Staff Photo by Dan Henry Thilo Brockhaus, project manager of construction, center, speaks to Walbridge Safety Supervisor Gerald McEntee, left, and Mirko Reckert, VWGoA Architect, right, as construction continues on on the VW Group of America paint shop during the second week of pouring concrete Wednesday morning.

Builders are ahead of schedule on the first structure going up for Volkswagen’s assembly plant, and officials said Wednesday they’ve already made changes to the facility just weeks into construction.

“It’s lessons learned,” said Thilo Brockhaus, VW’s construction project manager for the planned $1 billion Chattanooga plant.

Workmen are excavating the site and pouring concrete for the foundation of the $30 million, 400,000-square-foot paint shop, said Randy Berry, superintendent for contractor Walbridge.

Mr. Berry said the company has poured between 150 cubic yards and 300 cubic yards of concrete a day so far this week.

“We’re a little ahead of schedule as we speak,” he said at the Enterprise South industrial park site.

Mr. Berry said work will proceed on the building from south to north. Steel will start going up in April, he said, followed by the facade and then the roof.

Alvin Byars pours concrete Wednesday as construction continues on the VW Group of America paint shop during the second week of pouring concrete.

Mirko Reckert, VW’s architect for the project, said the automaker had considered putting a basement into the paint shop. However, due to rock, the company decided to scratch the basement and incorporate it into the rest of the building to save money, he said.

Mr. Brockhaus said the company ran into a similar issue when it built a new plant recently in another part of the world.

“We learned from other buildings,” he said.

VW spokeswoman Jill Bratina said that despite the slow economy, the German automaker remains committed to the project.

She also lauded the state for its plan to issue bonds to help pay for its financial commitments to the project.

“We know these are difficult times for the industry and the state as well,” Ms. Bratina said.

Gerald McEntee, Walbridge’s safety supervisor, said there will be as many as 200 workers on the job when construction on the paint shop is at its peak.

He also said Walbridge has set up recycling operation on site for the assorted variety of trash that comes from building the paint shop.

Officials have said they are building the paint shop first because of the complicated equipment it will hold. The assembly and body shops along with a training center will start going up later this year, according to VW.

The plant is slated to start production in early 2011 and it will employ about 2,000 people when it reaches full operation.

 Lower Lights

s16