The News Room

LDS Church's First Design-Build Temple: A Perfect Job for GSL Engineering
On May 23rd, 2010, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints dedicated the Gila Valley Arizona Temple, making it their 132nd operating temple world-wide. The Gila Valley temple was not the first project that GSL completed for the LDS church nor was it the first temple project for GSL. But it was the FIRST in some ways for both the LDS church and also for GSL. The Gila Valley temple was the FIRST of the 132 previously built LDS temples to use the Design-Build delivery method. The church felt there were savings that could be recouped without the loss of quality or control by combining within the contractor the skills to engineer, construct, and provide costing that was up-to-date and accurate. The Gila Valley temple was also one of the FIRST temples to be completed using 3D BIM modeling methodology. BIM software which stands for “Building Information Modeling” has now almost become an industry standard for all the temple projects the church is currently working on.

One of GSL’s greatest successes on this project was its ability to control cost. Early on after the scope was clarified and the contracts were written, GSL met with project managers from both Jacobsen and the LDS church to discuss goals the team felt would make the project a success from the standpoint of the LDS church. From that meeting, GSL felt change-orders were key and needed to be addressed. When GSL left the meeting, John Taft, GSL Project Manager, said, “What we need to do is show the church that GSL’s philosophy is not to make money by looking for change orders, but rather Design-Build works because we get it right the first time”. When the project ended, GSL wrote a total of three change orders that were all scope related. Not one change order was issued to cover GSL’s internal needs.

Temple projects are not like other construction projects I’ve worked on before. It’s unique when the owner of the project is as equally concerned about the feelings of contention among the trades as he is the schedule and budget of the project. The church wants complete and total team unity from all that work on their temples. Kerry Nielson LDS temple project manager coined an acronym that he felt should apply to all workers that would raise a tool to build the temple. AI AC AB -“Absolute Integrity, Absolute Commitment, Absolute Best!” Nielson used that saying countless times in conversations with team players and it wasn’t long before it found its way to t-shirts and baseball caps worn on-site by the different working trades. It was these types of attitudes and mentalities that made for a project that everyone enjoyed working on.

Understanding and accepting the process and ideals that the LDS church holds for these holy buildings helped GSL procure two other temples with the LDS church that are under construction now, the Brigham City Temple (37,000+ SF) and the Ogden City Temple Remodel (103,000+SF). Both projects are utilizing the Design-Build delivery method, which the LDS church appears to have considered a success!

back to home page