maintaining continuous owner operations throughout construction introduced significant logistical challenges. The addition included a full‑depth basement, requiring the installation of a soldier pile and wood‑lagging retaining system as well as extensive rock excavation. These activities demanded meticulous coordination to manage vibration, noise, and other potential impacts on adjacent occupied spaces.
Welliver served as the Construction Manager at Risk, beginning preconstruction services at the schematic design stage. Our scope included comprehensive budgeting, development of phasing strategies, construction logistics planning, and robust value‑engineering efforts to optimize cost, schedule, and constructability.
