Cornerstone
The Work
Cornerstone is a 640-acre development which will incorporate industrial, research and development, office retail, and residential—when completed it will be one of the largest master-planned projects in the United States. Berger was contracted to complete Phase 1, preparing the farm field to be transformed into a fully functional industrial park.
Under one contract, the Berger team completed initial earthmoving, roadwork, a lift station, and infrastructure. Berger brought all of the necessary utilities to create a functional site, which meant installing two miles of water main pipe to bring service to the area from Grayslake. We prepared the building pads and set up the site for future development.
The Challenge
As the site was completely undeveloped, the project included 800,000 CY of earth movement. Berger reviewed the design and used value engineering to assess planned earthwork. During initial planning, we provided suggestions for the best place to strategically move material that would be needed in later phases, setting them up in a better position for pricing and execution in the future.
Timeline for infrastructure and other milestones was extremely important, as the client had set deadlines for deliverables under a contract with a buyer that was set to occupy the space. We worked closely with the client to understand the milestones, sequencing the job accordingly. This communication helped us to understand and deliver critical points while keeping the rest of the project within the established pricing structure and timeline.
The Result
With one contract, Berger was able to set up the site for future development using a turnkey delivery method. All improvements for phase one were completed on time and within the obligations for the client’s sale contract, setting up the site for success both selling a part of the property to the buyer, and for future construction phases.
In addition, the Berger team was able to foster an excellent partnership as we worked alongside them to economically meet their objectives. The client has since continued to contract with Berger for future work on the development.
