Story

Universal hired FINFROCK as the design-build general contractor for the guestroom towers and attached 527 space parking garage for the new Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Surfside Inn and Suites.  FINFROCK acted as the architect of record,structural engineer of record, precast concrete manufacturer, and general contractor for the 450,000 square foot, 750-room hotel which opened in June 2019, just 17 months from breaking ground.

Designed to be a fun, family-oriented value hotel, the feeling of the resort is relaxed and comfortable, with a cool surf vibe woven throughout the property. In addition to beachy, surf-themed standard rooms,Surfside Inn and Suites features spacious, 2-bedroom suites that sleep up to six, making it the perfect spot for families of any size to experience a Universal Orlando Resort vacation.

FINFROCK Project Inclusions:

FINFROCK provided turnkey construction for all guestroom and associated corridor areas of the project and delivered grey shell space at the ground floor for public and service areas to be built out by Hoar Construction.  The FINFROCK guestroom towers include two towers, each with 9 story and 6 story portions.  The exterior envelope of the guestroom towers is a precast concrete façade with aluminum windows and curtain wall accents at the main stair/elevator cores.  The exterior precast façade includes form liners and parapets with wave patterns that support the overall theme of the resort. The focal point of the exterior façade includes painted murals at the end caps of the buildings.  The murals were created by laser-casting recesses and reveals into the precast concrete,and then painted in the field similar to a paint-by-number scheme to create the final murals. 

FINFROCK completed all guestrooms, including systems, and finishes complete and ready for Owner-supplied fixtures, furnishings, and equipment.  Guestrooms include board and batten interior design features along with amenities including a combination of bathtubs and showers, and suites containing dual vanities and kitchenettes. 

FINFROCK provided much of the infrastructure throughout the resort, including all elevators and circulation cores, the central chilled-water plant, the parking garage, and the scope associated with high-rise specific code aspects. 

FINFROCK utilized its DualDeck™ Building Systemto deliver a total precast/prestressed concrete solution.  Thiswas the second hotel project to use FINFROCK’s innovative DualDeck™ technology,which took more than a decade to research and develop. The DualDeck™ is comprised of two slabs of concrete joinedtogether by a series of steel trusses.

FINFROCK's Unique Value Proposition

A significantbenefit of the DualDeck™ Building System is that it incorporates electrical,mechanical, plumbing, and fire protection into the building components duringproduction, reducing onsite labor and the schedule. This innovative, one-of-a-kindbuilding system has received national attention for its use in hotel, multifamilyresidential and student housing projects as well as being filmed for publictelevision. 

As avertically-integrated design-build company with architects, engineers,manufacturing, and construction under oneroof, FINFROCK turns the tables on the traditional model by being a single-sourceprovider and thereby reducing the Owner’s risk for the design and constructionaspects of the project. FINFROCK also utilizes 3D Building Information Modeling(BIM) and laser technology to enhance manufacturing productivity and lowercosts and increase quality substantially. In addition, FINFROCK uses its proprietary StructureWorks suite ofsoftware solutions, including XceleRAYtor and PieceTracker to increaseproductivity, efficiency and reduce training time as well as expeditingscheduling. 

Project Challenges:

Sharing a sitebetween two major General Contractors is always a source of additional scrutinyas it relates to coordination of work, deliveries, and other siteconstraints.  Fortunately, the projectteams at Hoar Construction and FINFROCK were up to the challenge and generallyworked very well together.  Throughproper planning and communication, the two building scopes were integratedwithout any major issues.

Additionalproject challenges were created through a compressed schedule.  A generally aggressive construction schedulewas further compressed with various challenges in permitting at the City ofOrlando. As any contractors that have done work at Universal know – once anopening date is published, it will not slide back!  Through the dedication and efforts of theproject team, a solid group of subcontractors, and an Owner driven toaccommodate the contractor’s goals, we are happy to report on-time buildingturnover phases with full Certificate of Occupancy obtained with plenty ofbreathing room prior to the first guest date.