How Safe Building Techniques Impact Project Cost

Liberty High School

Zach Mansour

Abstract:

Players of many sports need a safe area to bounce a ball off of. A concrete bounce back is a wall

on its most basic level and offers good return rate or velocity of the ball. The concrete ball wall

constructed on Liberty campus solves this problem. With safe building techniques and how they

impact cost in mind, after approval it will be built by the Liberty Lacrosse Club. The key

characteristics and skills obtained in this project will be project management, timelines,

organization of volunteers, proposals and a legacy to leave at my alma mater.

Many people grew up with sports or knew those who participated in such. These

extracurricular activities provided another opportunity along with academics, to excel. If an

athlete wants to practice, they usually need space or equipment to hone their skill sets for the
field or game. Lacrosse is no exception, people need to learn 4 basic skills of picking up a ball

off the ground (scoops), passing, catching, and shooting. To practice passing and catching it

requires a partner to pass, or a ball wall. This ball wall will come in the form of a concrete wall.

When a specific freestanding wall is built for sports skill development, that creates an area that is

safe for the player and the persons around that area.

Many tasks and procedures must be completed before the slightest aspect of physical

construction of such a structure on public property. Several types of information must be

gathered such as contacts, building codes, products, existing similar projects, and where the

resources will come from. A big portion of this project will involve pushing this application of

building through the local school government and making sure it meets all requirements of its

nature. To start off in broader terms this structure is on school property which is funded by the

local or state government. This means that this project must meet all government codes and

procedures for required approval. Basically this needs to be earthquake proof, weather proof,

apocalypse proof, at least be in line with the existing buildings on property but most likely even

better. These are all met after meeting with the project managers of the district. Where the brute
of the work really is, is with the proposal and the layers involved. First it is a good move to find

a teacher or adult who works or is familiar with the property and school to consult or bring on as

a sponsor. This project has taken on board the Liberty Lacrosse Head Coach who also doubles as

a chemistry/environmental studies teacher. I chose this person for the depth of knowledge of the

campus, his skills in masonry/construction, and bureaucratic awareness. At the current point it

comes time to start the process of working up the chain of command. For this project, that

designates to the principal and athletic director of Liberty High School and then the District

Facilities Manager. Once approval have come from both parties the project can be passed on to

district managers and planners in which we will work with to bring this project to reality.

Speaking of reality, there is a chance I won’t be the player who brings this ball wall to a physical

point because of the implications that reside within the project and its location. Factors that

impact this completion could be things like summer break, holidays, processing, and optimal

building weather.

With the nature of this project residing in construction there are plenty of risks and safety

hazards to be cautious of. This is where the cost of this project can be influenced by standards set

to ensure student and staff safety. First and foremost Liberty High School being in Hillsboro,

Oregon is within a earthquake zone. In all zones like this and especially on government funded

or owned property, these buildings oddly enough need to be earthquake proof. The ball wall

being built will have to conform to these standards and not have even the slightest chance of

falling over, falling apart, or any of these events involving the endangerment of people near the

wall. How we tackle this task is to use specific masonry and wall building tactics to ensure a

sound structure. Just like other bricks, the cmu units we will be using will be stacked using grout.

Grout will be lathered in between the bricks and seams to bind the bricks into one wall. Each of
these bricks has “cells” or hollowed out holes in the middle that concrete can be poured into.

Before this concrete is poured, rebar will be placed throughout the structure and end up creating

a web of rebar, within the cmu units. The pieces of rebar will run all the way to the top of the

blocks as shown above. This gives it strength and rigidity in the vertical direction. To give this

wall the same attributes horizontally, rebar will also have to be placed running the opposite

direction of the vertical pieces. This is what creates that “web” of rebar that will exist within the

blocks.
When this rebar is placed in the cells of the blocks they are given an “L-shape” so that they

perform the same function as a hook, something

to tie in the materials.

All these techniques for building will

impact the cost and process in various ways. To

begin this process is to begin the approval

process, one of the many levels that are involved

in a project as such. Back to the chain of

command, first off is to get in touch with the

Principal. Several quick meetings have happened already and primary concerns for school

application are clear. Principal Timmons expressed a need to address the potential for graffiti or

other unsanctioned artwork. To combat unwanted artwork there are two main processes that

could be carried out. One is to seal the ball wall with a layer of sealer specifically made for

removing graffiti efficiently. It has a non stick coating to where the lacrosse program could

pressure wash or hand wash the wall if suggestive imagery where to appear. The second method

is to keep paint and sealer on hand so that extreme cases of graffiti can be painted over. This may

sound like a lot of upkeep but the lacrosse program will be using the wall frequently and players

will happily keep the ball wall clean and operable. Upkeep and maintenance of the ball wall will

not require extra help or resources from the school. A similar concern brought up by the head

coach was what might happen in the space behind the wall. The ball wall will be offset from a

fence around 8 or 10 feet leaving open space where staff or others couldn’t monitor the activities
in play. How this space can be utilized and kept safe is to fence in the area behind the wall and

store lacrosse goals.

Construction is a substantial part of the overall project but the approval and the process

beforehand are concepts not to be judged lightly. Professional Communication has come to light

as an underlying but very important piece to the puzzle. At every turn when asking for info or

confirming process steps, somewhat needs to be contacted and talked too. Within this project the

main method has been writing professional emails that are clear, concise, and let the recipient

know what is the task at hand. Things like addressing the recipient at the beginning of the email,

reminding them of why you are sending the email, and why they are part of this project.

Level 1 being complete was meeting and proposing to the Principal of Liberty High

School, Mr. Timmons. The plan is pretty rudimentary in going to propose this project, but it

takes on more details once you are in the waiting room, and even more layers once you are in the

office. To begin the meeting process the secretary was greeted and then I was left to wait for the

soonest open slot in the schedule. Instead of preparing in a traditional manner of scanning

through notes or going over the powerpoint for the 20th time, an excitement set in. If one gets

their hands dirty, is personally pushing the project, and has a guideline or presentation to follow,

the meeting will go well.

Meeting 01: The Principal:

 Dress to impress was something that was and underlying key even though this

meeting was being presented by a high school senior. What this professional or business attire

speaks silently is very powerful. When one presents to another, in a professional manner and

dress, it lets the presentee know that they are here to do business or convey a message. This kick

starts the whole process that will end in either a yes or no, for the proposal. After reviewing and

curating the project for a couple months ahead of time it was more about making sure the

Principal received the message of purpose and process of the project. There wasn't a need to

memorize and bind to the information that was to be presented, it was just about creating an

environment where a person of decision making for the school can understand the logistics and

hop on board. Visuals such as a powerpoint, are great paths for a speaker to use to bring the

presentee along through the process. Visual cues such as a marker on a map give the ability to let

the presentee focus on why that location was chosen instead of trying to figure out where the

location is in the first place. A proposal should be transparent, logical, and plausible by current

means so that when it comes time for the yes or no, it can be a straight professional decision
based off the solid process and facts of this proposal. What came from this meeting with the

Liberty High School Principal was the go ahead after details have been cleaned up. The location

of this ball wall according to the proposal will be on a grass soccer field on the eastside of

Liberty campus. Concerns on usability of the field must be checked with all experts who use this

field, which are the school heach sport coaches. Another example of professional communication

and networking, it will be easier and cleaner to get everyone on board now, then to get farther

down the road and run into project problems or roadblocks.

Meeting 02: District:

To be determined.

Project Timeline 01:

 Transfer of Project
Leadership Procedur
es
Shelved Project Reinitialize Project
Finish
Project
The principal and the athletic director have been walked through the plan for the ball

wall. But in terms of the overall project at its current state, the tangible progress has come to an

end. Like many projects in the world, they are left undone, abandoned, or filed for a later date.

This is what creates a need for a successful project process and leader, because ambition alone

will not get the job done. In terms of a project like this ball wall, that does not necessarily mean

that the life span is over. Now what must happen is a transition period, or a procedure to find a

stopping point in the project but also allow for another student or builder to pick up the reigns

and finish the job. To ensure that the new project leader has a set path to every piece of data

he/she needs to update and see the project through. This happens all the time in the workforce

which forces movements of jobs and careers, within the a singular project that still needs a finish

line. The progress of this project was a great way to tell how timelines lay out in the real world.

There are so many moving parts and pieces that go into coordination a joint effort among any

party. It even prompts a little insight into how companies set up their employee roles and levels

of operation.
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