Design-Build Efforts for Naval Marina

This paper discusses the Design-Build efforts of constructing a 70-slip Floating Dock Marina for the United States Navy in Kittery, Maine. The Design- Build team, consisting of Appledore Marine Engineering, Inc. and CIANBRO Corporation, worked in collaboration with the Navy to design and construct a quality, sustainable and economical marina. The paper addresses the contracting phase of the project, as well as captures the design and construction aspects of the Design-Build process. The original project scope issued in the Request-for-Proposal (RFP) documents included designing and constructing an 11,200-ft² (1040-m²) marina, with the scope delineating a predetermined float layout and acceptable marina criteria. The scope included an outline of components and materials, including preferred mooring system options, which consisted of traditional pile and bottom secured alternatives. While developing the proposal, the mooring foundations of the traditional mooring systems proved to be challenging due to poor soil conditions at the site, which consisted primarily of loose organics and shallow bedrock. In order to provide the most economical solution, the Design-Build team submitted an alternative marina design to the options presented in the RFP. The alternative design implemented a unique composite mooring system utilizing helical soil anchors, granite anchor blocks and elastomeric mooring rodes. Additionally, the revised design included a reconfigured marina layout to maximize slip quantity, and rehabilitating the existing bulkhead in lieu of a proposed fixed access pier. After the Navy reviewed and critiqued the alternative design to ensure all requirements of the RFP were met, the Design-Build team was shortlisted while the Navy finalized the contract scope. The contract was then negotiated to maximize cost efficiency and the project was awarded to the Design-Build team in September 2011. Some obstacles were encountered during construction, including isolated helical anchors not achieving holding capacity and anchor blocks initially sliding out of place during installation; however, with a close-working relationship between the Design-Build team, solutions were quickly developed and obstacles overcome. By rehabilitating the bulkhead and maximizing the use of helical anchors, the final marina resulted in 10% less impact area than the permitted facility in the RFP.