CAM Magazine October Special Issue 2011

IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL
NGINEER MODEL PLANNING

METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM
WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECH-
NOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS
SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION
DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS
STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PAT-
TERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER
MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA
SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD
SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER
METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY
OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM
PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN
STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE
CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN
ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL
PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE
SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME
TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN
CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE
CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPEC-
TIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL
INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEP-
TION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING
STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING
PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE
SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME
TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN
CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE
CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPEC-
TIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL
INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEP-
TION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING METHOD SCHEME TOOLS TECHNOLOGY OUTLINE CONSTRUCTION DESIGN STEEL INDUSTRIAL PATTERN ROOFING
STUDY IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL PLANNING
OCTOBER 2011 VOL. 32 NO. 10 $4. 00
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6 CAM MAGAZI NE OCTOBER 2011 Voice Of The Construction Industry
FALL 2011 SPECIAL ISSUE
12 Detroit People Mover/
Millender Center
Bringing Dazzle to the D
20 Midwest Medical Center,
Dearborn
Cornering the Market for Quality Care
26 Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital
Building a Circle of Healing
34 U of M Football Stadium
Expansion & Renovation
Building Year (and then some)
40 Hillside Place Apartments/
Michigan Tech University
Finding Gold in Michigans Upper Peninsula
48 Quicken Loans World
Headquarters
Built to Suit
C O N T E N T S
We
are proud to present CAM Magazines 16th annual
Special Issue. This years projects celebrate new
construction, the renovation of older structures, and
improving the environment around us. The talents of Michigans
construction and design community are showcased beautifully in the
following 12 projects.
For the second year, we will be asking the CAM Membership to vote
on the Project of the Year from among these 12 Special Issue
winners. Please see page 8 for details, and watch for your ballot to
arrive electronically this October. Voting will also be available via the
CAM website at www.cam-online.com, and votes will be accepted
until December 31, 2011. The overall
winner will be announced, and the
award presented, at the CAM Annual
Meeting in February 2012.
Meanwhile, sit back, relax, and enjoy
this edition of Special Issue 2011.
Amanda Tackett
Amanda Tackett
Editor
F R O M T H E E D I T O R
DETROIT PEOPLE MOVER, MILLENDER CENTER STATION LIGHTING ENHANCEMENT
C O N T E N T S
FALL 2011 SPECIAL ISSUE
54 University Prep Science
and Math High School
Reading and Writing on the River
62 Marysville High School
The Three Rs Revisited
68 Washington Township
Fire Station No. 1
First on the Scene in Washington Township
74 Detroit Arsenal
Administration Building
Providing for a Steadfast Defense
During Changing Times
80 Marycrest Heights
Retirement Community
Respecting Your Elders at Marycrest Heights
86 Saginaw Valley State University
College of Health & Human Services
Project Team with the Lamp
90 Project Subcontractor Lists
HELEN DEVOS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL

Once again, CAM Magazine will be awarding a Project of the Year
Award to one of the outstanding projects featured in this Special
Issue 2011. It will be announced and presented during the CAM
Annual Meeting and Special Issue Awards February 8, 2012 at the
Motor City Casino Hotel.
Votes will be cast online by you, our readership, and our electronic
magazine subscribers ONLY. To ensure you receive your electronic
ballot, sign up for a free e-subscription to CAM Magazine
at www.cammagazineonline.com. Ballots will be e-mailed
at the end of October, and must be counted by
December 31st, 2011.
FEBRUARY 8TH
l
MOTOR CITY CASINO
SPECIAL ISSUE 2011
P
R
O
J
EC
T
O
F T
H
E
YEA
R
A
W
A
R
D
VOTING
ENDS
DEC. 31
ST
!

www.cfcuonline.com
Equal Housing Lender NCUA
Founded and chartered in September of 1974,
to serve the members of the construction trades
and their families, we have been providing
unmatched personal service ever since.
Join us and experience banking made better,
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Helping people live better lives is what we do, everyday.

PUBLISHER Kevin N. Koehler
EDITOR Amanda M. Tackett
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Mary E. Kremposky
David R. Miller
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Matthew J. Austermann
GRAPHIC DESIGN Marci L. Christian
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Gregg A. Montowski
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Cathy A. Jones
DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
Chairman James C. Capo, AIA,
DeMattia Group
Vice Chairman Stephen J. Auger, AIA,
Stephen Auger + Associates Architects
Vice Chairman Jacqueline LaDuke Walters,
LaDuke Roofing & Sheet Metal
Treasurer Frank G. Nehr, Jr.,
Davis Iron Works
President Kevin N. Koehler
DIRECTORS Gregory Andrzejewski,
PPG Industries
M. James Brennan,
Broadcast Design & Construction, Inc.
Kevin French,
Poncraft Door Company
Todd W. Hill,
Ventcon, Inc.
Mary K. Marble,
Marble Mechanical, LLC
Donald J. Purdie, Jr.,
Detroit Elevator Company
Eric C. Steck,
Amalio Corporation
Kurt F. Von Koss,
Beaver Tile & Stone
Michigan Society of
Association Executives
2002, 2004, 2005 & 2007
Diamond Award
2003, 2006 Honorable Mention
2010 Silver Honorable Mention
Gallery of Fine Printing
2002 Bronze Award
MARCOM International
Creative Awards
2005 Gold Award
The Communicator
International
Print Media Competition
Overall Association Magazine
Magazine Writing
CAM Magazine (ISSN08837880) is published monthly by the Construction Association of Michigan, 43636 Woodward
Ave., P.O. Box 3204, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302-3204 (248) 972-1000. $24.00 of annual membership dues is allocated to
a subscription to CAM Magazine. Additional subscriptions $40.00 annually. Periodical postage paid at Bloomfield Hills, MI
and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER, SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: CAM MAGAZINE, 43636 WOODWARD AVE.,
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For editorial comment or more information: magazine@cam-online.com.
For reprints or to sell CAM Magazine: 248-972-1000.
Copyright 2008 Construction Association of Michigan. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without
permission is prohibited. CAM Magazine is a registered trademark of the Construction Association of Michigan.
2006
GRAPHIC DESIGN USA
AMERICAN INHOUSE
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By Mary E. Kremposky, Associate Editor
Photography by Beth Singer Photographer, Inc.
The Beresh Group Lights Up
the Millender Center Station
Bringing Dazzle to the
CAM MAGAZI NE OCTOBER 2011 13 Visit us online at www.cammagazineonline.com
I
n 1904, Edward Beresh emigrated from Russia and brought the luster of fine gems to his jewelry
store established in Detroits Corktown. Over 100 years later, his grandson, Bruce E. Beresh, has
delivered another type of luster to downtown Detroit: an amazing lighting enhancement
project in the heart of the Motor City. Described by the Detroit Transportation Corporation
(DTC) as jeweled tones in motion, a series of LED light shows now wash over the interior of the
Detroit People Movers Millender Center Station, a transit stop nestled behind the buildings glass drapery
and perched five stories above East Jefferson Avenue. These shifting waves of color turn the elevated
station into a type of lantern beaming its magic, motion and jeweled lights into the city. Millender is going
to be very well-acclaimed as a transit center, said Beresh, president of The Beresh Group, a Livonia general
contractor with facilities in Detroit.
A computer in DTCs main office can now transform the Millender Center Station from drab to
luminescent in a switch as dramatic as the shift from an old-fashioned black and white TV to a set in living
color. As the descendent of a long line of watchmakers and jewelers, Beresh delivered the project with a
precision worthy of his predecessors. The Beresh Group installed a host of new systems and renovated the
platform and concourse areas, all while working 60 feet above East Jefferson and near the People Movers
600-volt track, plus navigating a maze of federal transit regulations and adhering to rigorous safety
protocols. Working in a small space and on a compressed schedule, The Beresh Group, the lead firm on this
design/build project, succeeded in delivering the project in time for the North American International
Auto Show in January 2011.
It was a very rewarding experience to be able to create something that people will get excited about
when they come to downtown Detroit, said Beresh whose family has deep Detroit roots as old merchants
of Corktown. His father Harry expanded the family jewelry business on Michigan Avenue into a series of
Corktown furniture, jewelry and appliance stores. As part of its Detroit portfolio, Beresh recently
completed a major renovation of the Iodent Building located behind the Fox Theatre.
Bringing a bit of dazzle to the D, the Millender Center Stations glow now greets visitors entering the
city from the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and others exiting the Lodge Freeway onto East Jefferson Avenue.
Pedestrians near the Randolph side of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center now have a front row seat
to this light pageant, calculated to increase People Mover ridership and boost downtown Detroit. Of the
Beresh teams work, Barbara Hansen, DTC general manager, said, I think it was exceptional. The project is
a tremendous improvement aesthetically.
This virtuoso light show also decreases operational costs with the use of energy-efficient LED lights
with a long life. A LED light has 50,000 hours plus of life, said Barbara Bouyea, president, Bouyea &
Associates, the projects lighting consultant based in Washington Depot, CT. This means a LED light might
last 10 years without ever needing any kind of maintenance. The Beresh Group gathered a talented team
to turn on the magic at the Millender Center Station, including Steven C. Flum, Inc., Detroit, project
architect; ETS Engineering, Inc., Royal Oak, electrical engineer; and Hoover Electric Co., Inc., Detroit,
electrical contractor.
A WINNING PROPOSAL
The project began with a DTC visual enhancement study conducted 10 years ago. Of the 13 People
Mover stations, the Millender Center station was number one on the priority list. In the Millender Center
Station, the concourse ceiling in particular had reached a state of disrepair, said Hansen. Aesthetics are
very important to the People Movers patron experience. These impressions often transfer to other
sentiments about the city and affect decisions about future visits to downtown. DTC pursued the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) grant because we knew that the results would bring positive, long-term
benefits to our organization and the downtown landscape.
Once secured, the FTA grant allowed DTC to release a request for proposals for the $515,000 Millender
Center Station Lighting Enhancement project in 2010. Bouyeas conceptual color renderings shifting
across the computer screen aided the Beresh team in winning the competition over 14 different
design/build groups. We were looking for what is referred to as the wow factor, said Hansen, and that
is what they brought to the table in their proposal. In a word, they brought pizzazz.
The Motor City and motion have long been linked with Detroit putting the world on wheels and filling
it with the beat of the Motown sound and the pulse of hip hop and techno music. The music, the cars and
the manufacturing all have to with movement, said Bouyea. The changing colors gave us the motion we
were looking for in the design of the project.
Of course, motion is the heart and soul of the People Mover, moving on its broad arc through a glass-
draped corner of the Millender Center. We asked, How do we make the transit station more inviting and
give it more life, personality and excitement? said Bouyea. Again, what comes to mind is color and
movement, and a light display that is constantly changing and that is always a surprise.
This luminescent landmark in downtown Detroit plays nearly 20 different light shows designed to draw
people to the People Mover, said Bouyea. The Wave honors the Detroit River and Great Lakes by
simulating the rippling of water with its pulses and shifts of green and blue light. In researching the city,
we discovered that Detroit is one of the few cities that actually has four major sports teams, said Lisa
Barter, Bouyea & Associates, lighting design consultant, so we did one light program for every one of the
major sports teams. Other programs are for different holidays and seasons, while a rainbow display floods
the station with deep, rich sheets of color.
TANGO ONE
At Millender Center, Bouyea applied LED light with a computer-controlled
paintbrush. Beresh prepared the canvas by renovating the interior
concourse and its station platform, a small slice of a space sandwiched
between two walls of glass - the concourses glass wall and the glass curtain
wall of the Millender Center, itself. For both spaces, the Beresh team
transformed the ceilings and removed and replaced not only the lighting
system but the HVAC, the sound and the security systems, as well.
Work in the field began in fall 2010. For the Beresh crew, the work day
began at midnight and ended at 6:30 am to avoid interference with the
People Movers operations. With security badges in hand, key Beresh
personnel reported each work night to the Detroit People Movers version of
mission control, a secure hub near the Rosa Parks Transit Center in downtown
Detroit. The DTC control center is equipped with a console of computers
capable of generating over 150 different views of the People Movers 13
stations and a capacity for tracking the trains operational details, ranging
from location and schedule to the functioning of the trains heating and
cooling system, said Duane Belin, DTC operations supervisor.
The same scrutiny was applied to Beresh personnel working on this transit
station. The DTCs human resource department ran criminal background
checks on every employee who came on site, said John E. Just, Beresh
project manager. Each employee was fingerprinted as part of security
screening. With more than 40 years of public work, The Beresh Group is no
stranger to heightened security protocol, having performed jobs for the
Department of Defense, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the General Service
Administration, and having gained familiarity with Department of Homeland
Security procedures. As part of security measures, We told DTC in advance
who was going to be on board the job each night, said Beresh.
Both security and safety are deeply engrained in the DTCs and Bereshs
culture, as shown by the projects stellar safety record. We havent had an
accident in our entire 24 years of operation, said Belin. Bereshs attention to
safety resulted in a job accomplished without any incidents, accidents or
The train exits the Millender Center Stations jeweled rainbow of
LED light.
injury, said Beresh.
Before platform work, DTC began the safety
protocol for shutting down the power to the track
as soon as Beresh personnel checked in at the
control center. Actual shutdown is a simple flick of
a switch, but following the safety protocols for
activating breaker locks and other lockout-tagout
procedures initially took an hour, said Gary
Lambert, DTC manager of control operations.
After the track and equipment is de-energized
and everything is locked out, DTC would conduct
a volt meter test, said Robert Cantalini, DTC safety
manager. Beresh would then conduct a second
test for verification before placing grounding
straps down on the guideway.
Once on site, Just and Jim Barrett, Beresh
superintendent, kept in contact with DTCs control
room via walkie-talkies using the call sign, Tango
One. We wanted to make sure we were in
communication at all times, in case something did
happen, said Lambert. We also wanted Beresh to
know if we had maintenance or other work on the
track while they were working.
During platform work, an equally rigorous
safety protocol was followed to close construction
and re-energize the track. We would de-energize
the track anytime we had to work outside the
platforms yellow safety strip or be out on the
track, said Barrett. It would be close to 1 am
before it was de-energized, and then we would
have to be back off at 4:30 am.
BATTENING DOWN THE HATCHES
Working on the platform presented a host of
uncommon circumstances, for not many jobsites
have to consider the wind blast generated by a
speeding train. The Beresh crew had to secure all
work before the morning switch from active
construction site to operational transit station.
Whether it was the new steel grid for the ceiling
or other systems, we couldnt just leave it in a
temporary state because of the wind rushing back
from the train, said Barrett. Work was performed
in start-to-finish segments, completing
demolition of an entire area or system in one
night followed by complete installation of a new
section or system the next night.
Wind pressure also influenced material
selection. The platforms newly installed Chicago
Metallic, Plano Turnstile metal ceiling is certified
for wind pressure. The smooth tiles with a long-
lasting Kynar finish are designed to handle 30 psf
wind pressure, said Beresh.
Beyond wind pressure, the systems on this
sloped ceiling were re-organized to create a
fitting canvas for an LED painting in motion. The
design called for the removal of the existing
lighting, speakers and infrared heating systems
cluttering the sloped ceiling and adjacent beam.
We wanted a smooth ceiling so we could
efficiently throw light across it and allow its
surface to reflect and glow, said Steven C. Flum,
principal of his namesake firm.
Flum thoroughly investigated existing
structural conditions, electing to use the existing
beam as the means of achieving this perfect
canvas of a ceiling. The bottom edge of the beam
enclosure was brought down three inches below
the ceiling line over the entire platform, said
Flum. This space was then used to recess and
organize the infrared heaters and other
equipment on the ceiling.
Relocating all of the functional elements on this
central beam left the sloped ceiling free for the
uninterrupted play of light from the newly installed
cove LED lighting. By organizing the equipment
on the beam enclosure, the cove lighting shines
across the ceiling without interruption and without
casting shadows, said Flum.
A PROBLEM-SOLVING GENIE
The sloped ceiling covers only half the platform,
angling downward over the actual track. The
ceiling termination results in a vertical expanse of
blank wall soaring 30 feet over the platform and
track. Called the Media Wall, this vertical expanse is
now filled with 52 slender pairs of LED tubes of
varying length, all capable of flashing multiple
colors from the red, white and blue of the Fourth of
July program to the colors of the sunset. The
sunset program that comes on at dusk is
impressive, said Flum. Oranges, yellows and reds
change quietly and softly similar to the visual
experience of seeing the sun sink below the
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One of the core installation challenges was
gaining access to this wall and other platform
areas near and over the track. The Beresh Group
stationed a mobile Genie 135 with an articulating
boom on Randolph Street, first gaining a special
State of Michigan Right of Way permit for
placement on the roadway, said Beresh.
The Genies articulating boom was able to twist
its way through the People Movers exit opening
and up to the Media Wall. We fed the Genie
through the stations opening five stories above
the street to work that whole 30-foot-high wall,
said Barrett. If compared to a finger, the boom
has knuckles on it every 30 feet that allow it to
twist and turn and reach the wall.
The Genie also came to the rescue as a needed
source for mobile and portable access. Beresh
could not build permanent scaffolding, because
all traces of construction had to be erased during
the stations operating hours. The Genie was
helpful, because not only couldnt we set up any
permanent scaffolding, said Barrett, but there
was no way we could get any kind of temporary
scaffolding in place that would be OSHA-
approved to actually access that work. Beresh
used a conventional scissor lift to access areas
behind the platforms yellow safety line.
Fall protection was a great concern on a jobsite
perched 60 feet above the streets of downtown
Detroit. Cantalini established safety protocols,
paid surprise visits and conducted safety audits
throughout the job. I did a couple of safety audits
a month, said Cantalini. Jim always had
everything lined up for me, including documen-
tation on all his safety training for aerial lifts. It
was a great project, and they did a wonderful job.
All the safety protocols were always in place.
We also did a preliminary hazard analysis on
every phase of the operation, continued
Cantalini. Jim, myself and others would ask, What
are we going to encounter in this part of the job,
what type of protocol do we need in place? Every
aspect was planned well ahead. In addition, The
Beresh Group conducted safety orientation and
site specific safety talks.
The second core challenge was installing the
light tubes for the Media Wall. Before drilling the
openings, Beresh had to predict where the steel
structure was located based on the floor layout of
the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, which is also part
of the Millender Center structure. There is
different structural steel at different levels, and we
had to pinpoint where the steel was when we
couldnt actually see it, said Barrett. We
measured the interior of the floors to determine
where the steel was located before we drilled
through the wall. Installing the wiring and new
devices in both platform and concourse to serve
the new LED lighting required routing within the
building framework, added Beresh.
The Beresh Group also had to ensure the
correct placement of the light tubes to achieve
the desired design vision. There was a definite
pattern that Barbara and Lisa wanted, so we had
to get the level marks and placement correct,
said Barrett.
Opaque transom windows with concealed LED
lighting in both platform and interior concourse
complete this canvas of shifting colors. Without
enlarging the space or altering the buildings
structure, the Beresh design/build team
succeeded in creating this unique orchestration of
light created by LED cove lighting, the Media Wall
and the transom windows pulsing, shifting and
rippling in harmony.
Advances in LED technology over the last 10
years made possible this kaleidoscope of color.
We used products from two different LED
manufacturers, said Just. A DMX program was
created for us that allows the different units to
work together in harmony. Flum compares it to
the neon lighting of the People Mover Greektown
Station. The one in Greektown is exciting with its
streaks of color, said Flum. Now technology is
available, and we can create motion, variation in
intensity and wonderful colored light.
Check it out on DTCs YouTube video under
Millender Center Lighting Enhancement or ride
the People Mover to the Millender Center Station.
A ten-minute show with sequential variations
runs nightly at 6 pm and 9 pm, according to DTC-
supplied information.
DETROIT NEW MORNING
The magic of light was also called into play in
the stations interior concourse. The Beresh Group
first demolished the concourses acoustic ceiling
tiles and rusted steel grid corroded by a water leak
from a damaged mechanical unit. Demolition was
followed by installation of a heavy-duty steel
support grid and new drywall surrounding three
new recessed, copper-painted ceilings that echo
some of the color lines of the People Movers Art
in the Stations. At Millender, the gorgeous
Pewabic tile art wall is entitled Detroit New
Morning by Alvin Loving, Jr.
The Beresh team brought out the beauty of this
tile art wall by installing recessed LED lighting.
Using a technique called grazing, concealed
lighting from above shines directly down the art
The station is nestled behind the Millender Centers glass drapery and perched
five stories above East Jefferson Avenue.
In a technique called grazing, concealed lighting from above
shines directly down the Pewabic tile art wall, bringing out
its texture and giving this beautiful work by (Alvin Loving,
Jr.) almost a sculptural quality at night.
tile, bringing out its texture and giving this wall
installation almost a sculptural quality at night.
Grazing also draws out the brilliance of the gold
tiles swirling through this composition of abstract
pastels. The tile is beautiful and has beautiful
colors, but before incandescent lighting made it
look dull and flat, said Flum. Added Bouyea, We
were able to find a great manufacturer with a
really good white LED color that truly enhances
the tile wall.
Because DTC leases only half of the concourse,
the other half of the art tile wall is lit with a more
conventional technique called washing. In wall
washing, the fixtures are mounted two to three
feet out from the wall, throwing light toward the
wall, said Bouyea. Shooting the light straight
down the wall gives us that wonderful texture,
plus we are using a LED with a very pinpoint type
of light. We also were able to hide the light source,
giving us a cleaner ceiling as well.
PASSING THE TEST
Beyond a phenomenal lighting effects, the
Beresh team installed new functional systems
throughout the Millender Center station. New
pre-finished supply and return grilles, as well as
new ductwork were relocated to provide for a
more energy-efficient system, said Beresh. Also
in the interior concourse, two new grilles were
provided for the emergency air make-up units in a
prefinished copper color to match the new
gypsum metal copper ceiling system.
New systems in a functional transit station are
subject to extreme scrutiny and a vast web of
agency and government approvals. FTA
requirements for the public address and sound
system were quite rigorous. The speakers all had
to meet the ANSI 32 test for public
transportation, said Beresh. It is a very sophis-
ticated testing system to meet these intelligibility
requirements for sound. The sound from the
speakers is taped, and the tape is shipped to an
independent testing agency in Texas. Added Just,
We actually hit a 94 to 95 percent intelligibility
rating for sound.
The security cameras were subject to multiple
reviews. Because one firm manages the DTC
cameras while another is in charge of the
Millender Center, Beresh had to interface with
several different security contractors. We
integrated all of their security requirements into a
single, new system, said Beresh. In addition, DTC
had to analyze the end result. We had to be
certain that we were still seeing the same camera
angles, said Belin.
The lighting system also had to meet the foot-
candle requirements of an operational transit
station. In addition, the radiant heaters on the
central beam had to be designed and installed at
carefully calculated angles to keep snow and ice
off the platform, said Just. In placing the radiant
heaters, we had to make sure that the pattern was
correct and that the amount of throw of these
units would hit the tile surface and would keep it
dry, said Flum.
During general demolition, The Beresh Group
had to leave smoke detectors, alarms and security
cameras operational for the coming morning.
When it came time to replace these systems, the
new life safety and surveillance systems were
demolished and installed in a single nights work.
There was never any interruption in these
important services, said Barrett.
Materials often had to be stored in The Beresh
Groups facility on Michigan Avenue to leave the
transit station free of any trace of construction. All
supplies and building materials were stored off
site and transported as needed each evening,
said Beresh.
Material delivery entailed negotiation with
Hines Management for use of the parking garage
as a route for materials. Because DTC leases the
station platform and half of the concourse from
the Millender Center, Beresh had to coordinate its
efforts with Hines, the property manager for the
Millender Center, a complex also including the
Courtyard Marriott and the Millender Center
Apartments, as well as enclosed walkways to GMs
world headquarters and the Coleman A. Young
Municipal Building. We provided a plan of action
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to DTC, the Marriott Hotel, and to Hines
Management for the clients of the General Motors
world headquarters, so that each evenings work
activity would be identified, said Beresh. All the
work was accomplished without incident or
concern.
GET ON BOARD
Coordination and good old-fashioned
teamwork was paramount in this complex project
with incredible layers of oversight and
innumerable stakeholders, including DTC, the FTA
and MDOT. Beresh worked with MDOT on the
Randolph Street closure, as well as for signage
established each evening at the I-375 exit at
Jefferson informing drivers of the lane closure in
front of the Millender Center.
What eased the process and even made it
enjoyable was the construction of a strong
working relationship between all parties. It really
was a friendly working atmosphere, said Just.
If the job was a train, Beresh operated it
smoothly and brought it to the station on time.
Its as close to seamless as it could go, said Ernest
Latham, DTC maintenance manager. That was the
result of everybody being on board and
everybody being a stakeholder in the project.
After everybody got warm and fuzzy, it was like,
Lets get out of each others way and rock n roll.
If our schedules overlapped, we just resolved the
issue and made it happen. Everybody got
together, and here is the value added: we took a
normal space and turned it into something great,
something that is an art piece.
A congenial attitude and amiable problem
solving was the oil in this projects engine. DTC had
to undertake an intensive grinding program for the
tracks while Beresh worked on the platform, but
this easy relationship smoothed the scheduling of
both tasks. Of course, solid planning is the
underpinning of a smooth project. We had a two-
week, look-ahead schedule that we produced and
updated periodically for DTC, said Just.
The Beresh Group and the design/build team
delivered the project in time for the North
American International Auto Show, nimbly
navigating the challenges of this unique jobsite,
passing all systems tests, and coordinating the
projects final stages with DTCs vehicle on board
testing procedure conducted around the New Year.
COMPUTERS, LIGHTS, ACTION
Bouyea returned to Detroit to conduct final
programming of the light shows, a process
consuming three full days and three full nights. On
a cold January night, Bouyea and Barter sat in a
car parked in a spot with a good vantage point of
the Millender Center Station. With walkie-talkies
in hand, they coordinated each light show with
the main DTC office. Not only were we
programming the different colors, but we were
also seeing how the different colors and the
different facades worked together, said Bouyea.
We also were watching how quickly or slowly the
change of colors happened. We could control and
alter the speed and the number of multiple colors
in one tube. It was extremely time consuming to
get it right, but we had a ball doing it.
The grand finale was assembling the DTC team
in a nearby building and presenting the entire
sequence of light shows. I would say it was a
home run, said Just. The DTC team was very
pleased. Added Bouyea, Its our hope that the
people of Detroit or visitors to the city derive the
same joy from seeing this station, and that it
increases the ridership on the People Mover.
The lighting show added its own glitz to the
Auto Shows glamour. Hansen reports that public
feedback has been positive, and the project
attracted a great deal of interest during the Auto
Show. Depending on available funding, the Joe
Louis Arena and Cobo Center stations are next in
line for renovation, she added.
Thanks to The Beresh Group and the entire
design/build team, the Millender Center Station is
now a welcoming beacon of light, adding its glow
to the urban fabric and bringing another element
to Detroit of those intangible qualities that can
make a city a stimulating hub of human enterprise
and invention.
C
ommunities are defined not only by the people who live in them, but
also by the facilities that are used by those people. When two people
attend the same school, shop at the same store, or receive treatment
at the same healthcare facility, they have a common frame of
reference to which each person can relate. Buildings that occupied Dearborns
busy corner of Michigan Avenue and Schaefer Road have always played a
prominent role in shaping the city.
The Montgomery Ward department store graced this site since it opened in
1936, until the structure was demolished in 2008. In its heyday, Montgomery
Ward was at the epicenter of retail activity in Dearborn, so the site made
perfect sense for another trusted community resource, Midwest Medical. The
Midwest Medical Center eventually transformed itself into a three-story,
165,000-square-foot medical office building with Oakwood Healthcare System
and Midwest Health Plan as anchor tenants. The project team that delivered
this one-stop healthcare destination included construction manager, The
Dailey Company, Lake Orion; architect Hobbs + Black Associates, Ann Arbor;
and developer REDICO Management, Inc., Southfield.
AN AMBITIOUS PLAN
The Montgomery Ward abandonment left a large section of east downtown
Dearborn empty, but desirable sites attract interest even in challenging times.
In this case, the requirements of the community were in sync with the
developers plans.
We saw that there was a need in market, said Scott Wortman, AIA, LEED AP,
CORNERING THE MARKET
FOR QUALITY CARE
BY DAVID R. MILLER, ASSOCIATE EDITOR PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE DAILEY COMPANY
vice president of development for REDICO
Management, Inc. There was also an existing
medical office building just down the street. They
needed to expand their existing facility, so
communications started about four-and-a-half
years ago about what we could do to facilitate that.
We already had a site in the heart of Dearborn that
was ready to be redeveloped.
Although there were some concerns that are
inherent with any Brownfield site, the location was
desirable because it kept Midwest Medical right in
the center of the community in which it was a
trusted wellness partner, while the association with
Oakwood Healthcare Systems effectively expanded
the services that would be offered at the facility.
REDICOs Dearborn Town Center development
encompassed more than just the Midwest Medical
Center. Parking was addressed with a five-level,
550-car parking garage that was part of the overall
site plan. This free parking garage is attached to
Midwest Medical Center by a covered pedestrian
bridge. CAM Magazine recognized its many
sustainable features with a Honorable Mention in
the 2010 Green Project Awards. Future phases of
the project include a three-story, 100-unit senior
living facility and a 20,000-square-foot office and
retail building, but the recently completed Midwest
Medical Center already brings an impressive array
of medical capabilities to the site.
A team of more than 60 highly skilled physicians
and other healthcare professionals representing
various specialties now provide coordinated care at
this one location. The facility includes a walk-in
Urgent Care that is open 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, along with imaging technology,
diagnostics, an on-site laboratory, and a physical
therapy suite. The project team wisely planned for
anticipated demand for surgical services. Space for
three, 600-square-foot operating rooms was
included. One operating room was fully equipped,
while the second was built-out and the third is
shelled awaiting future growth. Other building
features include a Kresge Eye Institute Department
of Ophthalmology and Eyeware Optical Shop, a
restaurant, a pharmacy, and retail amenities.
Putting the many providers who would deliver
these services under a single roof required a
considerable amount of flexibility on the part of
the project team.
Adaptability was big on this project, said
Deborah Anderson, LEED AP, senior project
manager for the Dailey Company. We had to meet
the city [of Dearborns] requirements, but we also
needed to meet each tenants requirements. Each
group had their own operating system.
Given the complexity of the project and the
many players involved, getting everyone onboard
in the early phases of the planning process was
crucial.
The number of people involved didnt have a
major impact on the planning of the spaces
because all of the people were at the table, said
Tom Dillenbeck, AIA, senior associate for Hobbs +
Black. The Dailey Company and REDICO were
there for our planning meetings. Our planners
were having one-on-one meetings with their
clinical directors, but all parties were in attendance
to hear everything as it developed.
Getting everyone involved with the planning
process helped the project team to understand and
address a number of ambitious goals for the facility.
GREEN GOALS
Midwest Medical Center has achieved Silver
Level certification under USGBCs LEED rating
system, but that is not much of a surprise for a
REDICO project.
Any project that we undertake now, we try to
do as a LEED project, said Wortman. LEED doesnt
always work. Sometimes the building doesnt lend
itself to LEED and sometimes the costs just dont
work out.
The Midwest Medical Center had a jump on
LEED simply because of the location. In addition to
qualifying for points relating to Brownfield redevel-
opment, the site accommodates a number of
transportation options. Drivers and pedestrians do
not always mix well, but the building is equally and
safely accessible to both. The attached parking
garage and a drop-off loop attend to the needs of
motorists, while ample nearby bus routes and
street entrances provide an attractive alternative to
driving. Bike racks are also available onsite.
Even pedestrians who are not visiting the
Midwest Medical Center benefit from its presence.
An inviting lobby faces the corner of Michigan
Avenue and Schaefer Road, leading into a
pedestrian mall that traverses the length of the
structure. An easy-to-follow corridor provides
access to retail spaces as it runs alongside Schaefer
until it terminates at the opposite end of the
building, where walkers can exit the building as
they continue on their way.
Water is also carefully managed at the facility.
Water usage was reduced by more than 40 percent
with dual-flush toilets, low-flow urinals and ultra
low-flow sinks that aerate water to create the
illusion of additional flow. More than 90 percent of
There were some concerns with the Brownfield site, but the location kept Midwest Medical in
the center of the community, while the association with Oakwood Healthcare Systems
expanded the services that would be offered at the facility.
PHOTO BY RICH GRUBOLA MARKET BY DESIGN, INC.
storm water runoff is also captured and treated
before entering the citys storm system. Roof
drainage is accomplished with an ingenious
siphonic system that is designed to run completely
full of water when draining, as opposed to conven-
tional gravity drains, which only run half full. This
allowed for smaller drainage pipes and fewer
interior conflicts.
We really appreciated that because it allowed
the horizontal pipe runs to be flat, so we didnt
need to accommodate a pitch. It also reduced the
overall number of drain conductors throughout the
building, which meant we didnt need as many
chase build-outs for the pipes, said Dillenbeck.
Energy costs at Midwest Medical Center will also
be 14 percent less than what could be achieved
with conventional HVAC systems, due in large part
to the efforts of mechanical design/build
contractor Limbach Company, LLC, Pontiac.
When you go through the design, you try to
meet energy-efficiency goals based on the
equipment selected, with input from the electrician
on heat loads and the architect on shading, among
other things, said Kris Thorne, vice president and
operations manager for Limbach in Michigan.
In this case, the team selected rooftop units with
evaporative condensers that utilize a water spray to
cool the condenser as the fluid evaporates. This
form of heat shedding is more efficient than air-
cooling. The units are also equipped with
economizers that utilize outside air for cooling
during winter months; thereby taking advantage of
cold weather that is free and readily available in
Michigan. Variable volume air distribution systems
4000 Town Center, Suite 909, Southeld, MI 48075

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This two-story lobby features a glass faade that affords spectacular views of a one-of-a-kind
blown glass art piece.
and fan powered terminals were installed inside
the building to control energy usage, while MERV
13 filters create an indoor environment that is
substantially cleaner than what standard filters
provide.
Sustainability goals at Midwest Medical Center
went far beyond mechanical systems. More than
70 percent of construction waste was recycled as
opposed to being sent to a landfill, while 50
percent of all new products and materials used
contained recycled content. The site was
landscaped with water efficient native plantings
that require no irrigation, and the attached parking
deck features electric vehicle charging stations,
Photo Voltaic Solar Panels and an energy efficient
fluorescent lighting system that can be controlled
by a laptop computer.
As impressive as they are, sustainability
achievements represent only part of the overall
goals for the Midwest Medical Center.
KEEPING UP APPEARANCES
Midwest Medical Center is a distinctive building
that stands out, but also blends in. Brick and stone
materials that were used mimic nearby structures
pretty closely, but the expression is more contem-
porary. This is augmented with modern metal and
glass, but these materials also help to strengthen
cohesion with the buildings surroundings, as the
metals champaign color carries over to the existing
City Hall. Using materials that are similar to the area
also helped contribute to sustainability goals.
When they built the buildings around here, they
used local materials, said Wortman. LEED is
almost a flashback to how things were done
previously.
In other words, the project team earned a LEED
credit for local material sourcing by simply
honoring the practical tendencies that were
demonstrated by builders who came before them.
The facilitys prominent location also mandated
a grand public entry. The two-story lobby facing
the corner of Michigan Avenue and Schaefer Road
features a glass faade that affords spectacular
views of a one-of-a-kind hand blown glass art piece
at street level. The artwork is illuminated at night to
maximize its impact and it sits against an attractive
mahogany wall that complements its appearance.
The buildings boardroom sits directly atop the
lobby. By dedicating the space above the lobby to
a single use, the project team was able to carry the
glass faade over all three floors of the building,
which gives the structure undeniable curb appeal.
The Dearborn Town Center development is
undoubtedly a positive addition to Dearborns
bustling downtown, and the site is well suited for
the structure, but the location posed some
logistical challenges.
We were right across the street from City Hall,
which was ideal for inspections, said Anderson.
We also had challenges such as public residential
spaces on two sides and a major roadway with
Michigan Avenue.
Contractors are sometimes able to secure
agreements to stage construction materials on
adjacent sites, but that was simply not possible
here. The building itself took up most of the site,
leaving precious little room available for materials.
Bulky items including structural steel members and
precast concrete pieces were delivered on an as-
needed basis, which created logistical challenges
for the entire team. Fortunately, the group was
more than up to the task, as REDICO uses extraor-
dinary care in assembling project teams that can
work together
Whenever it is practical, REDICO works with
architects, contractors and consultants who have
worked with each other in the past. These
companies will be more familiar with the
operational procedures of their partners in the
building process. They will also be more likely to
put forth their best effort because they know that
they will likely work together again on future
projects for REDICO. Industry professionals who
work with REDICO quickly learn to appreciate this
approach.
Projects go more smoothly when you dont
need to re-learn each others systems, said
Dillenbeck. We work with a lot of major
contractors. Every time we start with a new one, we
challenge?
We thrive on it!
challenge?
We thrive on it!
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default back to the last project that we did
whether its electronic shop drawing review or the
way that bid packages are broken up. Knowing
what the expectations are from previous
experience helps get the process started on the
right track.
The professionalism that blossomed out of the
excellent working rapport between Dearborn Town
Center project team members resulted in a very
functional set of facilities.
FUNCTION FOLLOWING FORM
Waiting rooms are an inevitable part of any
healthcare facility. Each one requires sufficient
space to accommodate seating, clearance for
doors, and circulation of patients and staff, so these
spaces represent a significant portion of the overall
square footage. Dillenbeck estimates that waiting
rooms would account for five to ten percent of the
floor space at a facility that is comparable to
Midwest Medical Center, but an innovative open
waiting room concept let the project team reduce
the amount of waiting room space for the new
Dearborn facility by about 25 percent.
We wanted to create an open, casual flow to
the waiting room, said Wortman. There are half
walls that let the corridor flow into the waiting
rooms. If a waiting room gets very busy, there is
an overflow capacity with the adjacent waiting
room. The waiting rooms are not defined by four
walls, so they can flow from one clinic to another,
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Waiting rooms are not defined by four walls, so they can flow from one clinic to another, or
even across the hall.
or even across the hall.
The project team was able to reduce the size of
each waiting room by taking advantage of the
built-in overflow capacity. Patient privacy is still
protected because each waiting room is connected
to a traditional clinic space that is completely
walled in.
Oakwood Healthcare System physicians can also
consult with one another in a unique space that is
completely shielded from public view, yet is easily
accessible to encourage its use. The floorplan was
designed to prevent any direct sightlines from
public spaces, so doors were not even needed.
Doctors can simply walk right in. Obscuring some
areas from public view was an important consid-
eration, as Midwest Medical Center utilizes a
backstage concept, thereby allowing staff
members to transport items from loading docks to
their point of use without entering any public
spaces. This creates a more pleasant guest
experience by keeping unsightly tasks out of sight.
In the medical field, there are some things that
need to be observed, however. Surgical prep and
recovery spaces were designed around a private
room concept instead of an open bay where
patients are merely separated by curtains. A glass
front wall gives nurses and other health care
professionals the line of sight needed to monitor
patients, though curtains can be pulled to offer the
patient complete privacy.
Midwest Medical Center features a variety of
specialized medical equipment, much of which
required extra consideration from the project team.
Many pieces would need special mechanical or
electrical support, but purchasing decisions were
often delayed as newer models came out.
In some cases, like on the lower level where the
CT equipment was, we had to leave the concrete
out of the floor until final equipment selections
were made, said Anderson. In some of the clinic
spaces, we learned that some of the exam tables
were heated and would require in-field changes to
electrical circuits to accommodate the equipment.
Equipment at Midwest Medical Center includes
an x-ray machine, CT scanner, a sound booth that
was relocated from an existing facility, and an MRI
truck that is docked at the facility several days a
week. In addition to planning for all of this
equipment, the project team needed to integrate
the many fire, security and IT systems used by
various tenants into a functional whole. The facility
also includes a security CCTV network for all public
spaces in the building and parking deck. The
cameras are Internet accessible, which facilitates
remote monitoring and sharing with law
enforcement entities.
The final result of the project teams effort is an
efficient facility that offers one-stop shopping and
a comfortable environment for healthcare
consumers. Midwest Medical Center also continues
the tradition of the Montgomery Ward site that it
occupies by blending in beautifully with its
surroundings and quickly becoming a focal point
against the vibrant Dearborn cityscape. The facility
is cornering the market for quality care by blending
new healthcare ideas with a deep-seeded respect
for tradition, community and the environment.
Building a
Circle of Healing
With its colorful murals and gel-filled jelly rolls
that shift in color with every step, the hospitals
main lobby is definitely child-friendly.
BY MARY E. KREMPOSKY, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
ERIC DEWITT, LUCID ARCHITECTURE PHOTOGRAPHY
T
he new Helen
DeVos Childrens
Hospital in
downtown Grand
Rapids is the first
hospital tower in the world
clad in 100 percent vision
glass. But the actual vision
of the hospitals executive
team extends far beyond
the towers patented glass.
A belief in happiness as a
type of healing force fills this
amazing 464,000-square-
foot hospital. This visionary
hospital asked children
themselves this question:
What makes you happy?
Their answers and their art
work fill this 14-story
hospital with the healing
power of play, brightly
colored murals and even
waffle cones of locally made
ice cream.
We wanted to create a hopeful environment, full of life and full of color,
said Dr. Robert H. Connors, MD, pediatric surgeon and president of the newest
stand-alone childrens hospital in the country. Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital,
a member of Spectrum Health, has more than achieved its purpose, thanks to
the Grand Rapids contracting team of Wolverine Building Group and Turner
Construction Companys West Michigan Office, along with URS Corporation as
architectural consultants and mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers.
Jonathan Bailey Associates, Dallas, served as architect of record.
The project team turned the Grand Rapids communitys generously
donated dollars into a place sparkling with color, awash in natural light and
filled with the soothing presence of water. With its 19-foot-tall curved
bubble wall rising behind the welcome desk and the wonderful scent of
pizza being baked in a stone hearth oven, the main two-story lobby and its
companion restaurant set the tone for a hospital that doesnt look, smell or
feel like a hospital. Fears are lessened and hearts are lightened in boldly
colored play areas dotting the lobby, the patient floors and a rooftop garden
and playground, complete with a large xylophone.
The kids have voted. Awesome! exclaims a young boy in this child-
friendly lobby. Stepping on a large circle in the floor, colors begin to swirl and
change beneath his shoes. It moves! he announces to his friend. This
hospital visitor has just walked across a zone of jelly rolls, circles filled with
colored fluid swiftly changing in response to every foot fall. In another lobby
area, a child in a wheelchair, hooked to an IV, watches as children catch jelly
fish floating on the screen of an interactive motion wall.
Thanks to the Grand Rapids community, $103 million of this $286 million
advanced pediatric care hospital one of only 60 stand-alone childrens
hospitals of its size in the nation - was funded through philanthropy. Open
hearts and wallets have made possible this state-of-the-art facility housing a
pediatric cardiac catherization lab with medical technology possessed by
few hospitals in the country. It is very sophisticated equipment for looking
at a childs or a babys heart, said Dr. Connors. Fulfilling its motto All Kids, All
the Time, the hospital has a pediatric emergency department, plus
operating rooms and radiology services devoted exclusively to infants,
children and adolescents.
Clearly, Spectrum Health and the entire Grand Rapids community have
poured their heart, soul and a large dose of TLC into this facility. Turner and
Wolverine brought a large measure of QA/QC (quality assurance/quality
control) to the rigorous construction of this challenging building. Making
childrens wishes come true in actual steel and glass is a tall order. This
order included construction of a glass-enclosed pedestrian bridge that
rises 30 feet and twists, and creating a gorgeous tower of light blue vision
glass without a hint of horizontal banding. The tower - circular in appearance
but actually an oblong with curved ends and a relatively flat middle - has the
hue of Lake Michigan on a
summer day. We wanted
the building to express the
nature and themes
common to West
Michigan, said Steve
Coates, director, facilities,
Spectrum Health.
But designing and
building this remarkable
facility was no day at the
beach. The project team
used a patented Visionwall
4-element high
performance glass, a
unitized or interlocking
curtain wall system, a
custom frit pattern and
four-sided butt glazing to
produce a patient tower
with a truly singular
exterior. On the interior, the
towers vision glass draws in
abundant waves of natural
light through floor-to-
ceiling windows in all patient rooms. The 11-story tower rests on a portion of
a three-story podium, embedded in a steep hill and wrapped in whimsical,
flowing waves of glass and aluminum.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
This wonderful new childrens hospital has humble roots. In 1990, all of
the childrens programming was on a single floor of the oldest building on
campus, said Dr. Connors. By 1993, the communitys generosity resulted in
an official womens and childrens hospital initially occupying the top three
floors in the central tower, but steadily expanding into other areas of
Butterworth Hospital.
Ultimately, growing demand and a strong network of medical staff and
existing healthcare facilities proved fertile ground for a new freestanding
childrens hospital. In fact, the new Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital is located
in the heart of the Medical Mile, a convergence of $1 billion dollars of
healthcare infrastructure in downtown Grand Rapids.
The decision to include families, caregivers and children in the planning
process was pivotal in creating the special magic of the new Helen DeVos
Childrens Hospital. Weve always felt that to get to a better answer you have
to ask the right people, said Dr. Connors. If you really want a place that
children and families love and feel supported and comfortable in, you need to
talk to them.
The planning phase included meetings with the hospitals Family Advisory
Council and independent committees in different service areas. Using
Wolverines and Turners full-size patient room mockups, parents opted for
full-size bath tubs and for laundry facilities rather than a fitness center in the
Family Respite Center, an area on the 11th floor housing a lounge, full kitchen
facilities and a play room. Children selected the 12 games on the interactive
motion wall and activities in the play rooms on each floor.
As part of this community affair, over 8,000 children in Grand Rapids
created over 1,500 works of art for the hospital under the direction of
LaFontsee Galleries. The child-friendly lobby and cafeteria is filled with the
brilliantly colored mosaic tile panels of second-place ArtPrize winner, Tracy
Van Duinen. Tiles embedded in a playful swirl of fanciful tree branches spell
out the question: What makes you happy? The answers dinosaurs, bikes,
chocolate dot the bold oranges and yellows of this massive ceramic tile wall
mural.
Two years in design and four years in construction have truly produced an
iconic building that showcases the high priority the Grand Rapids
community places on childrens health, said Dr. Connors. The new hospital
is also LEED-registered in keeping with the environmental ethic of one of the
greenest cities in the United States.
The building is the first hospital tower in the world clad in 100 percent vision glass.
DEC. 6, 2006
A nondescript concrete parking deck originally occupied the site of what
would become this amazing new hospital located along Michigan Street and
Bostwick Avenue. Dec. 6, 2006 was the day we put up the construction fencing
around the existing parking ramp to begin demolition,recalled Tim Gray, head
superintendent, Wolverine.
Wolverine and Turner demolished the five-level parking structure,
removing existing footings approximately 15 feet below Bostwick Avenue.
Demolition operations were coordinated to avoid disrupting surgical
operations in the adjacent, and ultimately connected, Butterworth Hospital.
We coordinated our work with the surgical schedules, stopping any work
that would cause vibration during surgeries, said Gray. We placed
scrubbers on our equipment to avoid introducing diesel fumes into the
building and its air intakes. We also wet down the concrete as we were
tearing it apart to avoid creating a lot of dust.
Setting piles in the sandy soil and installing wood lagging set the stage for
excavation of the three-level podium. The piles were about 50 to 60 feet
deep at the east end (the top of the steep hill), said Gray.
Construction of the cast-in-place concrete podium involved incorporating
an existing 103-foot-long underground tunnel linking a cancer pavilion with
Butterworth Hospital. We had to waterproof all the way around the tunnel
and then continue building the podium, said David A. Snyder, project
engineer, Turner Construction. This allowed people to pass through the
tunnel, even while we were constructing our building.
Only the lowest of the three podium levels - housing mainly valet parking
for the emergency department - is completely below grade. Half of the
second level emerges from the hillside and contains the emergency
department with street-level access from Bostwick. Fully above grade, the
upper level, housing surgery and recover rooms, evens out the steepness of
the hill, providing a level footprint for the patient tower.
A BEAUTIFUL ILLUSION IN BLUE
Few glass buildings rival the singular appearance of this beautiful vision in
light blue glass. The use of vision glass, a light tint, and zero horizontal
banding were pivotal in creating a tower with a sense of lightness and an
emphasis on the vertical. Neither highly reflective glass nor dark gray glass
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The amazing Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital has a glass-enclosed
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100 percent vision glass, and a whimsical wave of glass and aluminum
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would have given us the light look we wanted,
said Arthur Veneklase, PE, LEED AP, principal
mechanical engineer, URS.
A great deal of thought was poured into the
selection of the right glass and the proper frit to
create a non-banded, vertical expanse of glass
curtain wall. URS wanted to avoid even the
relatively minor horizontal banding that would
have been generated by the small spandrel of the
towers high floor-to-ceilings spaces on every
floor, said Veneklase. (A spandrel is opaque glass
or other materials used to conceal structural
elements at every floor line.)
The choice was to blanket the tower in vision
glass to avoid the spandrel. The next quandary
was to manage heat loss in a tower with floor-to-
ceiling vision glass. Conventional options, such as
triple glazing, would require a perimeter radiant
heating system to manage heat loss; the heating
system, however, would create unwanted
horizontal banding at every level of the tower.
The design team chose the patented Visionwall 4-
element high performance glass, because the
products stellar ability to manage heat loss
eliminates the need for a perimeter heating
system, said David Byl, AIA, senior project
manager, URS Health. Plus, temperature control
and patient comfort is dramatically improved.
The choice of frit pattern was also crucial in
delivering a beautiful, blue building without any
banding. We first established that glass with a 50
percent frit was needed to reduce solar gain and
aid the mechanical system, said Byl.
The search was on for the optimal frit. A striped
frit was given the thumbs down. We would still
get some banding using a pattern with wide
stripes at the top that gradually decrease in size
on each floor, said Veneklase. Creating the
banding with the frit would have defeated the
whole purpose of switching to vision glass in the
first place.
The solution was using a custom frit with 12
different random patterns. Basically, the glass has
a series of clear windows or distinct squares
within the overall constellation of frit patterns,
allowing people unobstructed views. The
combination of patented high performance vision
glass and the custom frit gave the hospital the
best of all worlds: wonderful natural light,
windows of vision, and excellent management of
solar gain and heat loss for patient comfort.
When it is 30 degrees outside you can take a
temperature gun and shoot the inside of the glass
and it will be very close to room temperature,
said Gray. That is incredible, and that is how high
performance the glass is.
Overhead air is used to warm the spaces. We
did a computational fluid dynamic model, which
looked at the air flows in the room and the temper-
atures from floor to ceiling to determine the right
size of supply grill and the correct velocity of air
exiting the grill to make sure that we could get the
heat down to the floor without causing drafts and
without stratification, said Veneklase.
The project teams work yielded stellar
temperature control and a beautiful tower of blue
glass whose unobstructed appearance was aided
by cantilevered floors and strengthened perimeter
steel that hid the structural steel from exterior view.
Basically, they beefed up the towers perimeter
steel so the floor slab would cantilever about two
to three feet, said Gray. Byl adds, The only thing
visible from the outside is a very thin line, but it
lines up exactly with the mullion. Essentially, you
cant see the floor structure from the outside. Its all
a beautiful illusion.
HOLISTIC CONSTRUCTION
This seamless tower of vision glass is installed
in its entirety as a four-sided butt glazed system,
another mark of an uncommon building. Adding
another level of complexity, the unitized curtain
wall system, composed of interlocking frame
sections, demanded a strict installation sequence.
We had to ring one horizontal level of the
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building entirely before moving to the next level
and then ring the building again, said Gray. We
couldnt skip sections.
In this unforgiving building, the concrete floor
slabs had to be perfectly flat to accommodate the
unitized curtain wall system. The clips for the top of
each curtain wall section are installed in the edge of
the floor slab, said Gray. If your floor wasnt flat,
then your curtain wall wasnt going to fit.
With all systems highly dependent on the
other, rigorous quality control was par for the
course. Turner helped out tremendously with
this aspect, because they had so many QA/QC
controls that they have developed over the years,
said Gray. We would shoot the perimeter of the
steel with a laser to make sure we were within
tolerance, we would shoot a laser before we
poured the concrete, and then we would shoot
the concrete floor again before the concrete
hardened. We were very diligent about making
sure that the edges of the slab were where they
needed to be.
Innovative solutions maintained the pace of
construction. Wolverine and Turner began setting
the glass on the first level of the tower, while
structural steel installation continued on the
upper levels, along with pouring concrete for this
composite concrete and metal deck structure.
We came up with a sheet metal shield that we
would fasten above the level we were setting the
curtain wall on, so anything that fell from above
would hit and deflect off of the shield, said Gray.
As another challenge, the project team had to
coordinate design and delivery of nine, large air
handling units - custom made in Canada - with
glass curtain wall installation on the fourth floor
mechanical level. URS had to fast track their
design of those units, so that we could order and
fast track deliver the units before the fourth floor
was enclosed, said Chris Jarvis, MEP superin-
tendent, Turner. With the units slated for
installation on the fourth floor, it was early in the
project, so that made it quite a challenge for URS.
Our Turner Logistics department then worked
closely with the manufacturer, allowing us to
receive them in a timely manner.
Complicating installation, these units are
custom manufactured in two sections. Being
stacked units with the return air tunnel built on
top, they are like double-decker buses that we had
to split horizontally, lift with a crane and then bolt
back together once in place on the fourth floor,
added Veneklase. Now ensconced midway in the
patient tower, the air handlers and the mechanical
system more easily services all levels of the
patient tower.
GROWING A TOWER CRANE IN THE GARDEN
The unitized curtain wall called into play other
creative solutions. We couldnt stop the curtain
wall sequence, so we took the glass out of the
curtain wall frame on the west side to establish a
tie off point for the tower crane, said Gray.
The tower crane itself was staged in the west
podiums rooftop garden. A large opening was
left in the podium, and the crane was rooted at
the lowest level of the podiums base. This future
rooftop garden was in essence growing a crane
during construction, for the height of the crane
had to be extended one full section over the
course of the project.
The tower crane was actually in the flight path
of the helicopters landing at the nearby heliport
of this Level One Trauma Center. We would radio
the crane operator that the flight captain was
coming in, said Jarvis. The crane operator then
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The curve of the patient tower creates a series of intimate and easily serviced groups of
patient rooms.
had to park the crane in position and keep it there
until the helicopter landed.
The tower crane remained in place until the
completion of steel, installation of cooling towers,
air handling units and final placement of the glass
curtain wall. After removal of the tower crane,
Jarvis devised a new access strategy, namely
installing a buck or material hoist inside one of the
buildings two elevator shafts. These tall concrete
structures are shear walls that give stability to the
building, said Snyder. Installing the buck hoist in
one of the elevator towers meant we didnt have to
use the outside of the building for access to work
on the interior of the patient tower.
Post-tower crane, Wolverine and Turner created
another kind of garden a water garden. With the
green roof/playground directly over the operating
room, the space had to be watertight. Wolverine
and Turner had to create the proper slope for the
concrete beneath this rooftop oasis, plus
waterproof the area. The final test required
flooding the entire courtyard with 16 to 17 inches
of water and letting it set for 24 hours to make sure
we didnt have any leaks, said Gray. The temporary
Lake DeVos even had white caps during the
windy test period. Today, this blooming rooftop
garden and playground graces the west side of the
podium. Three separate areas include a quiet zone
with a labyrinth, a play zone with bongos and
chimes, and a family zone for eating and games.
INTENSE AND CALCULATED
The challenges of creating this one-of-a-kind
facility didnt end with the main hospital. A glass-
enclosed, 194-foot-long pedestrian bridge spans
Michigan Street, sweeping upward and curving in
its trajectory from parking garage to lobby. Over
638 panes of blue glass all of different sizes and
shapes and with a dotted frit pattern - blanket a
rotated pipe frame of 10-inch diameter tubular
steel, painted white, curving, twisting and
reaching upward to turn a basic bridge into a
memorable experience. The bridge is designed to
inspire hope as it slopes upward from 14 to 44
feet, distracting young children and lessening
anxiety with its sense of playfulness.
With glass panes in slightly different planes,
without a computer model, the bridge wouldnt
exist, said Byl. We created a model for the
fabricator to plasma cut the ends of all of these
pipes. The work needed to build this unique
bridge was very intense and very calculated,
added Snyder.
Hillsdale Fabricators, St. Louis, MO, fabricated
and assembled the bridge steel, along with
coordinating the piping and mechanical systems
with the MEP trades, for the first of two bridge
sections on a shutdown lane of Bostwick.
Ericksons Inc., Grand Rapids, constructed a
cribbing platform for the crawler crane on
Michigan Street to manage the steepness of the
hill. We had to build the cribbing up and bring
the crane onto the cribbing, said Jarvis. Once the
crane was in place in the middle of Michigan
Street, we picked the first bridge section all 80
tons of steel and swung it into place. Wolverine
and Turner then began building out the structure
while assembling the second bridge section. Both
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lifts took place on a weekend night, and both
required Wolverine and Turner to deal with traffic
detoured from a nearby freeway closure.
A well-calculated gap in the towers unitized
curtain wall had to be left in place for the bridge.
The opening had to be precise, said Jarvis. The
opening had to be exact before the bridge was
even built. The bridge was then lifted and
connected to the patient tower while the
surrounding curtain wall glass was in place, added
Snyder. Architectural Glass & Metals, Inc., Byron
Center, was the subcontractor for the tower and
bridge glass.
BUILDING A WAVE
The last exterior phase was the crafting of the
waves flowing around the podiums rectangular
base. The waves are composed of green, blue and
clear glass set into sweeps of curved aluminum.
Wolverine and Turner performed a 3D scan of the
exterior base to coordinate the exact location and
placement of this intricate weave of colored glass,
clips and curtain wall. The wave was the result of a
stringent coordination process, said Snyder. The
system has a number of different types of clips,
some double and some single because of the
different panel sizes. Sometimes the clips were set
at different distances from the exterior wall to create
the effect of an actual wave with one crossing
underneath another in two different planes.
The end result is a playful touch that fully evokes
the regions love affair with Lake Michigan and
expresses one of the main interior themes: the
captivating and soothing serenity of water. The
waves also camouflage the rectangular podium
base, breaking down the sheer mass of the podium
whose footprint is the size of a football field.
Building this wave consumed 15 to 18 months.
Working through the design details to meet the
owners expectations probably took a good six
months, said Snyder. The construction phase
lasted about a year. The owner was clearly
satisfied with the result. It is the only one like it in
the country, said Coates. As an owner, what you
see on the rendering is what you want. When
seeing the actual waves, the quality and color
came through. What was desired and promised
was actually delivered. Vos Glass, Inc., Grand
Rapids, was the podium glass subcontractor.
A PLACE CALLED HOPE
Natural themes ripple through the interior with
colors, finishes, art work and materials patterned
after water, land, sky and sun. A water motif at the
lower levels segues into the art work of flowers
and farms and the green and blue of land and sky.
Yellows and oranges are introduced at the top
floors to represent the sun, said Laura Saltsman,
IIDA, LEED AP, interior designer, URS. The concept
behind the material and color section was relating
the building levels with the levels of the Earth.
Abstract shapes are used to make the
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As part of creating a healing environment,
this beautiful bubble wall in the main lobby
brings the soothing serenity of water into
the hospital.
environment inviting and appropriate for all age
groups, said Saltsman. Nothing is literal. Circles
in the carpet and throughout the interior could be
viewed as bubbles to a little child or suggest the
soothing quality of water to an adolescent.
The third driving force in the interior design was
the use of interactive elements. We wanted to
keep kids engaged in the space, said Saltsman.
Each reception desk has circles with a texture or a
mirror for little children to either touch, feel or see.
The interior design uses color, light and wavy
three-form panels to great effect. Every elevator
lobby has wavy ceiling panels, constantly shifting
in soft colors, thanks to a state-of-the-art LED
lighting system installed in the ceiling plenum.
The Pediatric Emergency Department contains
three-form panels, along with a digital fish tank.
Behind the surgical reception area, pastel
panels, set in a grid and iridescent as a sea shell,
shift in color when viewed from different angles.
The surgical family lounge also has an 8 x 26-foot
bubble wall whose enclosed waters calm and
distract a child. This visually captivating and
psychologically comforting area even has
anesthesia induction rooms designed to allow
parents in the room during anesthesia adminis-
tration when possible, said Thomas J. Hanley, APR,
director, community relations, HDVCH.
The curve of the building itself creates intimate
and easily serviced groupings of patient rooms
versus long hospital corridors that can be
frightening to children, added Hanley. The patient
rooms are private, family-friendly and filled with
natural light. Gentle uplighting reduces glare;
subtle ceiling arcs, outlined in blue, provide visual
stimulation; and vertical headwalls for medical
instrumentation flank rather than tower over the
bed, improving staff access and patient comfort.
In addition, the hospital boosts patient comfort
by reducing transport needs. On the podiums
second level, sedation services are centrally
located with companion radiology and
procedural areas arranged like the spokes of a
wheel, said Dr. Connors. Likewise, the neonatal
intensive care unit is direct aligned with the
existing NICU. In addition, the new Helen DeVos
Childrens Hospital provides a secure, safe circle of
healing for children via a state-of-the-art security
and building automation system. This hospital
has one of the most sophisticated building
automation systems I have ever seen, said Jarvis.
THE CIRCLE OF LIFE
The circle as a symbol of wholeness reaches its
pinnacle of expression in the very top floor of the
hospital. The top floor houses the Family Respite
Center and a gem of a chapel ringed in custom
designed stained glass and cloaked in soundproof
panels. This multi-denominational chapel is
shaped like an ellipse within an ellipse with the
last oval opening into a large skylight. Wolverine
and Turner also built a full-size mockup of this
elliptical worship space.
Wolverines and Turners greatest interior
challenge was building a never-ending succession
of curved walls. Conversely, the floors had to be
perfectly flat, for any flaw or undulation would be
obvious in a building filled with such abundant
natural light, said Snyder.
Every detail was meticulously crafted, including
the grand columns in the lobby clad in scallops or
ripples of gypsum reinforced fiberglass to suggest
water. The scalloping appears continuous because
of the expert work of the drywall contractor,
Bouma Corporation, Grand Rapids, said Snyder.
Bouma filled in the panel gaps with drywall mud
and then sculpted it to flow and seem like one
continuous ripple.
After four years of construction, about 18,000
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people toured the new hospital during a weeklong
celebration in December 2010 before the official
grand opening on January 11, 2011. About 55
clergy from different faiths blessed every room
and every piece of equipment and held a prayer
service in the chapel. It was a typical West
Michigan overcast day in December, said Hanley.
At the end of the prayer, the sun came out and
shone through the skylight. Perhaps, this
remarkable place of healing has been blessed with
the ultimate seal of approval.
F
ew collegiate football programs are blessed with a fan base whose
loyalty and dedication matches those who cheer on the University
of Michigan Wolverines. One key reason for this steadfast support is
that the Universitys reputation attracts the nations most talented
coaches. Following a few uncharacteristically disappointing years
for the Wolverines, Brady Hoke, the standout who led a San Diego State
University football program that went 2-10 the year before he was hired as
head coach to an impressive 9-4
finish after his second year, will
strive to return the program to its
former glory starting with the
2011-2012 season.
The University of Michigans
commitment to seeking talent
with extraordinary credentials
extends well beyond head
coaching positions. Any
construction or design profes-
sional working at the University of
Michigans Football Stadium, the
famed Big House, is held to a
very high standard, so imagine
the pressure placed on the team
that would deliver the largest
renovation in the history of the
structure. The stadiums building
year actually took three, as
projects timing was coordinated
to minimize disruptions to the
many functions held within. The end result shows that construction manager
Barton Malow, Southfield, and architect HNTB, Kansas City, MO deserved their
spot among the elite cadre of industry professionals who have shaped
Michigan Stadium over the years.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Fielding H. Yost understood the game of football, winning six national
championships during his coaching tenure at the University of Michigan. He
also had an uncanny ability to see future trends. That explains why he
envisioned building a stadium that would ultimately seat 150,000. He knew
that the reputation of the program he helped to build would continue to grow,
so in 1927 he oversaw completion of a stadium that would hold 72,000, but
one with footings that would allow for future expansion. With current a
capacity of 109,901 (including the one extra seat traditionally reserved for
former director of athletics, Herbert O. FritzCrisler), Michigan Stadium still has
not quite matched Yosts 150,000-person vision, but it stands out as a premier
venue nonetheless. The full scope of the stadium was not apparent from the
outside.
Before we started on this project, the stadium, from the exterior along Main
Street, looked like an oversized high school facility with approximately 25 rows
of seating above grade level, said John Peterkord, senior project manager for
HNTB. The majority of the
existing seating bowl is located
below grade which is not seen
until one is in the seating bowl.
Michigan Stadium is now
flanked by two sideline structures
with 81 suites, 2,952 club seats, a
media area, game operations,
commissary, and two upper
concourses along with 22 new
freestanding buildings housing
restrooms, concessions, and other
services. All were built with a
single purpose.
The overall goal was to
improve the spectator
experience, said Peterkord.
Football is the driving force for
the funding of all athletic
programs, as it is on most college
campuses. The revenue
generated by football helps to
pay for lacrosse, tennis, soccer, and other sports.
Simply put, a positive experience on game day adds to the overall value of
the experience, which makes fans more willing to trade their hard-earned cash
for tickets. Though they were always treated to a solid effort on the field, the
amenities were sometimes lacking. The single ground-level concourse was
also woefully insufficient to accommodate movement within the stadium.
When we began working with the athletics department and started
looking at the stadium, circulation was one of the biggest issues, said
Peterkord. We were dealing with a stadium capacity of over 100,000 people
with everyone using the same concourse. The existing concourse was very
congested so we developed the concept of adding elevated concourses on the
west and east sides of the stadium to provide more circulation space for the
patrons.
Usage for the existing concourse peaks before, during half-time and after
BUILDING YEAR
(and then some)
BY DAVID R. MILLER, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
PHOTOS BY JUSTIN MACONOCHIE
The University of Michigans commitment to seeking extraordinary talent
extends well beyond athletics. The construction and design team that
transformed the famed Big House was held to a very high standard.
games, as fans enter the stadium to locate their
seats, use concessions and/or restroom facilities at
half-time or when exiting the stadium to head
home to celebrate a win.
Pre-design observations indicated that a lot of
patrons would use the concessions and/or
restrooms when they came into the stadium and
would try to hold off using the concessions and/or
restrooms again during a game to avoid missing
almost an entire quarter of the game. said
Peterkord. The concourses were made much more
navigable during games, not only with the addition
of the new elevated concourses but also by
increasing the number of concession and restroom
facilities thus reducing the wait time.
The chaos of the concourse seemed orderly
when compared to the small army of industry
professionals who transformed Michigan Stadium
into the modern sports facility that graces the site
now. Their game clock began ticking as soon as
they arrived onsite, less than 24 hours after the
November 17, 2007 game against Ohio State
University. Once they took the field, there would be
no time outs, and they were expected to gain
yardage with every play.
GAME CLOCK
The recently completed Michigan Stadium
renovation is, by far, the most significant upgrade in
the facilitys history. The project team needed to
commit to an exacting schedule to get the project
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Over 100,000 fans shared a single concourse before these elevated concourses provided extra
circulation space. Additional concession and restroom facilities also reduced wait times.
done, all while keeping the stadium open for
almost the entire duration of the project.
Were used to doing freestanding structures
around an existing building, but not necessarily an
existing stadium that needs to stay operational,
said Neal Morton, senior project manager for
Barton Malow. We had to develop a plan that
basically allowed us to build during three off
seasons. We focused on foundations and
substructure, along with utilities, during the first
season. We did the enclosure during the second
season and we did interiors, MEP and finished out
the project during the third season.
Foundations emerged as a key challenge early in
the project, as local soil conditions are far from
ideal. In fact, an underground spring greatly
complicated the original 1927 construction. One
crane employed on the job sunk into the muck so
quickly that it sits underneath Michigan Stadium to
this day.
Crews did not lose any cranes on the most
recent renovation, nor did they find the one that
went missing so many years ago, but they did need
to accommodate various soil conditions and
underground structures. The new portions of
Michigan Stadium sit on top of micro piles,
caissons, auger cast piles and spread footings. The
need for four different foundation types illustrates
the complexity of the underground work, but crews
at least had a stable platform to work on after this
stage was complete. Foundations and enclosure
work were also performed during the winter to
accommodate events at Michigan Stadium.
Doing the foundations and utility work during
that first winter was pretty rough because we had
to work during the worst part of the year,said Sean
Hollister, senior project manager for Barton Malow.
We also did the majority of the brick and glass
during the worst part of the year. We used a lot of
tented structures to keep heat on the area, but
masonry moved at a snails pace because they had
to wait for everything to cure and they heated the
structure as they went.
Additional safety consideration was also needed
to perform certain trades under winter conditions.
Constant vigilance was necessary to keep areas
where masons were working or transporting
materials clear of snow and ice. Exterior glass was
installed from swing stages that were elevated up
to 100 feet above grade. Every effort was made to
remediate hazards all well before the first piece was
installed.
There was a very stringent pre-task analysis
with all of our swing stage work, said Gary Hatter,
general superintendent for Barton Malow. The
majority, if not all, of our swing stage work was
done from the roof elevations. We utilized
engineered structures, some permanent and some
not, to establish the criteria for the operations. We
looked at the integrity of the structure we were
tying off to and the counter balance for the swing
stage. We had to make sure that all of our bases
were covered from a safety standpoint.
While winter conditions inevitably slowed some
tasks, subcontractors were more than willing to
work to keep on schedule. Contributing far more
than merely throwing more people at the job,
many subcontractors came to the table with
specific suggestions to make their particular trade
operate more efficiently. An excellent example
comes from the efforts of Leidal & Hart Mason
Contractors, Livonia.
Distinctive brick archways accent new structures
at Michigan Stadium. The traditional way of
building these would be to have someone stand on
a scaffold and lay each brick against a wooden
template overhead, a slow and laborious process.
Leidal and Hart suggested simplifying this by
making the arches out of precast concrete and
applying bricks against the precast, which was
fabricated by National Precast, Inc., Roseville, in a
controlled environment.
They brought the solution that was right for the
project to the table, even when it meant that they
would end up laying less brick,said Morton. It was
the right way to do it, and they saw proposing it as
a way to give them a competitive advantage to get
the work.
Once they got the work, Leidal and Hart needed
to complete it on The University of Michigan
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campus, a site that brought a unique set of
challenges for the entire team.
MAIZE AND BLUEPRINT
Taken as a whole, The University of Michigan
campus is a picturesque setting that is defined by
landmark structures. Combining the buildings that
were constructed over the course of many years
into a cohesive whole requires careful planning
that was extended to the Michigan Stadium
project.
There was a desire to tie the stadium in with the
rest of the athletic campus with the use of materials
and details, said Peterkord.
The University of Michigan showcases an artful
blend of architectural styles, with the academic side
of the campus having a very different feel than the
athletic side. Additions to Michigan Stadium were
therefore designed to complement nearby athletic
facilities, especially Yost Arena and the Intramural
Building, through the use of matching brick and
similar corbeling, yet distinctive dart-like
architectural features help to form a unique
identity for the structures. The building elevations
were also carefully stepped back to make them feel
less imposing at street level. Reflections of clouds
are also mirrored in streetside glass along the
highest levels of the structures, further reducing
the scale of the building by helping it to blend in
with the sky.
Fitting in on The University of Michigan campus
also entailed minimizing disruptions of nearby
activities. All 16 home football games went on as
scheduled, along with other events including a
commencement where President Obama was the
featured speaker, two spring games and numerous
tours. In fact, the only major activity that was
relocated was the commencement that took place
during the projects first year. As foundation work
was quite extensive, there was simply no safe or
cost effective way to provide access to the facility at
that time. Accommodating the many activities that
took place in and near Michigan Stadium required
a high degree of discipline from everyone involved.
I had to be the bad cop, admitted Hatter. We
demanded a level of accountability from our
contractors that required them to perform their
daily activities in a better than average manner. We
couldnt have materials scattered around because
we knew that there would be a point during those
fall seasons when we would have to stop
completely. We couldnt afford to be unorganized.
We communicated our expectations consistently,
and they responded.
The compact site also complicated many trades,
but those with the largest pieces to assemble were
among the most impacted. The structures
foundations needed to be in place for structural
steel work to commence, but complexities of these
foundations compressed the erection schedule.
It all had to be done in about a one-year
window, said Jim Buzzie, president of Douglas
Steel Fabricating Corp., Lansing. In order to
accommodate that, we had to start at the middle
and work with two cranes. We couldnt hoist any
steel over the road [Main Street] because traffic was
never shut down the whole time we were there.
Everything had to be picked up from behind us,
swung over the stadium and set, all while we had
another crane in there. We were working one bay
apart when we first started.
Contractors worked Monday through Thursday
during game weeks. Of course, that did not
necessarily lead to shorter workweeks for their
laborers. Most worked 40 hours, or more, during
those four days. Two teams assembled at about
2:00 pm every Thursday to walk the structure from
top to bottom. They made sure that all materials
were put away and that the facility was ready for
game day before turning it back over to the
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Michigan Stadium has a capacity of 109,901 (including the one extra seat traditionally
reserved for former director of athletics, Herbert O. Fritz Crisler), but the full scope of the
facility was not apparent from the outside until the two sideline structures were built.
University at 8:00 pm. A number of people,
including specialists like electricians, elevator
mechanics and plumbers, were kept on the site
during the games to handle any issues that came
up. Though some people might balk at the concept
of working on a Saturday, many were lured by the
possibility of catching some of the game, and a
paid workday that starts with a tailgate lunch is
hard to pass up, even though the assignment was
more work than pleasure.
After the dust settled, Michigan Stadium was a
vastly improved facility that could be enjoyed by
anyone.
A WINNING EXPERIENCE
College football fans are a very diverse group,
yet collegiate stadiums tend to treat them all the
same. In many facilities, braving the elements while
sitting shoulder to shoulder with others is the only
option. This is a great way to watch a game, and
Michigan Stadium still offers this experience for
those who want to experience it, but a variety of
seating options are now available.
Club level seats are more comfortable and they
offer more space. Nearly 3,000 club seats were
added, with indoor and outdoor options available.
Indoor seats offer a climate-controlled
environment. These seats offer a superb view of
the field and speakers bring the sounds of the
game into the space. Windows near the ceiling can
be opened to create a more tangible link to the
excitement of the game, but this still does not quite
capture the feeling of watching from outdoors. In
fact, some planned indoor club seats were
converted over to outdoor club seats during the
planning phase to accommodate the desires of the
fan base.
Suites are another viewing option that was
absent from Michigan Stadium before the project.
A total of 81 suites were added, with a typical
design offering 15-foot-wide front windows from
which to watch the game and a gathering space at
the back of the suite. An exclusive corridor
effectively expands the available space of every
suite by providing access to restrooms, or just a
place to stretch ones legs. This space is tastefully
decorated with memorabilia celebrating the
University of Michigans rich athletic heritage and it
also offers ample views of the scenic campus.
Fans were not the only ones to benefit from
approved accommodations at Michigan Stadium.
Before the project, members of the media were
confined to a small press box that simply did not
meet their needs.
The existing press box sat between sections 21-
25 of the upper bowl. To prevent any disruptions in
media coverage, the new press box was built
around the existing structure, which meant that
Homrich, Inc., Carleton, sometimes worked a scant
three feet away from the glass exterior of the new
press box, yet they managed to demolish the
20,000-square-foot structure within a six-week
window. New seating was added to the space
formerly occupied by the press box, creating even
more opportunities for fans to cheer on the
Michigan Wolverines. No matter where they sit,
fans will be able to enjoy the game in a vastly
improved Michigan Stadium.
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N
ew Orleans has Mardi Gras, but Michigan Technological
University in Houghton has the Winter Carnival, a tradition
begun in 1922 as a modest, one-day event that has snowballed
into a four-day celebration of winter in all its frozen glory.
Averaging more than 200 inches of snow annually, the northernmost tip of
Michigan is the perfect place for a festival filled with snow volleyball, ice
bowling, and snowshoe racing, along with a snow statue competition. But
more than elaborate snow sculptures were under construction during Winter
Carnival 2010. Gundlach Champion, Inc., Iron Mountain, was hard at work
constructing Hillside Place, a unique student apartment facility with a North
Woods ambiance designed by Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield.
Thanks to this project team, revelers at Winter Carnival 2011 could warm
their hands over a roaring blaze in the outdoor fireplace and courtyard of
Hillside Place. The seriously chilled could even enjoy the hot steam of a
By Mary E. Kremposky Photos Courtesy of
Associate Editor Mark Riutta
Findinggold
IN MICHIGANS UPPER PENINSULA
Hillside Place Brings LEED Gold to Copper Country
sauna (pronounced SOW-NA in Finnish and by
true Yoopers). The sauna is located within a two-
story building with the feel of a boutique hotel
and the flavor of a North Woods lodge, complete
with two indoor stone fireplaces, exposed wood
timbers, and three moose head light fixtures. With
a fitness center, informal kitchenette and casual
seating area, the lodge offers a unique student
gathering space and a welcoming entry point to
the connected six-story residential apartment
building tucked into Michigan Techs hilly terrain.
We combined a very warm and comforting
lodge with contemporary, efficient living
quarters, said Scott R. Bonney, AIA, LEED AP BD+C,
associate, design director, Neumann/Smith.
Typically, such a building would all be in the
same mass. By having it in two masses, we are
breaking down the scale of the facility and
creating a more welcoming feel.
Both lodge and living quarters raise the bar on
student housing both above and below the 45th
parallel. The building has a friendly rather than
an institutional feel, said James B. Heikkinen, PE,
Michigan Techs assistant director of planning and
engineering. You can tell good architecture. It
relates to people, but it is efficient at the same
time. That is a very difficult thing to do. If you can
achieve that mix, you are a good architect.
As quality architects, Neumann/Smith clearly
achieved the right mix and more at Hillside Place.
The 74,778-square-foot facility is the first LEED -
and first LEED Gold - building on the Michigan
Tech campus. The apartment building is also one
of the first of its height and size to be constructed
of reinforced concrete masonry in the Upper
Peninsula, said Jim Ebli, president of Gundlach
Champion, one of the oldest construction
companies in Michigan. Founded in 1898, the
company has built approximately 75 percent of
the buildings on the Michigan Tech campus.
The buildings structure is as rugged as
Michigans Upper Peninsula. The building is a
load-bearing masonry structure with a poured in
place concrete foundation, said Stephen
Lechman, Neumann/Smith, project manager. The
buildings reinforced concrete masonry units hold
up precast concrete plank decking. Most of the
walls are fully reinforced with steel rebar and
grouted solid. We pushed the limits of the
engineering of that system to achieve the height
of the building. The lodge, however, is formed of
structural steel columns and beams in
conjunction with glu-lam beams, added Stanley
E. Cole, RA, LEED AP BD+C, principal,
Neumann/Smith.
For 13 months, Gundlach Champion ran a
gauntlet of construction challenges, ranging from
unsuitable soil conditions to winter masonry
placement. But this seasoned, 112-year-old
construction company successfully delivered the
facility on time and on budget, adding another
building to its long list of Michigan Tech projects.
They both are practiced, tried and true
professionals who applied their craft to this
project, said Heikkinen. We are very pleased with
the building. It is durable, efficient and attractive.
They created a building with a very good value that
will be useful to us for many, many years.
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES
Competition from private housing
developments was one of the driving forces in the
creation of Hillside Place, the first new student
residence built on the campus in 45 years not
counting extensive renovation of the existing
McNair and Wadsworth Halls over the past few
years. Universities are competing against private
developers building near campuses and offering
certain amenities, so the universities want to
position themselves to be competitive and keep
students on campus, said Lechman. Also, the
university experience is better serviced if students
stay on campus. Universities are very big on the
idea of having a study element integrated into the
building.
As a result, Hillside Place has a group study or
multi-purpose room in the two-story lodge. The
actual 196-unit living quarters are arranged as 52
suites, composed of a small kitchen and central
living room flanked on both sides by two private
bedrooms and two shared baths, said John
Murphy, Neumann/Smith, the projects field
architect. This suite arrangement and list of
welcome amenities are all part of the evolution of
student housing away from strictly dorm-style
residences.
Michigan Tech conducted a number of studies
and surveys to analyze the local housing market.
The University felt it had the opportunity to
provide a housing experience not capable of being
met by the local, private housing market, said
Heikkinen. With Michigan Techs own housing,
students have the benefit of being on campus, and
the University had the benefit of financing the
$16.5 million project with tax-exempt bonds.
Heikkinen explains the reasons behind the
project team selection and the Universitys vision
for this new residential development. Gundlach
Champion won the competitive low bid, and
Neumann/Smith won the University over with its
extensive experience in both university and
private student housing projects, plus its
experienced consultant team, including
Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, West
Bloomfield, structural engineers, and Peter Basso
Associates, Inc., Troy, mechanical engineers. The
ace in the hole was the designs synthesis of a
lodge and living quarters that makes full use of
the campuss unique location in the heart of the
Upper Peninsula.
We wanted a building that took into account
some of the reasons why people come to
Michigan Tech in the first place they enjoy a
North Woods setting, said Heikkinen. We also
wanted a building that relates to people on a
residential scale, meaning a building that people
feel at home in.
As part of translating client concerns into brick
and mortar, Neumann/Smith conducted a design
charrette with faculty, facilities management,
students, the schools Housing & Residential Life
Department, and other project stakeholders in fall
2008, said Cole. Ultimately, Neumann/Smith
delivered a design that achieves that delicate
balance of warmth and efficiency for the graduate
students and upper classmen who now call the
building home.
GEOGRAPHY WITH A CAPITAL G
The building itself is at home in its
surroundings. With its rocky outcrops, forested
hills and Lake Superior shoreline, the Keweenaw
Peninsula is geography with a capital G. The
The wood of three Oak trees form the interior column surrounds on the lower level.
campus architecture and arrangement of
buildings respond to its unique Copper Country
location and position on a high plateau
overlooking the Portage Lake Shipping Canal, a
water body traversing the peninsula.
The building offers a very good sense of your
geographic context, said Heikkinen. You know
that you are not in Any Town, USA. We try to have
all of our buildings on campus respond to this
geographic and ecologic niche, but Hillside Place
is one of the best examples on campus of how we
are able to simply recognize and celebrate the fact
that we are in Houghton, Michigan.
Before hiring the architect, the University
secured the services of JJR, Ann Arbor, to study
several candidate sites on campus, said
Heikkinen. JJR selected the hillside site because of
its location in a residential cluster of campus
properties and for its prominent view of its
surroundings.
Neumann/Smith created a well-windowed
building to draw the coveted scenery of lakes, hills
and trees into each students living space. Making
use of the hilly topography, Neumann/Smith
created a type of sunken or recessed courtyard
and a lower level of the lodge tucked into the hill.
This low level shares the same elevation with the
neighboring plaza and residence called McNair
Hall. We came up with the idea of adding a lower
level carved out of the grade, so we could create
this connection between these two outdoor
spaces, and students could more easily make use
of McNairs food service, said Bonney.
NORTH COUNTRY CHARACTER
Beyond topography, the design of the building
is rooted in a sense of place, evoking both the
North Woods and the mining and forestry
industries of the Upper Peninsula, said Bonney.
On the exterior, the main buildings east tower
dominates the skyline with its silver metal wall
panels and a roofline set at a beveled angle, both
evoking the material and form of the regions
Quincy Mine hoist. The same metal panels
blanket the west tower, paying homage to both
the region and to the University that began as the
Michigan School of Mines in 1885.
The actual west end is a glass-enclosed space
spanning the full vertical height of the building.
With its narrow profile and visible cross bracing,
the west end evokes the image of a fire lookout
tower, but actually houses a series of small
student lounges. Called the Lookout Lounge,
these glass-enclosed spaces offer a panoramic
vista of the campus, the forested hills, and the
Portage Lake Canal, a slice of blue water
separating the twin cities of Houghton and
Hancock.
For the lodge, Neumann/Smith analyzed a
series of old-fashioned wood and stone lodges to
design the two-story commons, complete with an
entrance canopy slanted like the roof of a fire
lookout tower. The canopys freestanding
columns of tube steel are even configured to
simulate a high-tech tree, but the sloped roof with
deep overhangs and exposed timber beams is
what truly stamps the building as a quintessential
North Woods lodge. Capping the end beams with
copper both protects the wood from weathering
and firmly marks the building as part of Copper
Country.
The sloped roof with deep overhangs also
shields the roof against the legendary snows of
the Keweenaw Peninsula. A snow gutter and
extensive snow cleats on the standing seam metal
roof protect the roof, the building entries and
the people - from snow that can accumulate as
deep as four to five feet on the roof in a typical
winter, said Dawn R. Peterson, RA, CSI, CDT, LEED
AP, Neumann/Smith.
Natural stone also is a material common to ski
lodges and northern resorts, as well as evocative
of the historic stone blast furnaces dotting the
Upper Peninsula, said Bonney. Hillsides lodge has
a single stone fireplace with three different flues
serving an outdoor and two indoor hearths. The
fireplace is both aesthetic and structural, said
Bonney. It actually helps hold up the roof.
Completing this lodge with a North Country
character, a stone-clad retaining wall forms the
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two sheltering arms of an entrance courtyard.
With its stone hearth and stone benches, the
courtyard is the perfect place to celebrate Winter
Carnival or to recover from another northern
tradition - the Heikkenpaiva, a Finnish-named
celebration of winters midpoint marked by
carving a hole in the canal ice and taking the
plunge.
WORKING ON A SLANT
This wonderful residential facility took into
account the owners needs and the owners
budget. Value engineering replaced stone with
beige buff brick at the base of the main building
and portions of the lodge, as well. Thanks to the
teamwork of Gundlach Champion,
Neumann/Smith and the University, value
engineering was performed without reducing the
square footage and the overall value of the
building, said Ebli.
After a pause for value engineering, the 13-
month conversion of a gravel parking lot into a
lounge and apartment building officially began in
July 2009. We literally had to cut a shelf out of the
side of the hill for the building footprint, said Ebli.
A building constructed on a narrow slice of a
hillside can be quite a logistical challenge.
Because it was the only flat area available,
Gundlach had to use the main road in front of the
building for access and as a base for crane
operations. For the most part, we hoisted all the
materials from the roadway, said Ebli. Gundlach
positioned a 50-ton American crane at the
roadway using its 140-foot boom to lift materials
100 feet in the air to reach the top of the six-story
building.
Gundlach successfully resolved a series of
challenges, including the removal of unsuitable
soil. Some of it wasnt structurally stable enough
to get our bearing capacity, said Cole. As a
remedy, Gundlach Champion removed two to
three feet of existing soil underneath the level of
the foundations and filled the gap with
cementitious fill. It is a 2,000 PSI grout material
used in place of sand, said Ebli. By using the
cementitious fill, we didnt have to haul and
compact sand back to the site, which saved
money and time.
KEWADIN (THE NORTH WIND) ARRIVES
Masonry frame construction began in
September 2009, but with the North Wind arriving
earlier in northern latitudes, part of the masonry
was placed in winter conditions. It was a pretty
typical winter for Houghton, but the wind actually
caused more havoc than the temperatures, said
Ebli. The wind was always blowing, and it was a
constant effort to keep the tenting in place to
prevent heat loss throughout the entire duration
of masonry construction.
Winter hit and tenting began at the end of
November 2009. With the winter wind blasting the
tented enclosures, the crew pieced the building
together mainly one eight-inch block at a time.
Working in a visqueen cocoon, the crew set rebar
in hollow core blocks, filling the whole core with
grout to ultimately create the sturdy bones of a
building that is durable, stout and virtually
indestructible. Reinforced concrete masonry is
more energy efficient and durable in the long
term, said Heikkinen. Your time horizon for a
building like Hillsdale is basically as long as you
want.
The building was meticulously constructed,
one story of block and plank at a time. We placed
one story of eight-inch block, set 25-foot sections
of hollow core precast plank floor, and then
moved to the next floor with block and precast
plank, described Ebli. We carried this sequence it
all the way to the roof. At regular
intervals, the structure contains integrated
masonry piers of larger 16-inch block to
strengthen the building, continued Ebli. The
masonry is extensively reinforced with more rebar
than usual and generous portions of grout to tie
together the eight- and 16-inch block and to link

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completed in February 2010. Due to the
cumulative toll of the unexpected, Gundlach had
to meet with all the subcontractors to create a
faster interior work sequence in order to
successfully deliver the building on schedule. For
example, the painter would only finish three-
quarters of his work on a floor before the flooring
contractor would begin placing the floors, said
Ebli. We also worked on multiple floors.
Gundlach had about 75 people on site working
on interior finishes at the peak of the job. The
masonry blocks served as a protective enclosure,
allowing Gundlach Champion to start interior
work immediately and then install insulation, face
brick and all exterior finishes in spring 2010. The
project reached completion in August 2010.
Altogether, Gundlach expended over 19,000
man hours of self-performed work on the project
and enlisted the goods and services of 45
subcontractors and suppliers. Completing such a
quality building on time under challenging
conditions is a testament to the entire project
team. Everyone deserves a pat on the back from
the guys who were out on the site to the whole
project team, said Ebli. We overcame the
challenges, because of the people we employed
directly and the subcontractors on the project.
It took teamwork and a collaborative effort
between the owner, architect and ourselves,
added Ebli. It wouldnt have come together
without that level of teamwork. Despite all of the
challenges, it is a beautiful building done with
quality.
COCOONING IN THE NORTH WOODS
LEED Gold certification is one of the projects
significant accomplishments. The sheer mass of
this warm cocoon of concrete masonry acts as a
heat sink, contributing to the R value of the wall
construction. It saves all kinds of money and
energy, said Heikkinen. Neumann/Smith also
wrapped the building in three inches of rigid
insulation. The insulation in and of itself gives the
building an R value of around 18, said Peterson.
Beneath this blanket of insulation,
Neumann/Smith called for the application of a
spray-applied air barrier, a polymer coating that
seals the building against the cold breath of Old
Man Winter. The air barrier keeps the air from
moving the heat back and forth through the wall,
said Peterson. Spray applied to the building
envelope, the air barrier thoroughly seals the
buildings outlets, window penetrations and other
avenues of heat loss, including the masonry hooks
tying the wall and floor systems together. Winter
application required the use of a low-temperature
formulation of the product, Peterson added.
Our chilled neighbors to the North initially
developed the concept. The air barrier is a
Canadian concept that came to the United States
about a decade ago, said Peterson. It is
becoming more prevalent as we become more
energy and environmentally conscious.
Thermally broken windows with high-efficiency
glass complete this air-tight bastion against the
cold.
At Hillside Place, the comforts of home include
radiant heat. Each bedroom and suite remains
the precast floors into the walls. Reinforcing
rebar and hook bars go from the wall into the
precast floors to tie the floors to the walls,
explained Ebli.
Beyond its sheer durability, the reinforced
concrete masonry frame was selected to achieve a
better fit with the precast concrete plank deck.
Those precast planks can come out to an exact fit
in this structural system, similar to a table top set
flush with the tables legs, said Peterson. Added
Lechman, The precast concrete decking is not
only flush on the bearing wall, but as a residential
building, it lends itself well to having an exterior
bearing wall and then two walls of the double-
loaded corridor also being bearing. You plank it all
the way down and put a shorter piece of plank
across the corridor.
Gundlach Champion had to begin self-
performing the masonry about a third of the way
into masonry construction. The masonry
contractor defaulted on his contract, said Ebli.
The amazing thing is, three days later, we had our
own forces in place to continue the work.
The bearing portion of the masonry was
An expansive glass curtain wall on the face of the lodge draws the Great Outdoors indoors,
creating a sense of space and light.
The interiors wonderful weave of materials includes a natural stone fireplace and a faux slate
floor composed of through-body porcelain tile for durability.

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toasty with hydronic, in-floor heating composed
of a series of glycol-filled tubes installed in the top
two-inches of the precast decks concrete
topping, said Lechman. Radiant heat, delivered by
perimeter radiators or by radiant floors, is used in
all Michigan Tech buildings. This type of radiant
heat is an energy efficient approach capable of
offsetting heat loss and boosting comfort. Rather
than relying on a constant stream of hot air as in a
forced air system, this system heats surfaces, and
then those surfaces will radiate heat back into the
room, said Peterson. Added Heikkinen, You dont
need to set your thermostat at such a high
temperature to achieve comfort. Besides energy
efficiency, it is much more comfortable to have a
warm floor, especially with the kind of winters we
have in this area.
Each bedroom has its own set of temperature
controls, both for student comfort and to allow
the university to dial down the heat in
unoccupied units via its computerized central
energy management system, said Heikkinen.
Other efficiencies are gained by extending steam
from the campuss central steam-fired plant into
the new building.
In addition, the building has instant water
boilers, as well as its own energy recovery units
transferring heat from return air to supply side air,
said Murphy. A mechanical room observation
window gives students a glimpse of some of these
energy-efficient measures.
The new facility offers a refuge from the long, cold winters of the Upper Peninsula.
Altogether, the project achieved four out of 10
credits in the energy and atmosphere category,
meaning the building is 21 percent more energy
efficient than a baseline building of the same type,
said Kathleen M. Buck, RA, LEED AP BD+C, associate,
a senior project manager, Neumann/Smith.
Other LEED credits include the use of zero
irrigation landscaping, extensive daylighting and
views, the use of regional materials, such as stone
from the neighboring state of Wisconsin, and the
selection of low VOC adhesives, sealants, paints
and materials for improved indoor air quality, said
Christine Costa, LEED AP, Neumann/Smith. As part
of LEED Gold certification, we were able to
achieve 39 out of 69 points in LEED Version 2.2,
added Buck.
WELCOME TO THE LODGE
On a brisk fall night, the newly constructed
lodge is the perfect place to gather around the
fireplace. Neumann/Smith wove a welcoming and
woodsy ambiance using the same natural palette
of wood, stone and metal as the building exterior. A
Red Oak ceiling deck brings the warmth of wood
into the interior, while an indoor stone fireplace
adds the glow of its gas-fired flames to long winter
nights. An expansive glass curtain wall on the face
of the lodge draws the Great Outdoors indoors,
creating a sense of space and light. We wanted it to
be light-filled and airy during the day,said Bonney.
At night, the tall volume of the lodge creates a
lantern of light focused on the outdoor courtyard.
Natural elements naturally fit into this North
Woods lodge. The wood of three Oak trees form
the interior column surrounds on the lower level.
Once gracing the site, the trees were removed from
the only feasible location for the building footprint.
The trees were removed, cut into nine-foot lengths,
stripped of bark, quartered into four sections, and
kiln dried. These wood quarters were later spliced
together to wrap the exposed steel columns in the
lodge.
Of course, no self-respecting lodge would be
complete without mounted animal heads. In this
case, three moose heads of cast resin were
imported from Norway. The moose heads are
placed over the two-level entry corridor in direct
alignment with the fitness center windows.
Illuminated from within, the three moose heads
have become a Hillside tradition with students
decorating the antlers with ball caps and holiday
ornaments.
For students, plus visiting faculty and conference
attendees in the summer, the commons could easily
pass as a comfortable northern resort. For the
university, this wonderful weave of natural materials
offers durability and ease of maintenance. The faux
slate floor is a through-body porcelain tile with
variegated earth tones. Because it is through body,
if the floor chips the color still remains, so it is great
for long-term durability, said Buck.
The wood beams and columns have the lodge
look, yet some of the main ones are actually steel
framed but wood clad, specifically the ridge beam
at the very top of the sloped roof, said Lechman.
The project team has created a beautiful but
durable space for students to mingle and relax. The
apartments are contemporary spaces with exposed
concrete plank ceilings, adding almost an urban
loft feel to the building. Each room has a
panoramic view and each floor has its own accent
color, plus colorful, geometrically patterned
carpeting that complements the porcelain tile in
the kitchen areas.
Efficiency is also paramount. With double-
loaded corridors and the suite arrangement there
is very little wasted space, said Heikkinen. All 196
private bedrooms also are a model of efficiency
with a desk and chair neatly tucked under the
frame of a loft bed. The building is laid out in such
a way that it maximizes the use of space, giving us
more building for the money, said Heikkinen. We
dont have space that is underutilized or marginally
utilized, yet the facility still relates well to the
people calling it home.
The entire building has hit the mark as a perfect
combination of warmth and efficiency. Truly,
Gundlach Champion and Neumann/Smith and
have created a unique residential showcase for this
university in the heart of the North Woods.
R
etail vacancies are often advertised as Build to Suit, demonstrating
the owners willingness to reconfigure the space to meet the needs of
a potential tenant. Quicken Loans took this phrase quite literally as the
firm reconfigured four floors of Detroits Compuware Building to
create a new headquarters that suited the unique needs of its team members.
Though Quicken Loans includes an entire family of companies, most team
members employed at the new headquarters work in the residential mortgage
industry. These workers need to have sharp minds, good people skills, and a
strong work ethic, as the job can entail tedious hours of calling potential
clients. A project team led by construction manager Sachse Construction,
Birmingham, and von Staden Architects, Birmingham, delivered an office space
that embodies the Quicken Loans culture.
By DaviD R. MilleR, associate eDitoR
Photos couRtesy of Quicken loans
Built to Suit
WORKING AT COMPUWARE
The 16-story Compuware Building added one
million square feet of Class A office space to Detroit
when it was finished in 2003, 235,000 of which are
now occupied by Quicken Loans. Even though the
building is a recent addition to the Detroit skyline,
a major transformation was necessary to transform
it into an environment in which Quicken Loans
could operate. Over 1,700 team members were
transferred from the companys facility in Livonia,
with more on the way pending the completion of
additional renovations. The existing floorplate
simply was not designed to accommodate that
many people. Fortunately, flexibility was a part of
the original design.
The building has really good bones, said Gail
von Staden, AIA, LEED AP, principal, von Staden
Architects. The building supports changes and will
continue to do so in the future.
Von Staden praised the buildings underfloor air
system because it made it much easier to reroute
distribution points for the new floorplan.
Demountable partition walls also facilitated easy
removal and reconfiguration. Though the structure
of the building was well suited for renovation, other
elements were less desirable, at least from a
logistical standpoint.
We werent just working in an occupied
building, we were working in a Class A occupied
building, explained Todd Sachse, LEED AP,
president of Sachse Construction. It wasnt like a
Greenfield site where we could just bring stuff in
and take it out any time and anywhere we wanted.
There were very strict policies for material handling
and how people could come in or go out of the
building. We had up to 300 people working here
every day, but we had to get people and materials
in and out on a very tight schedule.
Since Quicken Loans would occupy floors 9-12,
the elevators at the Compuware Building were
regularly used for material delivery. The building
lacked a freight elevator, so all materials needed to
be broken down to fit into one of two smaller
service elevators. Material deliveries were also
prohibited during normal business hours. Popular
restaurants at the Compuware Building extended
working hours well beyond the norm, but the
project team was able to accept deliveries while
the restaurants were open because the loading
dock is located on the other side of the building.
Timing of material deliveries was just one jobsite
variable that was tightly controlled to prevent
disruptions within the Compuware Building.
Noise was a very big issue, said Sachse. Floors
nine and 12 were the most sensitive because they
were adjacent to the Compuware floors. We
couldnt use hammer drills or anything like that on
those floors during the day. Sometimes we
couldnt even make general construction noise on
those floors because there might have been
meetings going on. Many times, we were able to
coordinate with them and work out a schedule in
advance, but there were a couple of times where
we were shut down in a few areas for impromptu
meetings.
In spite of the restrictions that came with
working in a bustling Class A office environment,
the Compuware Building was a natural fit for
Quicken Loans. The appeal of the structure and its
prime Detroit location was too strong to ignore.
We looked at building a brand new building in
Detroit and we toured quite a few others before we
settled on the Compuware space, said Melissa
Price, director of business office services and
facilities for Quicken Loans. Compuware is
absolutely a Class A building that offered plenty of
The vibrant color scheme might be unusual, but clockwork efficiency lies beneath the colorful
milieu. Workstations and other spaces are uniquely suited to fit the Quicken Loans workforce.
amenities for our team members, including parking and a Central Business
District location right on Campus Martius. There is a lot going on and being a
part of it, and in the heart of it, is part of why we decided on this building.
Once the decision had been made, the project team needed to find a way to
deliver on the promise of the Compuware Building. Overcoming a daunting
schedule emerged as a key challenge.
THE QUICKEN SCHEDULE
Sachse readily admits that most of the work performed at Quicken Loans
consisted of routine tasks for contractors. The biggest challenge was in simply
getting them done on time.
There is nothing on this project that was so difficult from a construction
standpoint, said Sachse. Its just metal stud, drywall, glass, millwork, lighting,
and so on. It has all the normal components. They were assembled in a very
creative, fun way, but it was doing the work in the time allowed that was the
challenge.
Given the quantity of work and the special finished involved, Sachse
estimated that a typical schedule for a similar project would allow about 180
days, but the project team cut that nearly in half by completing the job in 100
days. Workweeks were stretched to seven days with two or three shifts each,
but the project team could not meet this problem by merely working longer.
They would need to work smarter, as well. The architect contributed to this
effort by creating a design that could be built within the allotted time.
It was an extremely aggressive schedule, said von Staden. We had to
identify materials that were not long lead items and we had to develop means
and methods that would allow trades to work simultaneously. All of the
underfloor work was taking place at the same time as the above floor work, but
Sachse [Construction] did a pretty amazing job.
In addition to working with an architect who had a solid understanding of
how long the work would take, the construction team also benefited from the
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The project team completed this project in 100 days. The sheer size
of the Compuware Building gave them one advantage, as they could
spread workers out over 235,000 square feet.
sheer size of the space.
We had 235,000 square feet in which to spread
manpower, said Sachse. We could put a lot of
manpower on the site at one time and we could
work in a lot of different areas.
By specifying materials carefully and paying
close attention to the sequence in which
construction tasks could be performed, the
architect played a key role in keeping workers
occupied within the space. Price and her Quicken
Loans team members also kept the project team
busy, which was not always a good thing.
As a company, we [Quicken Loans] move very
quickly and we make decisions very quickly, said
Price. We also make changes all the time because
thats whats best for our business. Having a team
that could respond to that was critical, whether it
was the architect turning drawings around 24
hours after I just told her that I needed to double
the size of the space, or Todd [Sachse] coming in
and making the changes.
Though most of the changes were minor, there
were many of them, nearly resulting in what Sachse
called Death by 1,000 Cuts. Occasionally, more
significant changes that could have potentially
delayed completion were made, but adding time to
the schedule was never considered. Sachse always
found a way to meet the original deadline.
It isnt my job to say no to my team members
and Todd [Sachse] helped to support that, said
Price.
There was some sparing over the feasibility of
the schedule, but the team shared a mutual respect
that kept these issues from getting personal. In
what is perhaps the greatest testament to a
successful project, the parties involved are still
talking to and working with one another. The
finished project also speaks to the teams ability to
work together, as it is perfectly suited for the
unique culture that defines Quicken Loans.
THE QUICKEN CULTURE
Any successful workspace must be consistent
with the individual culture of the companys
workforce.
From our standpoint, a win of a space would be
one that matches our culture, said Price. We got
input from all of our team members. We asked
people what they liked and didnt like about our
existing space. Did they want more color? Did they
want more writable surfaces? How did they feel in
their chairs? You name it, we asked it.
When asked to define the Quicken culture with
a single word, Price immediately said fun. She was
quick to point out that emphasis on supporting
work habits, client service and technology also
drove the design, but it was probably the fun
elements that seemed the most unusual to the
design team. After all, how many office designs
include scratch and sniff wallpaper? As long as it
was consistent with the way Quicken Loans
operates, no concept was too outlandish for
consideration. Ideas were compiled and placed on
a board in von Stadens office under the heading
Things that make you go hmmmm.
Dan [Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken
Loans] challenged us to create something that
challenged conventions about corporate
environments, said von Staden.
The environment that Quicken Loans inhabits
inside the Compuware Building might not suit
everyone, but it is ideal for the companys energetic
workforce. Creativity is practically dripping from
the walls, which are adorned with an unusually
vibrant color palette and images that celebrate
Detroits rich cultural heritage. Even necessary
elements were given a playful tweak. Instead of
using simple silhouettes to identify restrooms, the
Quicken Loans marketing team developed a tug o
war graphic in which male or female teams stand
near the appropriate doors. This theme is carried
on each floor and in a true display of gender
equality; the winning team varies on different
floors.
Shades, a Detroit-based graffiti artist, was also
hired to put his distinctive signature on walls and
floors. Many graffiti designs represent isms, a list
of core values instilled into everyone who works at
Quicken Loans. Company team members can also
put their own artistry on display, as writeable
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surfaces are abundant. Instead of a standard level
three paint and drywall finish, a level five finish was
needed for the specialized paint that was used to
create these surfaces.
All of the drywall was skim coated in plaster so
the paint wasnt applied directly to the drywall,
said Sachse. Some people refer to a level five finish
as a museum finish.
Brinker Team Construction Co., Detroit, needed
to adjust to this labor-intensive process while
meeting the accelerated project schedule. The
paint also needed an entire week to cure, which put
the last contractors who worked in the space
under considerable deadline pressure, particularly
Master Craft Carpet Service, Inc., Redford, as the
firm adjusted to what Sachse called the absolute
craziness that defined the projects final stages.
Those who are accustomed to more traditional
work environment might be tempted to describe
the finished space as crazy too, but only if they fail
to notice the clockwork efficiency that lies
beneath the colorful milieu. Each floor features a
core of community and support spaces around
which individual workspaces are clustered. This
arrangement places workstations near the
perimeter of the building, so all receive a healthy
dose of natural light. Almost all workstations can
easily be adjusted to accommodate a sitting or
standing position, which lets team members
select what is most comfortable for them, or even
change their positions during their shifts. These
six-foot-square spaces are only separated by 42-
inch walls.
This arrangement may not work for every
company, but it fosters a sense of teamwork and
collaboration at Quicken Loans. Even the
companys extensive IT team works from small
mobile work stations that can be linked together,
while the IT closet isnt a closet at all. Instead, an
existing staircase was converted into glass-
enclosed area that eliminates the feeling of
isolation often felt by IT workers.
Overall, a great deal of thought was needed to
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Shades, a Detroit-based graffiti artist, was hired to put his distinctive signature on walls and
floors. Many graffiti designs represent isms, a list of core values instilled into everyone who
works at Quicken Loans.
environment. Silver-Level LEED certification is
anticipated for the project. Given the amount of
research and deliberation that typically marked a
decision by Quicken Loans, Sachse was amazed by
how quickly the company embraced LEED.
According to Sachse, the decision to pursue LEED
took only about 15 minutes to make, but
discussions about the level of this commitment
weighed against how it would impact other facility
goals were far more in-depth. Some materials, like
the paint needed for writable surfaces, were so
specialized that they might not be available from a
local source. Either way, settling for something that
did not meet the needs of Quicken Loans was not
an option that would be considered.
We do things that make sense for our business,
said Price. Meeting our team members needs is
vitally important, as well. Not having writeable
surfaces doesnt fit who we are and what we need.
In many cases, sustainability fit Quicken Loans
and the companys needs just fine. Countertops are
made from recycled bottles and a hard-to-achieve
LEED credit is being sought for using a substantial
percentage of FSC-certified wood for the offices
large quantity of millwork. Quicken Loans is even
investigating the possibility of earning a LEED
innovation credit for processes that govern daily
operations, including a drastic transformation into
a paperless office.
Most office spaces are not built to the LEED-
Silver standard, but most also do not include tree
fort and sandbox themed meeting rooms, orange
shag carpeting, or ping pong tables. Quicken Loans
is definitely focusing on the future by embracing
sustainability, as dwindling resources will
undoubtedly force green building into the
mainstream, but what about the more eclectic
touches at Quicken Loans Headquarters? Is
Quicken Loans the office of the future or a unique
application?
I think it is a little bit of both, said von Staden.
I wouldnt try to put any other company in this
space, because I think it is uniquely Quicken, but I
do think that it has the characteristics of the
generation that will be going to work in the next 10
years. The value systems of the Generation Yers are
so different then the Baby Boomers. They value
things like daylight, natural ventilation and
collaborative space. They dont value things like
having a door for their office.
Quicken Loans headquarters includes small
spaces where team members can have private
phone conversations, but they are rarely used.
Workers who grew up in a world that always had
cell phones have become accustomed to simply
turning away and using a lower tone when
discussing something of a private nature. The
Quicken Loans environment may not work for
everyone, but it is ideal for the young and energetic
workforce that the company has now, and will
continue, to attract in the future. It was, indeed,
built to suit.
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MAKING IT WORK
Creating a fun office environment is easy, but
incorporating whimsical building elements into a
functional office design is less so. For example,
Razor scooter stations on each floor let Quicken
Loans team members zip around the facility, but
even the most cautious two-wheeler will
eventually make contact with a wall. Core areas
feature a 12-inch base made of Trespa, a durable
plastic laminate that keeps accidental collisions
from marring finish materials. Every floor also
features a snack area with an emphasis on
Michigan-made products and even its own slushy
machine. Since spills are inevitable, an Antron
nylon carpet was specifically designed for the
project and it looks as nice as it did on the day that
Quicken Loans moved in. Durability was an
important consideration that guided material
choices.
Melissa [Price] told us that this wouldnt be a
typical work environment. It had to perform more
like a school,said von Staden. Eventually I realized
that it wasnt like a school, it was more like a frat
house. That became our manta: Would this idea
work in a frat house?
Sustainability was another aspect of the Quicken
Loans culture that needed to work inside the office
W
atching a freighter ply the
waters of the Detroit River is
just another school day at
the new University Prep Science
and Math (UPSM) High School in
Detroit. The glittering blue
ribbon of the river is clearly visible
through the two-story glass walls
of the schools remarkable high-rise
dining hall. Sitting in this light-filled
cafeterias lime-green chairs and watching a
flotilla of clouds drift over the riverfront probably
ranks as one of the best lunch hours available in any
school. Part of the hoped for revival of the East Riverfront, the cafeteria
is part of a vertical addition perched on top of a three-story brick warehouse
transformed by Resendes Design Group, Detroit, The Monahan Company,
Eastpointe, and TAKTIX Solutions, LLC,
Detroit, into a charter high school,
courtesy of the Thompson
Educational Foundation.
The building is really about
being on the water, said
Francis Resendes, managing
principal of Resendes Design
Group. Because of the unique site,
the schools architecture responds to
the river.
What drew the school to the river was not
only the waterway itself, but also a $1.5 million dollar
grant from the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan. The
grant helped pay for an increase in the market price, because of its location
near the riverfront, said John G. Cleary, vice president of finance and real
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READING AND WRITING ON THE RIVER
New UPSM High School Rises Near the Detroit Riverfront
BY MARY E. KREMPOSKY PHOTOS COURTESY OF RESENDES DESIGN GROUP,
ASSOCIATE EDITOR BY PRINCIPAL MARK KWIATKOWSKI, AIA
estate, Thompson Educational Foundation.
Another $3 million from the New Market tax credit
program for urban renewal encouraged the
development of this school located in the
warehouse district east of GMs world
headquarters. Ultimately, The Monahan Company
delivered this 89,000-square-foot educational
facility for $11.3 million in construction costs.
THE MOUND BUILDERS
The buildings capacity for vertical expansion
also drew the Thompson Foundation to the
former Franklin Furniture warehouse on Chene
and Franklin streets. Aerial photography revealed
a dot pattern on the roof of the stout old building.
The dots were the work of the warehouses
original builders who bent the rebar of this
reinforced concrete building and capped it with a
concrete mound, essentially using an early 20th
Century construction technique to mark the
buildings vertical expansion points.
The roof mounds became a sort of signal in
concrete, drawing future generations to expand
this modest warehouse. The builder had reroofed
over the top of it all, but it was still obvious from
aerial photographs that the structure was
originally built for vertical expansion, said
Resendes.
This discovery was welcome news, because
constructing a vertical addition mitigates the risk
of disturbing soils in an area of historically high
industrial use, said Cleary. Expanding vertically
rather than horizontally also frees the property for
parking. We did not have to buy any additional
land, because we were able to use what we had for
parking, said Cleary.
Building up offers educational and economic
benefits, such as vertical stacking of specialty labs
and the efficient routing of mechanical systems.
We have an affinity for vertical schools in an
urban setting, said Resendes. With a vertical
building, each floor can become a school within a
school.
THE GLASS SLIPPER
This workhorse of a warehouse, with 10-inch-
thick structural floor slabs and heavy No. 10 steel
rebar, also had the structural integrity to move
into the 21st Century. The building was
conducive to the program with its structural
integrity, spans between columns, ceiling heights
and square footage, said Cleary. As a former
warehouse, the building interior was ideal for an
open, contemporary schoolhouse designed
without traditional corridors. The building
offered a neutral palette and open areas with only
a few interior walls on the third floor, said
Resendes.
Given the green light, the project team
transformed this basic warehouse of common
brick and broken windows into an outpost of new
development on the East Riverfront. New brick
infill now outlines the exposed concrete frame,
adding a touch of schoolhouse red to this
contemporary urban educational facility. The
bricks originally used in this type of building were
utilitarian in nature, said Resendes. They used a
very soft and chalky common brick that was not a
great brick to restore.
The main expanse of this hybrid exterior is a
meeting of present and past with the shimmer of
new glass offsetting the raw look and structural
strength of the exposed concrete frame. The new
glass slipper fits perfectly on this Cinderella of a
building with three additions of glass and
corrugated metal panels embellishing the
concrete heart of the original warehouse. The
expansions include the main two-level vertical
addition housing the cafeteria, gymnasium and
mechanical penthouse; a glass-wrapped main
entrance and staircase on the west; and two stair
towers scaling the east face and sheltering a small,
raised-bed vegetable garden in the ground
between the two towers. As a fourth addition, a
modest, single-story expansion projects forward
from the main entrance and houses an
auditorium. Altogether, this series of additions
added 29,000 square feet to the existing 60,000-
square-foot building.
OVERCOMING THE PAST
The project was not a mere insertion of
additions. The Monahan Company deserves to go
to the head of the class for its intricate structural
work at UPSM. For the main vertical addition,
grafting a new steel frame to the concrete bones
of this old warehouse was an exercise in advanced
surveying and mathematics. Because the
concrete columns of this early 20th Century
building were not placed in a perfect grid, and the
building as a whole was slightly out of square, the
grid of concrete columns had to be meticulously
surveyed and every steel column had to be
custom fit to its concrete companion of
yesteryear. One column in the concrete grid
might be two inches out of sync and the next
might be four inches in the other direction, said
W. Daniel Monahan, vice president of The
Monahan Company.
Repairing cut openings in the structural floor
slab was just as demanding in a building originally
constructed in the early days of reinforced
concrete structures. The original builders had
installed an unpredictable grid of irregularly
placed rebar. Today, we are much more scientific
about how we place the steel, and its height, size
and location within the concrete, said Resendes.
At that time, there was a great deal of trial and
error with how much rod one should place in the
slab. More times than not there was a great deal
of overkill in the amount of steel rod.
Despite this intricate steel surgery, Monahan
delivered the project on an aggressive 10-month
schedule in time for the school to welcome its
first class of ninth-grade pupils under Principal
Gabriela Gui. It was not an easy project, said
Cleary. Monahan, along with our owners
representative, Larry Marantette of TAKTIX
Solutions, did a great job. There also had to be
good coordination between Resendes, TAKTIX
and Monahan to continually solve the problems
that you run into on a rehab project. But the end
result is that everybody is elated. As an owner,
This light-filled cafeteria with riverfront views is part of the vertical addition perched on top of
the original three-story brick warehouse.
the facility is even better than I had anticipated.
The parents, the students and the staff are very,
very pleased with this building. They are in love
with it.
THE FURNITURE GRAVEYARD
It was definitely not love at first sight. In its
original condition, all three floors of the old
Franklin warehouse were stacked to the ceiling
with a jumble of office furniture. There was every
decade of office furniture you could imagine, said
Resendes. In fact, film makers at work in Michigan
rented the period furniture stashed within the
interior, added Cleary.
Removal of massive amounts of debris and old
furniture some on the third floor coated with
pigeon droppings was the first order of business
in transforming this building from a basic brick
warehouse to a stunning contemporary
schoolhouse. The second was infilling a 7-foot-
deep partial basement with sand and concrete
slurry. It wasnt a needed space, and it would have
certainly been more costly to bring it up to any
kind of code or serviceability, said Monahan.
Monahan speculates the building can be dated
to about 1917 or 1918 based on the dates of old
newspapers discovered in the walls during
demolition of the building down to its bare
concrete frame. Demolition also exposed two
sizeable openings in the structural floor slab.
Various industrial users had occupied and
modified the building over the years, including
cutting two large 20 x 40-foot holes in the second
floor, said Monahan. We believe the openings
were cut for old tanks that went in at the first floor
and went up through the second. The large
openings meant The Monahan Company literally
had its work cut out for them. Repair was
essential, because the two-way reinforced
concrete floors are part of the structure, said
Monahan. There are no floor beams.
The project team actually x-rayed the thick
concrete slabs to pinpoint the location of the
unpredictably placed rebar. The equipment
employed resembles a metal detector commonly
used to retrieve coins and other valuables on a
beach. This lesson in early 20th Century
construction continued after the team discovered
that the steel rod in the building actually ran on a
diagonal between the structural columns, said
Resendes.
The Monahan Company marked the location of
the steel rod in chalk lines before drilling 35
inches into the existing concrete slab to make way
for the new rebar. In placing the new concrete, the
project team even reproduced the board finish
ceilings common to buildings of the era. (The
board finish shows the wood grain of the original
formwork.) V & O Contracting, Clinton Township,
did a nice job in the infill areas in simulating the
planks, said Monahan. You would really have to
look hard to tell the difference between the
original and the infill.
The board finish ceilings and exposed bell
columns - columns shaped like a type of long-
stemmed champagne glass in concrete give this
contemporary interior a historical flavor and an
industrial edge. The bell columns are an early
method of combating punch-through sheer. The
bell distributes the load to eliminate a pinpoint
source of pressure, said Resendes. Without it, the
column would poke through the ceiling.
The astute student of construction will even
notice the bell columns become smaller with each
ascending floor. Once a type of learning lab for the
study of reinforced concrete structures, perhaps
the building will inspire a new generation of
architects, engineers and construction profes-
sionals.
TAKING THE HEAT
The project team repaired past cuts in the
structural floor slab and took care to minimize the
amount and scope of new openings. The two
stair towers scale the outside of the building for
this very reason. We tried to disturb the existing
frame as little as possible, so it was easier to build
next to the building rather than through it, said
Resendes. The new main stairway was placed in
the same location as the buildings original
stairway and freight elevator shaft to avoid
disturbing the two-way structural floor slabs.
The old staircase and freight elevator were right
next to each other, so structurally a large opening
was already in place, said Monahan.
The project team did have to cut a vertical
tower through the center of the building all the
way to the fifth floor mechanical penthouse, but
the cut efficiently clustered wash rooms, the
elevator and two supply and return mechanical
chases in the same core area. Inserting the major
mechanical shaft near the central elevator shaft
required a relatively small 5 x 20-foot incision.
Rather than installing an octopus-like system
horizontally, we did a vertical supply, because it is
a much more efficient way of designing a
building, said Resendes.
The second-floor ceiling area was the main
distribution point. The pipe and conduit went
from the second floor down to the first and then
was distributed around the perimeter of the
building to avoid cutting openings, said
Monahan. We then went up to the third floor
and distributed around the perimeter.
The type of heating units also minimized
disturbance of the two-way structural floor slabs.
Most of the heating system goes around the
perimeter, continued Monahan. The perimeter
of the building is heated and cooled by under
window radiant units fed with hot water and cold
water supply and return lines and ducted
tempered air.
A CUSTOM FIT
Monahan next turned its attention to the
intricate work of the vertical addition three stories
above grade. The melding of steel columns to an
irregular concrete grid took repetitive surveys
and measurements with the crew on the rooftop
drilling exploratory holes with air hammers and
drills, said Monahan.
Once the concrete grid was firmly established,
Monahan drilled and set nearly 200 anchor bolts
into the existing reinforced concrete columns.
Specifically, each steel column is held to its
concrete counterpart by about six bolts drilled 16
inches into the existing concrete. We had to core
out the concrete and then epoxy in the bolt, said
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As a former warehouse, the building interior was ideal for an open, contemporary schoolhouse
designed without traditional corridors. The warehouses original bell columns add a unique
touch to the interior.
Monahan. Sometimes the bolts were slightly off because of obstructions.
The obstructions were the spider web of thick, heavy No. 10 steel rod laced
throughout the old buildings concrete slabs and columns. We drilled down
and would hit a big piece of steel, said Monahan. With the bolts set in a slightly
irregular pattern to avoid obstructions, the base plate of each steel column had
to be custom fit to the specific bolt pattern drilled into the concrete. Again,
precise measurements were vital in this marriage of two buildings shaped by
the construction technologies of two different centuries.
Adding a further level of complexity, all of this intricate measurement and
custom work was performed in the frigid months of December and January.
Winter work also included bonding the new and existing roof slabs together in
a tight grip. We had to ensure a strong bond between the old and new slab to
combat what is called horizontal sheer the tendency for horizontal
displacement from the added weight of the new vertical addition, said
Resendes.
A process called scarifying bonded together the slabs with the Monahan
crew using air hammers to texture the top of the existing concrete roof deck to
a depth of inch. The next step was coating the old roof deck with a special
epoxy bonding material before placing the new steel reinforced slab. Now the
two slabs grip and work together as a system, said Resendes. As an additional
aid, the new slab is not just a hard floor, it actually adds to the structural
integrity of the roof structure, and even has a little extra steel in it, said
Monahan.
The vertical addition was the core project challenge, but the glass enclosure
came in a close second. We couldnt measure and order the glass until the
structure was done, said Monahan. We had to maintain a huge, visqueen
temporary enclosure to keep the weather out and the heat in.
LOOK MA, NO LIGHT BULBS
Thanks to seasoned design and construction professionals, the rest of us can

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A series of stair towers draw natural light into this new schoolhouse
near the Detroit River.
just eat lunch and enjoy the view from the schools glass-enclosed cafeteria
three floors above Franklin Street. The project team even ensured a
comfortable temperature range within this unique eatery. This dining hall is
wrapped in two stories of pure glass, yet even on a bright day the students
are not cooking in a greenhouse. It all boils down to or rather doesnt boil
down to the use of shading devices on the exterior glass and the instal-
lation of fritted glass on the upper level. The shading devices are brows or
aluminum fins that extend around the perimeter windows of the cafeteria
and even the classrooms, said Resendes. The fritted glass is a ceramic
coating that diffuses the light.
Using this approach, the dining hall has no need for shades, and coupled
with vision glass on the lower level, maintains its wonderful vistas. Adding to
this pleasant perch, an outdoor patio wraps around the dining hall, offering
riverfront as well as panoramic views of the downtown Detroit skyline and
Ford Field.
Resendes has a passion for drawing daylight into building interiors. One
of our goals is to create naturally lit schools that require very few lights at all,
said Resendes. This mission is seen throughout the building. Clerestory
windows ring the gymnasium, drawing in a diffused natural light through
translucent Kalwall panels. Being completely day lit, the gymnasium does
not have to have a single light on even on a cloudy day, said Resendes.
Resendes brought the art of natural illumination to the buildings main
educational spaces, composed of classrooms on the building perimeter with
open studios in lieu of hallways in the center. At the border between
classroom and studio, the walls never touch the ceiling, allowing natural light
to spill into the open studios through clerestory windows. The light moves
right through the whole building, said Resendes.
Within the classrooms, drywall gives way to glass panels near the exterior
wall, giving every classroom a sightline along the entire line of educational
spaces. The classrooms float within the building, and people can see from
one end all the way to the other, said Resendes.
Resendes is also a strong believer in the use of indirect and diffused light.
We have very few locations in the school where we actually have direct
down lighting, said Resendes. Our lighting throughout the building is
virtually all indirect. This creates a calm atmosphere for the students.
Only slender light pencil fixtures in the studios produce a small degree of
down-lighting. Resendes ultimate goal is to design a naturally lit building
without a single light fixture. His passion is paying off at UPSM, both in the
creation of open spaces filled with natural and indirect light and in lower
operational costs for the school. Indirect lighting is definitely a cost savings,
said Cleary. We have relatively inexpensive fixtures, and we only have
perhaps a handful of bulbs in the entire facility. Added Resendes, We are
down to using .5 watts per-square-foot versus the typical 1.5 watts. We are
using a third less electricity than most buildings.
A NEXT-GENERATION SCHOOL
Beyond lighting, the entire interior is part of next-generation school
design. We challenge what a typical school looks like, said Resendes. At
UPSM, every teacher has his or her own office directly attached to the
classroom. Traditional hallways and corridors have been eliminated in favor
of open studios and what is called intervening spaces.
These open spaces are dotted with seating clusters and custom mobile
lockers with locker units on one side and a teaching wall on the other. The
teaching wall is a type of white tack board that can be used for impromptu
study or teaching sessions. Such features turn what could have been a
hallway into useful working spaces.
Some areas of this flexible common space even shift in configuration with
folding partitions extending from a classroom across a studio section to
create a new classroom enclave. This allows the teaching staff to create
classrooms or make classrooms go away in some areas, said Resendes.
Typically, one sees a folding partition between classrooms, but we have
partitions between the classroom and the open or public space.
Schools with more traditional designs must maintain a strict division
between hall and classroom due to fire codes. At UPSM, the number of
stairways two stair tower additions and the main stairway places each
student within 75 feet of an egress rather than the code requirement of 200
feet. Because of the closeness of egress, the architect had more flexibility in
creating this unconventional school interior.
This unconventional school even has non-
traditional interior finishes with drywall and
carpeting replacing extensive use of masonry
block, vinyl floor tile and other traditional school
supplies. The gymnasium even uses fiber bond
walls rather than conventional block. It takes
away from the block feel of most schools, said
Resendes.
All of these materials converge to create a calm,
neutral interior with bold color walls in select
spaces. We use relatively simple and utilitarian
materials, said Resendes. There is nothing
ostentatious about the materiality of the space.
There is a simple use of materials and a love of
color, but the idea is creating a volume that is
open, airy and soothing.
ECONOMICALLY FRIENDLY
The building is also designed with economy
and an economy of space in mind. From a two-
way fume hood accessible from two different
science classes to the stacking of all science labs
on the east side of the building, the facility is
designed to be economically friendly, said
Resendes.
An economy of space is clearly visible in the
gymnasium. The bottom of the fifth-level
mechanical penthouse is deftly inserted between
cafeteria and gymnasium. In fact, the lower end of
the penthouse projects into the gym and
practically serves as the back board of the
basketball hoop. Likewise, the auditorium is a
flexible, multi-purpose space with all the furniture
on wheels. The floor tiers widen as the auditorium
descends, creating different platforms for a variety
of uses, ranging from a double row of chairs for
community presentations to a desk-and-seat
arrangement for classroom lectures.
At UPSM, vestiges of old Detroit combine with
contemporary, flexible design to create a
schoolhouse of character and efficiency.
Academically, the inclusion of high-tech teaching
tools in a completely wireless environment
provides an educational backbone as strong as
the concrete structure. One of UPSMs labs even
has a Z printer, a 3D printer able to produce sand
prototypes of an object or tool based on input
from a students AutoCAD drawing. The 3D
printer allows students to do their own
impromptu fabrication, said Cleary.
In lieu of a conventional teachers desk, the
classrooms and lecture hall/auditorium have
mobile carts stocked with other high-tech
teaching aids, such as document cameras with the
capacity for three-dimensional projection of
objects. With 3D capability, an instructor can
more easily teach about the double helix
structure of DNA or other scientific concepts.
WELCOME CLASS OF 2014
The concrete bones of this old warehouse are
now the core of a contemporary, completely
wireless, light-filled school. At night, the lanterns
of the two stair towers add a glow to the
surrounding area, as the light within illuminates
the streets beyond.
This tremendous undertaking has transformed
a dilapidated warehouse into a school that would
be the envy of any high school student, and has
even turned an adjacent weed-infested, gravel
parking lot into a manicured expanse of green
lawn, complete with a few raised beds for a
vegetable garden. In addition, streets once
resembling alley ways have been repaved and
improved near the school grounds.
The Thompson Foundation is planning to open
two new elementary schools in the fall of 2012,
said Cleary. Having designed nine Thompson
charter schools, Resendes is working on the
design of these two elementary schools, one
being the former Sydney D. Miller School on
Chene slated to become the UPSM elementary
school, the other being the former Doty School in
the Boston-Edison Historic District slated to
become the elementary school for the Henry Ford
Academy. Both are historic buildings purchased
from the Detroit Public Schools, said Resendes.
Resendes Design Group has done multiple
projects for us with great success, said Cleary.
Monahan is on our prequalified list of general
contractors. We hard bid all of our school
projects. Monahan also was the general
contractor on the University Preparatory
Academys Elementary School, namely the Mark
Murray campus in Tech Town.
The school is chartered by Grand Valley State
University to the Public School Academies of
Detroit, said Cleary. New Urban Learning operates
the University Prep Science and Math schools via
a contract with Public School Academies of
Detroit.
Part of the University Prep Science and Math
District, this recently opened riverfront high
school currently serves 115 ninth-grade students,
but will soon take in pupils from the UPSM middle
school, which is attached to the Detroit Science
Center. Ultimately, the new high school will serve
500 students as successive waves of UPSM
middle-school graduates, as well as enrollees from
throughout metropolitan Detroit, enter this
renovated and expanded facility. Thanks to the
vision, talents and skills of the Thompson
Educational Foundation, Resendes Design Group,
TAKTIX Solutions and The Monahan Company, the
formative years of these fortunate students will be
well spent in this almost miraculously
transformed schoolhouse near the riverfront.
These before and after photographs clearly show the dramatic transformation of the former
Franklin furniture warehouse into a vibrant urban school.
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T
he three Rs meant Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic for generations of
students. While these basic concepts still form the foundation of a
good education, modern school facilities are designed and built to offer
far more. According to the districts mission statement, Marysville Public
Schools strives to personalize the learning experience for each student by
adding their own three Rs: rigor, relevance and relationships. As the project
team that created the new 238,000-square-foot Marysville High School
recently discovered, mastering the districts three Rs entailed benefits that
extended well beyond classroom walls.
The project would never have been completed unless the project team
was willing and able to commit to a rigorous schedule. Relevance was also
very important, as the building needed to conform to the schools curriculum
while offering the flexibility to adapt to fill a wide variety of needs.
Relationships were also an important factor, as project team members would
T
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T
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r
e
e

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s
Revisited
By David R. Miller, Associate Editor Photos by Christopher Lark, Lark Photography
need to depend on each other to get the job
done. Architect French Associates, Rochester, and
construction manager McCarthy & Smith,
Farmington Hills, led the team that took the
districts three Rs to heart to complete this
challenging project.
OLD SCHOOL
Most Marysville residents cannot remember a
time before the construction of the former
Marysville High School, which served the
community since 1942. Though there was a
strong attachment to this venerable structure, it
was clearly time to build anew.
The high school that we had was over 50 years
old, said Patricia Speilburg, executive director of
finance and operations for Marysville Public
Schools. There were many portions that had
been added onto over the years, but we were just
trying to keep things operating. It had become
very inefficient for energy. The hallways were
small. The classrooms were small and the building
just wasnt as conducive for learning as it needed
to be in todays educational environment. There
was very little flexibility with the site and we
needed to do something better for the
community.
Operational issues plagued the building, as
updates to plumbing and electrical systems were
not feasible for the structure. Keeping up with
technology is a challenge for any school district,
but these difficulties went far beyond selecting
and purchasing computers at Marysville High
School because many rooms in the older portion
of the building lacked sufficient power outlets
and code requirements limited options for adding
new ones. Rick DeNardin, buildings and grounds
manager for Marysville Public Schools, credits the
Marysville High School maintenance staff for
keeping the buildings original heating system
and ventilation fans running, but the equipment
was on its last legs and replacement parts needed
to be custom-made. The building was also ill-
suited to serve Marysvilles changing population.
The schools cafeteria, for example, could not hold
one-third of the student body at one time, so
students ate in hallways or even outside.
Most people saw the need for a new high
school, but could the district secure the necessary
funding during tough economic times? A
$74,600,000 bond proposal to build a new high
school and renovate the districts middle school
along with three elementary schools was put
before voters in May 2007. The measure passed by
53 votes.
Speilburg considers the bonds passage as a
gift from voters who were willing to support the
community schools during tough times. The
district worked to earn this trust well before the
first vote was cast. A citizens committee was
formed to advocate for the bond while facilitating
good communications with residents. Listening
was a vital part of this process.
The Yes! For Marysvilles Future Committee
didnt see support for additions and remodeling
of the old facility, said William McCarthy,
president of McCarthy and Smith. The committee
felt that the building had served its purpose. The
new high school became a selling feature and the
committee did an outstanding job of promoting
the project and educating the community.
The district also dedicated a portion of its
website to answering questions about the
building project. It was generally felt that if one
person took the time to ask a question, that
person represented the legitimate concerns of
many more, so every question that came to the
districts attention was addressed on the site with
the best information available. In addition to
communicating with the community, the project
team also made an effort to find out exactly what
teachers would need to succeed in a new
building.
We talked quite a bit with the staff, said Dale
Jerome, AIA, REFP, LEED AP, president of French
Associates. We were starting with a clean slate, so
we asked the staff if there was anything that they
wanted to preserve from the old school and we
also let them know that now was the opportunity
to make changes.
The school started with a clean slate in more
ways than one. Given the size of the bond and the
many projects that would be funded by it, a
construction management approach was
recommended. Many district leaders, including
Speilburg, had no experience with this type of
arrangement. Speilburg cites the construction
management services provided by McCarty and
Smith as being vital to the successful completion
of the project, even though she had concerns
about shielding the district from liability and
ultimately maintaining control. She asked many
questions and generally liked the answers that
she received.
The stage is the center of attention in the 750-seat auditorium, but catwalks and lighting
positions were intentionally left exposed to make sure that everyone involved with a
production spends time in the spotlight.
We had to earn the districts trust and thats
the way it should be, said McCarthy.
The team was able to earn this trust during the
earliest phases of the project. While many key
community members were a part of this process,
most residents did not really get a chance to meet
the team until it rolled up on the site, a small piece
of land that was near and dear to their hearts.
SCHOOL ZONE
Communications between the district and the
community helped to guide the project team in
the many decisions that it had to make. People
clearly wanted a new high school as opposed to a
Band-Aid solution designed to squeeze a few
more years out of the existing building. They even
knew where they wanted the new facility to be:
right where the existing high school stood.
The new high school was built next to the
existing high school and a middle school on the
30-acre site over a two-year period. Surrounding
roads also limited land options because they are
not set in a typical grid pattern that would have
created a square or rectangular site. Because of
the sites tight confines, the two opposite corners
of the new high school were built within 30 feet of
public walkways and the existing varsity baseball
field. Access to walkways, athletic fields and the
existing high school needed to be maintained
throughout construction.
Right from the beginning, the biggest
challenge related back to the community wanting
the high school to be on the existing site, said
Jerome. For a high school of this size with the
parking and athletic amenities, you would
probably want a site that was about double this
size, even without the existing high school having
to remain during the construction and without
having the existing middle school on the same
site.
In addition to the new high school, a significant
amount of space was needed for 50 miles of
geothermal tubing. Ideally, these would have
been placed under green spaces, but they run
under grass, parking lots and sporting fields at
Marysville High School. In fact, the 14 geothermal
fields all join at a central vault located underneath
the baseball field. Utility work also impacted the
field, but all work in this area was carefully
scheduled to minimize disruptions.
We had to keep the baseball field up and
running, said Brian MacAskill, field
superintendent for McCarthy & Smith. We dug up
and resodded it, not entirely but in portions, three
separate times.
The sheer size of the geothermal system made
occasional inconveniences unavoidable, but the
project team worked very hard to minimize these.
When a portion of the geothermal system was
placed underneath the discus throwing area, for
example, students needed the space well before
grass could grow over the muddy mess. The
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248.656.1377
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Instead of having multiple classroom wings,
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estimates will pay for itself in as little
as six years, is well worth the minor
disruptions caused by installation.
LESSON PLAN
Design and construction of
Marysville High School was defined
by many goals. Student safety was
given the highest level of
consideration. Energy efficiency
was addressed through the
geothermal system and other
measures. The project team worked
to create a structure that would
meet the needs of teachers and the districts educational curriculum. Since
needs can change over time, flexibility was also incorporated into the design.
Instead of having multiple classroom wings, the building features a single,
two-story academic wing that is centered on the schools media center. This
let the design team link science laboratories together in a configuration that
encourages collaboration and efficiency. Four 1,100-square-foot science
rooms are located on each floor, and every two rooms are separated by a
shared preparatory space in which teachers can safely work with chemicals
or perform other tasks away from students. Science laboratories where fume
hoods are required are grouped together on the second floor to consolidate
mechanical systems.
The schools 25 general
classrooms each measure 800
square feet and all are equipped
with SMART boards. Their relatively
large size will allow the district to
adapt to new educational models.
There has been a trend to
provide smaller spaces adjacent to
classrooms where students can
work independently, said Jerome.
In working with the staff and
understanding their approach, we
came to realize that they really felt
that they could do that within the
classroom environment. They just
wanted to make sure that
classrooms were adequately sized to
allow for that to happen.
The schools 12,000-square-foot
commons area was designed with
flexibility in mind. Placed right at the main entrance, the commons serves as
the main circulation area for entering or exiting the building. The schools
main office, gymnasium, auditorium and classroom wing are all just a few
steps away from this versatile space, yet its open design and adjacent kitchen
spaces let it pull double duty as the schools cafeteria. Tables can be moved
to transform the commons into overflow or concessions space for athletic
events or theater performances and it central location makes it an ideal spot
for students to grab a snack or beverage in-between classes. Students have
easy access to the school store located off the commons. The commons
space could have been designed as a simple corridor, but the skilled design
team made it into much more.
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Four 1,100-square-foot science laboratories are grouped together in
a configuration that encourages collaboration and efficiency.
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Students pass by the main office as they enter the school near the
commons. The main office is housed within a 6,900-square-foot
administrative suite that is wrapped with interior and exterior glass to
provide unobstructed views of the entry and commons areas, allowing for an
instant reaction if any situation warrants adult intervention. The other front
entry into the building leads into a 7,700-square-foot district administration
area. The general public can access the building through this entry vestibule,
but the door to the school is kept locked so that anyone entering school
spaces must pass through the main office. All other entries are locked to
prevent outside access.
Other building amenities include a 10,860- square-foot natatorium
with a 327,800-gallon pool and seating for 380, a 14,750-square-foot main
gymnasium that seats over 1,500 and can be divided into two basketball or
volleyball courts, and a 7,200-square-foot auxiliary gym. Unique balconies
overlooking the main gymnasium are accessible from the second floor and
they provide the perfect vantage point from which student videographers
can obtain athletic event footage. The school houses a state-of-the-art TV
production and editing suite where live and produced shows are created
weekly and broadcast to the community. The project team arranged for
several televised site tours to provide updates about the progress of the job.
The community eagerly tuned in for this information.
I cant tell you how many times I went into a local business and someone
would say, I saw you on television, said MacAskill.
MacAskill had little time to bask in his celebrity status. The entire project
team had far too much work to do.
ADVANCED STUDY
Given the size of Marysville High School, the aggressive construction
schedule, and the complexity of the building, coordination quickly emerged
as a sizeable challenge. Masonry accounted for a significant portion of the
building, and other trades needed to be put off until the building was
enclosed, so all eyes were on Brazen & Greer Masonry, Inc., Livonia.
The auditorium is a large masonry structure, said Steve Banchero, senior
project manager for McCarthy & Smith. In the beginning, we wanted to have
two separate masonry crews working with two working foremen one to
start on the auditorium and one to start in the other spaces. Unfortunately,
the auditorium is in the middle of the building, so it had to be built before we
could start working on the exterior walls. We had a building within a
building, and that complicated the flow of the project.
Instead of two crews, Brazen & Greer had five working at one point to keep
on schedule. Much of their attention was focused on the 750-seat
auditorium, where 63-foot high masonry walls were needed to enclose the
full fly loft, balcony and three-level control room. These walls are made of 16-
inch-wide heavyweight block that has been fully reinforced and grouted, so
the process was extremely labor intensive. This work also needed to be
closely coordinated with steel erection.
Casadei Steel [Inc., Sterling Heights] did a good job of coordinating with
us, said Michael Doran, project manager for Brazen & Greer. The auditorium
work needed to be done in phases. We could only work up so high and then
they would come in and set steel so we could come back and do more of the
masonry.
The end result is an auditorium that combines pleasant amenities with
state-of-the art capabilities. One unique element is the catwalks and lighting
positions that were intentionally left exposed. No matter what role a student
plays in the production, he or she will be a star in the eyes of a parent, and
this innovative feature provides a glimpse of work that is usually done
behind the scenes.
Architects sometimes work too hard to make these spaces more beautiful
than functional, said Jerome. I still think that it is a very attractive
auditorium, but we also highlight all aspects of the performance. We
balanced it properly, so the technical aspects wont become a distraction, but
you can see them if you want to.
The real beauty of the Marysville High School auditorium is that
performers, patrons and parents alike can appreciate it. Many other items
throughout the school will be appreciated for a variety of reasons. OKALUX
glass was used to create sunny spaces throughout the facility, but capillary
inlays in this material defuse sunlight to enhance daylighting while
controlling thermal gain. This abundant natural light floods the building
until it lands upon the many attractive polished concrete floors. Polished
concrete was substituted for terrazzo to control costs while contributing to
sustainability goals.
As future generations of Marysville High School students benefit from
their exposure to the districts three Rs - rigor, relevance and relationships
they will not need to look far for an example of how far these lessons can
take them. A great example can be found in their very own school.
Unique balconies overlooking the main gymnasium are accessible
from the second floor, and they provide the perfect vantage point
from which student videographers can obtain athletic event footage.
The schools 1,200-square-foot commons area serves as the main
circulation area for entering the building, but it also pulls double
duty as the cafeteria.
The school houses a state-of-the-art TV production and editing suite.
Televised project updates have made members of the project team
into local celebrities.
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C
onstruction came to the rescue of the Washington Township Fire
Department. The township now has a state-of-the-art firefighting tool
in its arsenal: a new 17,745-square-foot fire station fully prepared to aid
firefighters in battling blazes and managing emergencies, thanks to SDA
Architects, Inc., Clinton Township, and BRIVAR Construction Company,
Brighton. In an emergency, the building springs into action. The Westnet Fire
Station Control System automatically turns off the stations gas stove and
barbeque grille, triggers sound and strobe light alarms throughout the
building, and illuminates the living quarters, parking lot and apparatus bay.
Whether in mid-stride on the fitness center treadmill or in mid-sentence filing
a report, the townships team of first responders can rapidly enter the central
apparatus bay from anywhere in the building through one of four strate-
gically placed entry points.
Its all a matter of efficiency and safety, said John C. DeBruyne, RA, SDA
IN WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP
By Mary E. Kremposky Photos Courtesy of
Associate Editor SDA Architects, Inc.
executive vice president. SDA designed every
detail to deliver both for first responders on the
front lines. With its spacious bays, wide driveway
and clear visibility for pulling onto 27 Mile Road, the
new stations design and location have increased
response times to the estimated 1,200 calls taken in
the stations first six months of operation, said Brian
Tyrell, Washington Township fire marshal.
Fighting fires, aiding heart attack victims, and
transporting frail nursing home patients to a
hospital is all in a days work for paramedics and
firefighters vowing to protect and serve their
communities. In another sense, the Washington
Township Fire Departments commitment to serve
the community is also evident in its patient
accumulation of dollars saved over the course of
nearly a decade. With saved dollars in hand, the
Department was able to quickly purchase this 5.4-
acre parcel on 27 Mile Road between Van Dyke
Avenue and Jewel Road. Actually having title to a
piece of property was one of the pivotal factors in
the Departments successful quest to obtain a
coveted grant from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
As a type of first responder in its own
profession, SDA moved from design concept to
construction documents in an incredibly short
span of only six weeks. Having a property title and
a well-developed design package put the township
ahead of thousands of other fire stations across the
country competing for a share of the $210 million
dollar Fire Station Construction Grant Program
administered through the Department of
Homeland Security.
Having a shovel-ready project able to quickly
funnel money into an anemic economy was vital to
obtaining the grant. Virtually every fire
department in the country applied for the same
grant money, said Robert Herbert, BRIVAR senior
project manager. Ultimately, only four fire stations
in Michigan actually obtained grant money,
including stations in Highland Park, Dutton,
Traverse City, and Washington Township.
BRIVARs innovative field solutions and its
blistering work pace delivered a job originally
slated for completion in 13 months, in a time frame
just short of 8 months. Ultimately, the project team
successfully delivered the first fire station in the
entire country to be completed using ARRA funds.
I cant say enough good things about the
project team, especially in light of scheduling, the
workload, the time frame and working with the
federal government, said Tyrell. I think this team
came together and performed at an outstanding
level. We were the first station to complete
construction in the nation, and we were under
budget.
Thanks to BRIVAR, construction bids came in
roughly $500,000 lower than the townships
original budget, resulting in a project slightly under
$2.5 million. With the $1.5 million ARRA grant, the
township was well on its way towards financing the
new Gerald B. Alward Fire Station No. 1.
CONFINED SPACE ENTRY
Visiting the original station clearly shows the
need for a new facility. For almost 50 years, the
station operated out of a small building on the
edge of a narrow residential lane called Wicker
Street. Department administration activities were
squeezed into a 8x14-foot office and a single truck
bay. Over the years, a series of small additions
expanded the station to three bays and created
modest second-level living quarters, but the fire
chief, assistant chief and fire marshal still shared a
single cramped office, while firefighters barely had
enough room to walk between the fire trucks in the
apparatus room. Safety in such small spaces was
sometimes a challenge. Firefighters would have to
get dressed in their turn-out gear right next to
trucks that were pulling out, said Tyrell.
The large fire trucks had little room to maneuver.
Working at cross purposes, these massive trucks
had to turn tightly from slim bays into the narrow
street even as on-call firefighters were arriving and
parking in a gravel lot directly across from the
The new apparatus bay includes such technological improvements as a Nederman Vehicle
Exhaust System capable of automatically removing carbon monoxide and other exhaust
particulate from the building.
station. With several buildings closely hugging the
intersection of Wicker and Van Dyke Avenue,
pulling onto the main roadway was almost a blind
turn. Returning to the station required firefighters
to back the trucks into this outdated apparatus bay.
Working in such tight quarters, then-Chief
Gerald B. Alward conjured a grand vision for a
future fire station. Alward is the buildings
namesake and the driving force behind the
development of both the new station and of the
Washington Township Fire Department, itself. As
the townships first fire chief, Alward launched
services unique to all of Macomb County. He was
one of the first in the county to implement the use
of full-time paramedics, said Tyrell.
Today, a granite marker in front of the new fire
station honors Chief Alward for his 40 years of
service to Washington Township, 25 of them spent
as fire chief. During his long years as chief, he had
the foresight to begin saving for a replacement
station to service this growing township that also
hosts Stony Creek Metro Park a common source
of recreation-related injuries.
Actual property acquisition was undertaken
only a few months before the final award of the
ARRA grant. Once we knew we had made it into
the later rounds as a finalist, said Tyrell, we
conducted a study narrowing the site down to a
certain geographical area, and we started looking
at property.
Site selection for a fire station is a calculated
affair based on emergency response times, access
to water mains and other stipulations. With a
geographic radius in mind and money in hand for
land acquisition, the fire department was then able
to purchase a specific parcel along 27 Mile Road.
The hammer of the Great Recession driving down
property values also aided the purchase. The
money wouldnt have covered the land acquisition
if it werent for these economic conditions, said
Tyrell.
After site selection, Washington Township
brought SDA on board in mid-August 2009 based
on its extensive experience in fire station design.
SDA has now designed a total of seven fire stations,
three new and four renovated, one being for
Washington Townships Fire Station No. 2 and three
others for Clinton Township. With a design
deadline of late September, SDA quickly assembled
its consultant team of EAM Engineers, Inc., Troy,
mechanical and electrical engineers; A.R. Decker &
Associates, Inc., Troy, structural engineers; and
Giffels-Webster Engineers, Inc., Washington, civil
engineers.
SDA and its consultants worked closely with the
building committee, a group of 10 people that
included retired Chief Alward, then-Fire Chief David
Poterek, Tyrell and John Clark, assistant fire chief,
along with representatives from the Washington
Township Board. The efficiency of the new station
comes from lessons learned in the old facility, said
DeBruyne. That is why having past and current
firefighters on the building committee was so
vital.
The entire group executed swift decisions, for all
were keenly focused on finalizing the design
package and obtaining ARRA dollars. Everyone
knew we couldnt just sit on a decision, said
DeBruyne. We had a deadline, and decisions had
to be made quickly.
Added Herbert, I think the biggest key was the
fact that the Washington Township Fire
Department had the foresight to see it was a very
fast-paced grant process, and that the first people
to the table were going to get the money.
Ultimately, Washington Township was one of only
127 fire stations across the United States to
obtained ARRA stimulus funds.
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Out of a field of 23 bidders, BRIVAR won an
extremely competitive bid that included provisions
for compliance with the Buy American Act and
federal Davis-Bacon requirements. With the field
narrowed to the top three firms, BRIVAR arrived at
the interview already highly recommended by
Brownstown Township for the recent construction
of a fire station in that community.
BRIVAR did its homework and showed the
township its work by unrolling an 8-foot-long sheet
of paper on the boardroom table detailing the
companys bid. We printed our bid on our
blueprint machine, and we rolled it out on the
table, recalled Herbert. It was like an Excel
spreadsheet with all the numbers on it to show the
township how we arrived at our bid.
BRIVARs promise to deliver the new station to
Washington Township on a shortened schedule
helped clinch the deal. BRIVARs low bid was based
The administration wing houses a 1,000-square-foot training room equipped with video conferencing capabilities that allow the Washington
Township Fire Department to train with any fire department in the country with similar equipment, as well as its own Station No. 2.
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on a compressed time frame capable of reducing
the projects labor costs, said Herbert.
With the bid award, BRIVAR was ready to build.
The rapid pace ground to a halt under a series of
federal reviews examining the site through the lens
of historical, environmental and farmland preser-
vation stipulations. Each separate review required
a 30-day waiting period for public comment. They
also sent letters to all the Indian tribes to find out if
the site had been a Native American burial
ground, said Herbert.
The review process stretched into days, weeks
and then months. During the review process, the
township could not issue the actual contract, and
BRIVAR could not even plant a single survey stake
in the ground. More importantly, BRIVAR could not
issue subcontracts, meaning the subcontractors
could not lock in prices with their suppliers.
BRIVAR officially received notice of approval for
all reviews on March 18, 2010. The subcontractors
were willing to retain their original prices despite
increases in material costs, because the new start
date meant much of the building would be
constructed in the summer versus the more costly
winter season. Essentially, the lower cost of
summer construction would offset the material
price increases. We were able to convince our subs
that they were going to save enough in labor by
building in the summer, said Herbert. They were
gracious enough to work with us.
BRIVAR had originally anticipated beginning
work in early November 2009 and opening the
station in June 2010, far ahead of the townships
stated completion date of December
31, 2010. Even though work started five months
later than originally envisioned, BRIVAR still held to
an eight-month schedule and to a promise to open
in time for the firefighters on duty to celebrate
Thanksgiving Dinner in the new station.
FIRE AND RAIN
At last, the surveyor Metro Consulting
Associates, Belleville - drove the first stake into this
former farm field on April 1, 2010. Unfortunately,
Mother Nature turned her own fire hose on full
blast throughout the beginning phases of the
project. With saturated ground, the ceaseless rains
impacted the installation of the storm and water
mains in the 6-foot-deep clay trenches. The site
contractor had to dewater the trenches daily to
install the storm and water mains. Inspection and
backfilling was done in quick succession to prevent
the newly installed hollow, sealed pipes from
bobbing and floating to the surface like a boat in
rising waters.
Cortis Brothers Trucking & Excavating, Inc., a
large site work contractor based in Marine City, had
the muscle for the job. Cortis came in with a small
army of people and equipment and cleared the
land, installed underground utilities, handled site
draining, and allowed us to get the building pad
ready for foundations all in only two-and-a-half
weeks, said Herbert.
April showers didnt stop until late May, meaning
BRIVAR battled near-record rain levels in pouring
the trench footings for this single-story, slab on
grade building. With the aid of the foundation
contractor, RMK Concrete Foundations, Howell,
BRIVAR devised another innovative tack for the
footings. With the weight of the concrete trucks
actually caving in the saturated banks of the earth-
formed trench footings, BRIVAR decided to use a
concrete pump to funnel the concrete into the
trench footings from a distance.
The actual footing installation could be
described as dig and pour with BRIVAR pumping
the concrete into the trench virtually as it was
being excavated, using the pressure of the concrete
itself to hold back the soil. In another atypical
strategy, BRIVAR actually installed drain tile
underneath the concrete building pad to channel
the water to a nearby drain. We worked the whole
time, because even when it rained, the drain tile
allowed our building pad to stay dry, said Herbert.
A CONSTRUCTION DEMONSTRATION
BRIVARs next goal was to install the parking lot
and use it as a dry, mud-free oasis for cranes, lifts
and other equipment, as well as for material
delivery, storage and staging. Unfortunately,
pockets of wet, unstable soil were present, creating
unsuitable conditions for parking lot installation.
The building committee assembled on site to help
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swiftly resolve the issue. BRIVAR proof rolled the
site in front of the committee, driving a large loader
over the exposed soil to demonstrate the
deflection of the ground. The committee could
actually see the ground bouncing all over the
place, said DeBruyne.
With Herbert holding a poor clod of soil in his
hand and the civil engineer explaining the results
of the soil tests, the building committee could
readily understand the unsuitability of the existing
soil base. A decision was quickly made to undercut
or remove 24 inches of soil and replace it with a
combination of 1x3 stone capped with 21AA
aggregate.
For the actual undercutting, BRIVAR continually
scanned the weather forecast to find a five-day
stretch of good weather. BRIVAR worked long
hours and sometimes through the night to
undercut the parking lot and place the binder
course, the structural course of a typical two-layer
paving system. The binder course is a strong mix,
and we were able to use it as a platform to help us
build the building,said Herbert. The binder course
was placed on May 28, 2010, allowing BRIVAR to
bring the building out of the ground at a fast clip.
LETS DO IT
After a water-logged spring, BRIVAR brought an
almost assembly-line precision to the summer
construction of this three-section building,
composed of a central load-bearing masonry
apparatus bay flanked by two wings of light-gauge
steel studs. One wing houses the administration
and state-of-the-art training room, the other
houses the living and sleeping quarters of the
firefighting crew. All sections have pitched gable
roofs formed of light-gauge trusses with
commercial grade asphalt shingles.
Tightly sequenced, just-in-time delivery moved
the project along at a healthy pace. We never
waited on anything, said Herbert. We didnt build
the structure and then wait two weeks for trusses.
The structure was built and the trusses were on site
the next morning. They set the trusses and two
days later the fire suppression was applied. It was
that fast.
Delay was not an option even when the building
committee opted to switch from polished concrete
to epoxy flooring in the apparatus bay. In addition,
the speedy construction pace wasnt hampered by
the long lead time of the glazed masonry base in
the apparatus bay, said DeBruyne. Rather than
wait four weeks for delivery of this long lead item,
BRIVAR installed temporary dummy blocks to hold
the rest of the block wall up during construction.
We were able to gain four weeks instead of just
sitting and waiting, said Herbert. The spacers or
dummy blocks were a little more labor, but
everybody said, Lets do it. Many of the subcon-
tractors were proactive in coming up with creative
solutions.
GIVING THANKS
The fire department occupied the building on
Nov. 19, 2010, right in time for the on-duty
firefighters to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with
turkey and all the fixings. The Washington
Township Fire Department and the community
have much to be thankful for in this state-of-the-art
station.
Unlike many other stations, the fire marshal has
a blueprint reading room in the 3,581-square-foot
administration wing. If you were to tour 50
stations you would find that they dont house a
blueprint room for the fire marshal, said Herbert.
As the crown jewel, this wing houses a 1,000-
square-foot training room equipped with video
conferencing capabilities that allow us to train with
any fire department in the country with similar
equipment, as well as with our own Station No. 2,
said Tyrell. With a seating capacity of 40 for training
purposes, furnishings can be altered to host even
larger community meetings, said DeBruyne, or even
serve as an emergency command center. A
conference room, three private offices, three
cubicles and a reception area complete the new
administration wing.
The four-position apparatus bay is where the
rubber meets the road in the battle against fire and
mayhem. A series of small rooms line the bay
perimeter. One room contains the oxygen tanks
used to fill each firefighters self-contained
breathing apparatus. Other rooms house an
industrial laundry facility for washing firefighting
clothing and gear, a hose drying room, a decontam-
ination room, and a medical supply room stocked
with life-saving medical devices and first-aid
supplies.
Technological improvements include a
Nederman Vehicle Exhaust System capable of
automatically removing carbon monoxide and
other exhaust particulate from the building. The
systems hoses directly attach to the fire trucks
exhaust pipe. The other end hooks to a type of
overhead conveyor, allowing the system to travel
with the truck as it moves through the bay before
automatically releasing as the vehicle exits the
station, explained DeBruyne.
The dispatch room overlooks the apparatus bay
and hosts the Westnet systems computer hub.
The Westnet system was considered at the very
beginning, but only installed after the project had
made it past the big ticket items and after the
resolution of the soil issues, said DeBruyne.
Beyond technology systems, SDA designed the
station with a detailed eye focused on firefighter
safety and efficiency. Hoses and companion reels
for washing vehicles are tucked in small alcoves to
avoid generating a tripping hazard. Power strips
are mounted above the lockers to charge the
headlamps on the firefighters helmets. SDAs
design provides everything necessary - and then
some - to aid the firefighting team in the hard work
of saving lives.
ANSWERING THE CALL
The new station is a dramatic correction of the
old stations logistical conundrums. The old
apparatus bay is probably only one-fifth of the size
of the new one, said DeBruyne. The new 8,793-
square-foot apparatus bay is a pull-through space
with overhead doors at both ends for ease and
speed of entry or exit.
Rather than pull into the main roadway from a
tiny lane, the new stations wide sweeping front
drive and clear sight line along 27 Mile Road boosts
In the living quarters, the kitchen area has a commercial-grade stainless steel exhaust hood to
service the meals eaten by the different shifts. A Westnet Fire Station Control System
automatically turns off the stations gas stove, triggers sound and strobe light alarms through
the building, and performs other vital services.
safety and swiftness. SDA even placed the entrance
sign significantly back from the edge of the road
and planted trees in strategic locations all to
maintain visibility and to create an efficient egress
from the station.
The same quick egress holds true in the interior.
Four entry points lead directly into the central
apparatus bay: Two portals in the residential wing
one in the day room and the other near the
sleeping quarters flow directly into the apparatus
bay; two entries in the administration wing one
near the training room and the other near the main
offices enter the bay from the opposite side of the
building.
Whether in the middle of eating dinner or
watching a championship football game,
firefighters must be prepared to manage an
emergency on a moments notice. Dealing with the
dangerous and the unexpected on a daily - and
nightly basis is all part of the job. Its a different
way of life, said Tyrell, a 16-year veteran following
in the footsteps of his own father, another retired
Washington Township fire chief. His son Michael is
carrying on the Tyrell firefighting tradition as a
member of the crew.
SDAs design gave this hardworking group of
firefighters all the comforts of home. Rather than
the typical bunkhouse arrangement, this unique
fire station even has eight private sleeping quarters
shared by three different shifts and stocked with
private lockers.
This 4,371-square-foot home within a fire station
has its own residential laundry and a day room with
a large-screen TV and a half-moon cluster of large
stuffed reclining chairs that give the impression of
being the ultimate man cave. Both TV and chairs
were purchased by the union or the firefighters
themselves, along with an outdoor grille. The
township recently hired a female firefighter who
now enjoys the new stations female-only locker
room, shower and restroom facility designed to
accommodate the growing number of women in
the firefighting force.
The kitchen area has a commercial-grade
stainless steel exhaust hood to service the meals
eaten by the different shifts. All the materials were
selected for longevity, including the solid surface
countertops, said DeBruyne.
All of the buildings exterior materials were
selected for longevity and for low or zero
maintenance as well, including the brick cladding
and the pre-finished metal, vented soffits. All the
fascia boards are clad in aluminum to avoid any
need for painting in the future, DeBruyne added.
A NEW HOME FOR FIRE STATION NO. 1
The building itself resembles a durable,
maintenance-free home. With its three pitched
asphalt shingle roofs, brick cladding, and cast stone
accent bands and medallions, SDA designed the
station to fit into the nearby residential
neighborhood. The design was a modern take on
a colonial residential building, said DeBruyne. The
building is clearly a different type of home, with
its full-height glass doors marking the front bays
and showcasing the gleaming red-painted and
polished chrome fire trucks within.
This smart, experienced project team met the
aggressive deadline to earn the ARRA grant and
then to build the structure at top speed. The
township celebrated turning stimulus dollars into
an actual fire station with a ribbon-cutting
ceremony on November 22 and an official Open
House on December 4, 2010.
This is definitely a first-class building, especially
in light of the former station, said current
Washington Township Fire Chief Daniel Last, who
took the helm of the townships fire department in
March 2011. I think it is going to serve the
township well into the future.
The Gerald B. Alward Fire Station No. 1 now has a
powerful firefighting tool to protect citizens within
its 18-square-mile service area, thanks to SDA
Architects, Inc. and BRIVAR Construction Company,
two expert companies that responded to the call
and moved the project through its paces as rapidly
as any firefighting force.
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W
ith roots dating back to the
Continental Army, the United
States Army actually preceded the
establishment of the country that it serves
and is currently the oldest and largest
American military branch. Military needs
have changed greatly since 1775, and the
process of meeting these needs involves
much more than adopting new battlefield
tactics. Defense planners must continually
ask how many troops are needed, what skills
they should have, and where they should be
deployed. The 2005 Base Realignment and
Closure (BRAC) actions are a recent
continuation of this proud tradition.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently
selected the design/build team of Granger
Construction Company, Lansing,
Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield,
and Carl Walker, Inc., Kalamazoo, to create a
new Administration Building and Parking
Structure to accommodate approximately
1,100 workers who were relocated to the
Detroit Arsenal in Warren as a result of the
2005 BRAC. Combining requirements under
the International Building Code with
Department of Defense criteria, building on
a secure military installation, and adhering
to an aggressive schedule rank among the
many challenges that were overcome by a
skilled project team.
Getting Started
Prior to the construction of the
Administration Building and Parking
Structure, almost the entire site was devoted
to surface parking. This served a need for the Detroit Arsenal, but needs
change.
We really didnt have a specific need for this facility before, explained
Steve Ball, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Garrison-Detroit Arsenal. In
an effort to make the Army more efficient, and to bring personnel and
products into a more efficient working relationship, they [originators of the
2005 BRAC] decided to bring in about 1,100 people from Rock Island, IL,
which created the need for this facility.
Once the necessity for the building was established, the arduous task of
finding room for it on the densely packed campus began. Parking space was
consolidated in the six-level, 1,802-space parking deck. Large numbers of
workers can enter or exit the parking deck from two separate points on
opposite sides of the structure at the same time to coincide with their work
shifts. Movement inside the structure is effectively increased by a double-
threaded ramp design that carries vehicles along two independent ramps.
Traffic utilizing the completed parking deck was not the only concern for
the project team. All traffic entering the Detroit Arsenal passes through a
security checkpoint. Adding construction traffic into the mix would have led
to costly project delays while also interfering with the operation of the
Detroit Arsenal.
We constructed a new perimeter fence around the Administrative
Building and the Parking Structure,said Kevin McNally, PE, resident engineer,
Detroit Arsenal. We did that to minimize disruptions to the workforce on the
project and on the base. I think it worked out very well.
The site could be accessed from Mound Road after the perimeter fence
was erected, but not all traffic coming in this way was related to the
construction project. Truck dock access to a neighboring building had to be
fenced in with the jobsite to create a secure
perimeter. Several deliveries were made
each day, but the drivers shared a common
goal with the project team. Each wanted
this process to occur as smoothly as
possible. The combined efforts of everyone
involved helped make this happen.
It was like any new procedure, said Tim
VanAntwerp, PE, project manager for
Granger Construction Company. A fence
went up and people needed to deal with it.
Between us, base security, and the
Directorate of Public Works, we figured it out
in a very short amount of time. Once the
drivers came in one time, they figured it out
too.
Matching the existing architecture was
another requirement for working on the
Detroit Arsenal campus.
We looked at the existing campus
structure, which was largely durable, precast
buildings, said Scott Bonney, AIA, LEED AP,
associate, Neumann/Smith Architecture.
Our challenge was to create a handsome,
but also formal, building. It is the tallest
building on the campus, and probably will
be for a long time, so we thought that it was
important to have a very formal quality.
Some might believe the precast concrete
would limit design options, but not after
seeing the Detroit Arsenal Administrative
Building. Inspired by the neo-classical
buildings of Americas past, particularly the
pre-war high-rises of New York, the stately
edifice has a commanding presence.
Appreciation for the existing structures on the campus also influenced
Bonney, who described them as honest because they express what they
do.
The Administrative Building speaks to its purpose with unassuming
formality. Though the structure towers above nearby buildings, its size
highlighted by prominent vertical elements, including an extended
centerline pier, which Bonney calls the blade, which draws the eye upward
and emphasizes the height of the building. To keep the walls from becoming
bland expanses, the project team highlighted aggregates and the natural
beauty of the precast with different colors and finishes, including acid
washing and sandblasting.
The project team never would have been able to achieve this distinctive
look, much less complete the project, without making and meeting
ambitious goals.
SETTING GOALS
The Detroit Arsenal Administration Building project team worked towards
many goals, with success being measured in a variety of ways. One
benchmark was provided by the USGBC, as the project has achieved Gold-
Level Certification under the LEED rating system.
In addition to meeting our mission objectives, we wanted to be able to
show that we were good environmental stewards while providing for
employee well-being, said Ball. I believe we accomplished that.
Recycled materials, particularly concrete and steel, played a key role in
meeting Green goals. Interior finishes were scrutinized for recycled content,
low-VOC emissions, durability, local availability and ease of maintenance.
Stringent measures were also taken to improve air quality inside the
The height of the Administration Building is emphasized by
prominent vertical elements, including the blade at the
center. Precast includes different colors and finishes to keep
the walls from becoming bland expanses.
building. Ducts were shipped to the site with their
ends shrink-wrapped to prevent contamination
and the buildings air systems were flushed with
fresh air for several weeks when construction was
complete. Smoking was not allowed in the
building during construction and this prohibition
continued after occupancy.
Construction activities also received scrutiny
from a sustainability standpoint. The
environmental cost of shipping was reduced by
obtaining over 40 percent of all materials from
local sources, earning a LEED innovation credit.
Site waste was also reduced through the use of
pre-fabricated components including precast
concrete and structural steel. Nearly 90 percent of
all construction waste was recycled.
The buildings thin profile places most interior
spaces within a few feet of exterior windows,
allowing for daylight and outdoor views in 75
percent of the regularly occupied spaces. Thick
walls, continuous spray foam insulation and air
tight construction combine to form an efficient
building envelope that contributes to
sustainability, but this benefit could be measured
in a number of ways. Working to match Army
Green, in addition to the LEED standard, served as
a challenge to the project team but also resulted
in better performance for the structure.
Aside from LEED, the [Army] Corps of
Engineers has a pretty difficult requirement to
meet, said VanAntwerp. Mechanical systems
need to be 30 percent more efficient that the
ASHRAE standard. We needed to balance the
LEED requirements with the Corps of Engineers
requirements, which took a lot of planning and
thought.
To meet the Corps of Engineers standard, the
project team pressurized the building to check for
air leakage. The total building envelope could not
have leakage greater than .25 cfm per-square-
foot. A representative sample area of the building
was tested early to identify problem areas before
drywall and other building elements were
installed. The final test was completed as the
building finishes neared completion, and far
exceeded the project requirements, with a total
measured leakage of 0.16 cfm per-square-foot.
The project team is investigating the possibility of
receiving a LEED innovation credit for
undertaking this thorough commissioning
process.
Many project goals were defined by LEED, but
acronyms are common in the military, so another
set of objectives was outlined by the 2005 BRAC.
Projects that were launched as a result of 2005
BRAC actions were required to be complete by
September 15, 2011. The Administration Building
and Parking Structure beat that goal by more than
half-a-year. The success of the project is
undeniable when the speed of the work is
factored in with the final cost that was $34 million
under the original budget.
Efficiencies that we built into the project were a
part of the reason for that success, said Bonney.
The Parking Structure was very efficient and it
could be erected quite quickly. The Parking
Structure started after the Administration
Building, but it was finished before it.
Precast construction played a crucial role in
both structures. Approximately 320 pieces were
used for the Administration Building, with 1,300
pieces finding their way into the parking
structure. These pieces weighed from 45,000 to
65,000 pounds, so fabrication, transportation and
erection each required careful consideration.
International Precast Solutions, LLC, River Rouge,
joined the team during the early phases of the
project to provide assistance in working through
these issues.
When we started on the project, the drawings
were very preliminary, said Nick Lemmo, project
manager for International Precast. For the first
four to six months, we went through a design
assist process with the architect and the engineer.
We sorted out the details, panel size, connections
and overall geometry of the structure.
Lemmo waited until at least 70 percent of the
pieces were complete before shipping them to
the jobsite. Once shipments began, a smooth
erection process followed because precast pieces
were readily available. Panels were installed
quickly and efficiently, even though security
requirements mandated panel connections that
far exceeded typical construction. In addition to
the precast contractor, the entire team worked
together to keep the project humming along.
WORKING TOGETHER
The project team that created the Detroit
Arsenal Administration Building and Parking
Structure set some very ambitious goals, all of
which were met. This would not have been
possible unless the entire team was unified in
their efforts and commitment.
The partnering process played a big part in
that, said Karen Carnago, PE, LEED AP, DPW
construction team leader for U.S. Army Garrison-
Detroit Arsenal. We also had really good people
from each partner organization, which was
extremely beneficial for the project.
Partnering fits in well with the Armys focus on
streamlining the construction process through a
process called the Military Construction (MILCON)
Transformation. MILCON gives project teams the
freedom to adopt good private sector practices
for use on military jobs. Specifically, they can
override standard government specifications and
use the same specifications that are used on non-
government jobs. MILCON simplifies scheduling,
improves quality and lowers costs by creating
more options. In spite of this, undertaking an
Army project can be a daunting proposition for
the uninitiated.
This was our first [Army] Corps [of Engineers]
project, so one of the challenges for us was
working within the Corps system, said
VanAntwerp. We had some freedom to use our
standard specs and design ideas, but we had to
balance that with the governments RFP
requirements, the UFC [Unified Facilities Criteria]
requirements and the DPW standards. We had to
balance four or five design criteria with any given
design element and we had to get that done in a
very short amount of time.
Since everyone on the team was a partner in the
process, the Army had a vested interest in helping
Granger Construction Company navigate through
these uncharted waters. VanAntwerp credits an
open line of communication between all parties as
a key element in the success of the project.
Interior finishes were scrutinized for recycled content, low-VOC emissions, durability, local
availability and ease of maintenance.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) was another
tool that was used to make sure that everyone fully
understood what needed to be done.
A large mechanical penthouse provides
mechanical service for every floor of the
Administration Building. The buildings long, thin
profile left little room for ducts and other
infrastructure. BIM provided the information that
was needed fit all of the necessary systems into
tight ceiling spaces.
I remember coming out to the project one day
and seeing a main duct that suddenly went up
and then came back down, said Bonney. I
thought somebody messed up, but on the next
visit, there was something else running
underneath the duct. When they put in the main
duct, they knew that they needed to bypass
something that wasnt even there yet.
BIM eliminates the need for guesswork from
subcontractors. It is also often easier to
implement that they realize
Most of the major subcontractors are using
three-dimensional software for their shop
drawings anyway, said VanAntwerp. Whether it
is a BIM project or not, they will detail things in
their shops [three dimensionally]. Taking the next
step and coordinating with designers is really
becoming second nature.
In addition to coordinating their efforts
through BIM, the project team worked together to
achieve another important distinction for this
project.
Safety was exceptional on a job of this
magnitude, said McNally. Safety was a focus of
ours going into a project of this size and Granger
did an excellent job of planning their activities.
The end result of this planning was over
252,000 man-hours worked without a single
recordable incident or time loss accident. Every
person who set foot on the jobsite contributed to
this accomplishment and can take justifiable
pride in it. They can also enjoy the satisfaction of
knowing that they created a facility that meets
the complex and changing needs of the Army.
Mission Support
The Detroit Arsenal Administration Building
and Parking Structure project was completed in a
very short time period, but this quick pace is not
reflected in the finished product. The
workmanship is superb and the facility meets a
variety of needs in innovative ways.
The Administration Building is designed
around a central core with four elevators,
including a freight elevator with its own lobby
adjacent to the receiving area. Vertical circulation,
central toilet rooms and support spaces are also
grouped in the core area. The core serves as the
buildings backbone by carrying much of the
structural load, which allowed for column free
open office areas along the perimeter. This
arrangement allows for easy reconfiguration of
office spaces to accommodate future needs. The
placement of the building, itself, was another
important consideration.
The efficiency of the building and they way
that it connected to other facilities was important
to the design, said Bonney. They [the Army]
wanted to maintain a pedestrian walkway
through the building so people could park in the
Parking Structure and use the building as a
passage during inclement weather.
A fire separation vestibule separates the
Administration Building from Building 229, an
existing administrative building to which it is
attached. The first floor of the Administration
Building features a long corridor that is outfitted
with durable finishes to accommodate high traffic
as workers make their way to workstations in either
building. No matter what the weather is like, these
administrative soldiers will have little trouble
keeping their powder, or toner cartridges, dry.
Upper floors of the Administration Building
feature nearly identical floorplans, with a slight
exception on the top floor to accommodate
management offices. Each floor features the same
warm color palate that was actually selected to
complement Army uniform colors, but every floor
The buildings thin profile places most interior spaces, including these office cubicles, within a
few feet of exterior windows.
is also accented with a different bold color to
provide a unique identity and assist with
wayfinding. No detail was small enough to avoid
scrutiny from the experienced Neumann/Smith
team.
We looked at furniture and work station sizes
early on and we actually designed the structural
grid to match, so we wouldnt provide corridors
that were too wide or two narrow, said Bonney.
We got a very efficient layout that way.
Building a facility that contributes to the safety
and defense of our great nation also spurred the
team into working efficiently by creating an
infectious feeling of pride. Granger Construction
took advantage of this to mold the many
companies that worked on this job into a cohesive
whole.
I know that the contractor went a long way to
promote team bonding, said Bonney. That built
a lot of team spirit and ownership for this project.
Ive never seen so many contractors who seemed
so proud of what they were doing.
Thanks to their efforts, the Army team deployed
at the Detroit Arsenal will be able to serve a
grateful nation with honor for many years to
come.
Ri chard G. Davi s, Presi dent
COMMERCIAL / INDUSTRIAL
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R
especting your elders takes on a whole new meaning at Marycrest
Heights in Livonia. Octagon-shaped living rooms flooded with
daylight and filled with leafy views of nearby trees along with the
occasional deer are among the pleasures of living in this 60-unit, senior
housing community designed by Edmund London & Associates, Inc.,
Southfield, and built by Damone Construction, Troy. In winter, a snow and ice
melt system in the ramp of the buildings underground parking garage and a
cozy fireplace in the library welcomes each resident home.
But in construction, what ends in comfort often begins in mud and foul
weather. A little over a year ago, Gordon Hilgendorf, Damone project
superintendent, was knee-deep in rain-soaked soil intent on helping to lay
out the concrete footings for this 106,440-square-foot building. Contractors
supply the world with amenities, but enjoy very few while mobilizing the
amazing array of manpower, machinery and materials that is a jobsite. Is
there even such a thing as a luxury, or even a heated, port-a-john?
With Damone as general contractor and Titanus Cement Wall Company,
Novi, as concrete subcontractor, the construction team poured the concrete
foundations in May 2010, working in between downpours that brought a
near-record 7.5 inches of rain to southeastern Michigan. Despite the rain,
working on a narrow sliver of a site directly adjacent to an operating skilled
nursing facility and placing a foundation with innumerable jogs in and out
along the buildings 450-foot length, Titanus delivered east-end foundations
only 1/8-of-an-inch from tolerance with the first-level precast floor.
Achieving this level of precision led the precast contractor to state, Weve
never had a building come in this close, said Hilgendorf. An eighth of an
inch is incredible and virtually unheard of. The middle was only out because
buildings are never perfect a quarter of an inch, and the west end was also
only a quarter inch off. We felt we had a good foundation.
By Mary E. Kremposky Photos by Christopher Lark,
Associate Editor Lark Photography
Respecting Your Elders
AT MARYCREST HEI GHTS
A SOLID FOUNDATION IN SENIOR HOUSING
Beyond actual building foundations, both
Damone and Edmund London have built a solid
foundation in the senior housing arena. As a
specialist in senior facilities in business for over 50
years, Edmund London is a wise elder in the
elder-care housing market. Damone Construction
is part of The Damone Group, LLC, a family-owned
and operated full-service real estate and
construction company that specializes in the
development and construction of quality senior
housing communities.
With roots in the development, construction,
management, operation and leasing of industrial
and office space in fact, Damone has owned and
developed about 2 million to 3 million square feet
of space in both building types The Damone
Group migrated into the senior housing market in
the 1990s prompted by demographics and by the
business vision of Michael J. Damone, the son of
Michael G. Damone, chairman, and president of
The Damone Group.
The Damone Group was even one of the early
developers of assisted living facilities in the 1990s
and is now on the cutting-edge of new concepts
in senior housing. We were one of the groups
working in assisted living in its infancy, said
Michael G. Damone. Initially when you went to
somebody to finance an assisted living facility,
there just wasnt any model. We were able to work
on having assisted living recognized as a separate
component of senior care.
In the first development wave alone, The
Damone Group, working with Alterra Senior
Living, was involved in the development and
financing of over 100 assisted living buildings
across the country, including memory care, said
Robinson E. Zamorano, Damone vice president of
construction. Added Damone, We provided
financing and raised equity for these facilities, and
we built them. We then began working with
another nonprofit and began to use various forms
of governmental financing.
The market absorbed much of the demand by
about 2000. Now in late 2008 and 2009, another
boom in assisted living is starting to generate a
need for more buildings, said Zamorano. The
Damone Group recently created Cranbrook Senior
Living to invest in assisted living facilities,
including one in Greenwood Village near Denver
and another in the Orange County, CA city of
Tustin. Currently, Cranbrook is developing a new
Two levels of windows draw in natural light and the peace of green leaves into this large bay
within Marycrest Heights community/dining room.
facility called The Woodward of Bloomfield Hills.
Beyond assisted living, The Damone Group
continues to push the envelope with the
construction of the first Green House in
Michigan for another client. Considered by some
to be the next wave in nursing home care, each
Green House resembles a single-family home, and
contains only about 10 private units with
common spaces, said Zamorano. We built the
first Green House in Michigan three or four years
ago, he added. They were only the second ones
in the nation to be constructed. It is a very
pioneering concept.
In another transformation in senior housing,
Marycrest Heights will be part of a continuum of
care campus, offering what is called aging in
place. Under this concept, a single campus offers
diverse types of care, ranging from care-free and
assisted living to skilled nursing facilities. As one
advantage, either the husband or wife may need
more services at some point, but the spouse can
still be there and living in the same campus or
complex, said Zamorano.
The care-free senior housing community called
Marycrest Heights, a Christian senior community
controlled by the Marycrest Manor board of
directors, already shares the Livonia campus along
Middlebelt Road with Marycrest Manor, a skilled
nursing and rehabilitation facility in operation
since 1962 under the sponsorship of the
Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph. Once financing is
in place, an 18-unit assisted living facility will be
constructed as the remaining component of
Marycrests continuum of care campus, said Ron
Spear, owner representative, of R W S
Development, LLC, Waterford, WI. Renovation of its
existing skilled nursing facility may take place in
the future.
A SELECT TEAM
With a vision for a continuum of care campus in
mind, Marycrests Board of Directors elected to
develop this vacant 9-acre parcel of land in 2007.
Charles Gutowski, the now retired Board president
and once a developer of skilled nursing facilities,
enlisted Edmund London & Associates as architect
based on the firms extensive work for Gutkowski
in the past. Spear became acquainted with
Damone Construction after touring Damones
cluster of senior housing projects in Livonia.
Spear witnessed Damone in action on a senior
housing project only a few blocks from the site.
He was impressed with Hilgendorf who served as
superintendent for virtually all of Damones
Livonia projects. He was somebody that I felt had
a good level of communication with the owners,
said Spear. Because in my opinion that could
make or break a property.
Spear was impressed with the entire Damone
organization and its experience with HUD
financing. Our organization is well known at the
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
level and at the HUD level, said Damone. What
we also bring to the table is our relationships with
these various public agencies with whom we
know how to do business.
Marycrest Heights is funded under HUDs 231
program. Section 231 is a sub section of HUD
insured financing, said Lisa Burkeen, vice
president of Berkadia, the lender for the project.
HUD does not directly provide the money, rather
the loan is FHA insured. When the lender provides
funds, they obtain their money by selling Ginnie
Maes on the open market. Basically, Section 231
was one of the programs that enabled us to do
senior housing.
In addition to financing expertise and a past
relationship with Berkadia, Damone also brought
to the table expertise in working with Davis-
Bacon Prevailing Wage requirements. One of the
people on our team is actually a consultant to
local counties in the Prevailing Wage arena, said
Zamorano. When the stimulus or ARRA money
was given to cities and counties in Michigan for
retrofit and improvement projects, it came with a
caveat that all the work needed to be done under
Prevailing Wage regulations, but many of the
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counties did not have the people on board to
actually be able to review and audit their
participation in Davis-Bacon.
As part of the team, Labor Compliance Services,
LLC, a Troy-based firm owned and operated by
Anna Kessler, provided specialized guidance in
Davis-Bacon compliance. The firm offers
Webinar/Web-based training, on-site certified
payroll assistance/audits, certified payroll review
and other services. Damone even used a software
program called LCP Tracker that manages Davis-
Bacon compliance online. Because all the data is
maintained in these databases, we can also give
the Department of Labor a password that enables
the department to conduct audits electronically,
added Damone.
Damone also is one of the very few general
contractors using a Web-based invoicing program
called Textura. With this system, subcontractors
do all the invoicing and draws online, as well as
obtaining transfers and waivers electronically,
said Zamorano. Essentially, they get paid
electronically like online banking. A
subcontractor with a password views the project
online, submits a draw, and we can approve a
draw or change it electronically.
TRIMMING COSTS
Damone brought its diverse expertise to the
project in 2008, working with the architect in the
very early stages of the project. Without
sacrificing the design intent, we worked with
Damone to come within budget, said Terry Clark,
London project architect.
Damone also brought the MEP trades on board
in the design phase, allowing each trade to work
its magic. Rollinger Electric, Walled Lake, is very
good at getting us alternate light fixtures that are
less expensive, but look as attractive as more
expensive fixtures, said Richard Cossettini, a
Damone senior project manager who has turned
over about 20 senior housing facilities and 75 to
100 other buildings over the course of his career.
Also, we are very energy conscious, so we use a
great deal of compact fluorescent fixtures. The
more money we can save the owner on his
ultimate utility costs the more viable the project.
Value engineering of mechanical systems also
yielded savings. Instead of a rooftop mechanical
unit, Damone was able to get the same
performance out of hooking two high-efficiency
furnaces together, said Hilgendorf. We did this in
two different spaces in the common areas, which
saved costs both in terms of equipment and for
maintenance. Under this arrangement, the
owners own facilities personnel could perform
maintenance on these units.
These savings and more throughout a project
with $7 million in construction costs yielded
sufficient funds to install a backup generator and
the snow and ice melting system for the garage
ramp. We have no contingency funds in this
financing package, said Spear. Damone has
been willing to share savings for items we were
running a little short on. It is a tribute to Damone.
They really did a great job. Its a great team.
Damone tweaked the project in other ways to
service its client. What I enjoy in this relationship
is the fact that Damone is very transparent and
open, added Spear. They catch things before
they become change order issues. One of
Damones earliest catches was convincing the
project team of the feasibility of switching from
lift station pumps to a gravity-based sanitary
sewer system.
A CONTINUUM OF CARE
As a more intangible owner and resident
service, Damone saved a towering Douglas fir tree
and a Maple sapling fronting Middlebelt Road.
Before one shovel of dirt is removed, Cossettini
often surveys the site and determines if any tree
slated for removal can be saved from the blade. I
am sometimes accused of being a tree hugger,
said Cossettini, but I like to evaluate which trees
actually have to go.
This perfectly shaped conifer stood almost in
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the direct path of the sanitary lines. It was within
six feet of the trunk, which would have killed it,
said Cossettini. We rerouted the sanitary lines to
the south. Of course, putting in more pipe and
utility structures costs money, but we didnt ask
the owner to reimburse us. It was Mr. Damone
who had the final say. Added Spear, Michael
Damone has generously done some things we
didnt expect. Even though it cost him some
money to do it, he felt strongly about having that
tree as an aesthetic landscape feature.
Saving the trees makes the life of residents
more enjoyable and the property more attractive.
From saving a tree to long-term maintenance
issues, The Damone Groups background as owner,
developer and manager allows the company to
view a project from different perspectives even
when acting solely as the general contractor. In a
sense, Damone offered Marycrest an entire
continuum of care throughout the project. We
can wear many different hats, said Zamorano.
BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR
Wearing its general contractors hardhat,
Damone worked on a pencil-thin site directly
adjacent to Marycrests 24/7 skilled nursing
facility and its small parking lot, exclusively
reserved for staff, visitors and students attending
teaching sessions. Some material deliveries were
routed toward the future fire road along the sites
northern perimeter, while a parking agreement
for trade contractors was secured with Marycrests
skilled nursing neighbor to the north.
For Damone, part of constructing a building is
cultivating relationships, as shown by its ability to
secure a high-level of cooperation from its
neighbors. As a good neighbor, they allowed us
to park, said Cossettini. Yesterday, I sent a truck
over and had their parking lot cleaned.
The same approach is used in working with
area residents. We are right in the middle of a
neighborhood with homes a few hundred feet to
the west, continued Cossettini. We have
meetings with the neighbors to make sure they
are apprised of how the construction is going to
proceed and what to expect. We are used to
working in such spaces. In fact, weve put
additions on operating nursing homes and
assisted living facilities while they were
occupied.
Damone even found room on this congested
site to stockpile an immense mound of dirt
excavated from the underground parking garage.
On this balanced site, all of the excavated spoils
will be reused rather than removed offsite as
another cost-saving measure.
DAMONE VS. H2O
Damone began its big dig in the east end of a
building divided into three sections: a central
commons area flanked by east and west
residential units. Because it is such a large
building, we were placing foundations in one
section even as we were digging in another, said
Hilgendorf. With limited room on the northern
perimeter, Damone used a large concrete pump
truck to be able to pour across the entire north-
south expanse of the excavation.
Along with a tight site, heavy rains added
another measure of difficulty to the project. We
were always fighting water, recalled Hilgendorf.
We were continually pumping water to get the
foundations in place. Despite heavy rains, an
amazing level of precision was achieved in placing
the foundations to meet the 12-inch precast floor
with a two-inch concrete topping. The heights of
the concrete foundation walls were right on the
money, too, added Hilgendorf.
Beyond heavy rains, a high water table limited
the underground parking garage to a depth of 11
feet below grade, said Clark, Edmund London &
Associates. Plumbing and other infrastructure
could not be placed below the beams. We had to
put sleeves in the beams to get our plumbing
through, said Hilgendorf. Damone also had to
core through the 14-inches of precast and
topping to install the plumbing on the first floor.
The layout and installation had to be right on,
said Hilgendorf.
A MEDLEY OF ROOFS
Above grade, the three-story building is framed
in wood stud walls and wood floor and roof
trusses, said Clark. Damone also had to construct
shear walls of structural plywood sheathing to
accommodate a building of this size. Shear walls
give the building rigidity and strength from lateral
wind loads and other forces, said Hilgendorf.
The shear walls go all the way down to the first
floor and are anchored down into the precast.
The roof of this wood-framed building is a
medley of roofing materials and forms. We have
every kind of roof you can think of, except wood
shakes, said Cossettini. Asphalt shingles blanket
the sloped roof sections and the procession of
gables lining the entire length of the building.
Sections of flat roof feature single rubber
membrane roofing, while standing seam metal
roofs blanket the porte-cochere and the turrets
marking the building corners and building
entrances.
The overall roof form is a series of truncated
triangles with only the slopes visible from street
level. Beneath the flat roofs is a high expanse of
intricate wood trusses. There is another 30 feet of
truss space in those areas, said Cossettini.
Typically, a building might have eight or nine
feet. Its a difficult engineering feat for the truss
manufacturer. The work also took a good quality
carpenter and framer (Kirkco, Inc., Dundee) to be
able to accommodate this level of engineering.
The brutally cold weather that hit the metro
Detroit area shortly after Thanksgiving 2010
impacted the installation of the rubber
membrane roof. With few days fitting the
required installation temperature of 40 degrees
Fahrenheit, Damone temped off the west end of
the building with waterproof tarps and actually
installed furnaces and drywall during the cold
winter. We excavated and placed foundations
from east to west, but we then started exterior
finishes at the back or west end of the site and
worked our way out, said Hilgendorf.
WELCOME HOME
With cheerful yellow siding and brick with
accent bands of split-face block, Marycrest
Heights turns a building into a home by using the
vocabulary of commonly used residential
materials and forms. The facility was designed
with a residential scale using maintenance-free
A restful sleep is assured, thanks to the sound insulation, installed not only between the
corridor and the unit, but also within the internal walls of each residence.
materials such as brick, vinyl siding, asphalt
shingles, and some standing seam metal roofing,
said Jordon London, AIA, president of Edmund
London & Associates.
Beyond its three main segments, the sheer mass
of this elongated structure is broken down by a
procession of gable roof projections and recessed
areas, while decorative, octagonal turrets mark
each building corner, as well as the main and back
entrances. With its gables, turrets and recesses,
what could have been a bland rectangle comes to
life almost as a series of quaint townhouses.
Once complete, landscaping will add to the
comfortable feel of this new residential complex.
The site is beautifully landscaped and includes
walking paths and bio-swales all surrounded by
the existing tree line along the edges of the site,
said London.
AN INDOOR NEIGHBORHOOD
The neighborhood within this new care-free
senior housing complex offers safe, pleasant
surroundings with a wide array of services. The
foyer welcomes the resident with a double ceiling,
the first one of glass drawing in more daylight and
creating a sense of space. The entry segues into a
two-story lobby spanned by a balcony/bridge
overlooking the lobby on one side and a
community/dining room on the other. Decorative
sconces, the balconys oak railing, and the lobbys
oak stairwell are an appealing introduction to this
senior housing community, while a security kiosk
transfers both the voice and image of a visitor to a
residents phone and television.
The two-story community/dining room
features large bay windows overlooking a broad
patio and a walkway skirting the trees of its next-
door neighbor. This senior-friendly facility
includes several activity and social spaces for the
residents to enjoy, including the community
room, TV lounge, an exercise room and a library,
along with conveniences such as a beauty/barber
shop and banking, all providing a warm, home-
like environment for the residents, said London.
Community spaces also include a private dining
or multi-purpose room for larger gatherings of
family and friends, added Spear.
Residential spaces include three barrier-free
units, B units on the third floor have 9-foot
cathedral or vaulted ceilings, and C units enjoy the
octagon-shaped living rooms housed in the
buildings corner turrets. All units have two
bedrooms and two ceramic tile bathrooms, both
on opposing sides of the main living space, as well
as kitchen and dining areas and stackable washer
and dryers.
Temperature and sound control add to the
comfort of each residential space. It is a Magic Pak
system with the heat and the air conditioning
built into the unit itself, said Clark. There is a
central system for the building and the basement
area, but each unit has its own individual system
that is just like a typical furnace in some respects.
Sound insulation is installed not only between the
corridor and the unit, but also within the internal
walls of each residence. The units will be very
quiet and calming, said Cossettini.
From assigned underground parking heated
to a constant temperature of about 50 degrees F -
to a chandelier and an oak-stained package shelf
directly outside each residents door, Marycrest is
a welcoming place anyone would be glad to call
home. Covered patios with a pleasant view of
surrounding neighborhoods and adjacent
properties edged in trees complete the appeal of
daily life at Marycrest. As a last welcome feature,
Marycrest has erased the entrance fee, another
emerging trend in senior housing facilities. With
folks struggling to sell their homes, this seems to
be much more attractive, said Spear. Using its
collective expertise to create this safe,
comfortable and appealing senior housing
community, the Marycrest board, Edmund London
& Associates and Damone Construction have
planned this development down to the very last
detail and are now ready to turn over the keys and
welcome new residents to their new home.
F
ew career fields have been influenced as much by a single person as
nursing has been by Florence Nightingale. Though her most significant
contributions came during the Crimean War of the 1850s, her
achievements are still heralded today with modern nurses taking the
Nightingale Pledge and celebrating International Nurses Day on her
birthday. Her legacy can also be seen in the new Health and Human Services
Building at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), a facility that actually
houses five departments for the Crystal M. Lange College of Health and
Human Services: Nursing, Kinesiology, Occupational Therapy, Health
Sciences and Social Work.
Project Team with the Lamp
By David R. Miller, Photography by Christopher Lark,
Associate Editor Lark Photography
Nightingale earned the nickname Lady with
the Lamp by diligently checking on patients
during nighttime hours, while her careful
attention to sanitation transformed standard
medical procedures. The Health and Human
Services Building project team, led by
construction manager Spence Brothers, Saginaw,
and architect TMP Architecture, Inc., Bloomfield
Hills, similarly brought enlightened thinking to
bear on longstanding construction and design
practices into the light in the hopes of delivering
a facility that would prepare a new generation of
dedicated healthcare specialists.
Mixing Meds
Before the construction of the new building,
future medical professionals studied in a variety
of buildings on the SVSU campus. Laboratory
spaces were very small and there were few
opportunities for departments to work together.
There was really no communication between
departments, said Paul Ballard, Ed. D, A.T.C.,
interim assistant dean, College of Health and
Human Services for SVSU. Department chairs
would get together, of course, but we had faculty
in all these different buildings and they never
really communicated with each other, even
though they were part of the same college. In
fact, they didnt even know who was in some of
the other departments.
Putting all the departments together gives
students an opportunity to learn how other
specialists can complement their own efforts, just
as they will in real healthcare settings.
Experienced faculty members can likewise
develop simulations and other exercises where
students focus their combined expertise and
talents toward a common goal. Faculty members
often congregate in a specially designed open
area outside their offices, but few spaces illustrate
SVSUs commitment to collaborative learning
more clearly than the Case Study Suite. This space
provides a unique environment in which students
studying various medical disciplines can work
together, but the best way to create the space was
not always apparent.
The Case Study Suite was difficult because no
one truly understood what it was or what it would
entail, said Bill Frederick, AIA, principal and
project manager for TMP Architecture.
Simply put, social work and nursing instructors
were not accustomed to working together, so
neither group had a firm understanding of what
they could accomplish together. Kinesiology,
Occupational Therapy, and Health Sciences
Department faculties also had ideas for how their
own individual spaces should function, but the
departments needed to combine their expertise
to develop the Case Study Suite. The Case Study
Suite is comprised of five meeting areas that are
clustered around a central Observation Room.
The Observation Room and meeting rooms are
linked with built-in microphones and interior
windows to accommodate a variety of activities.
Students can observe demonstrations that are
taking place in the Observation Room while
simultaneously putting their own skills to the test
in the meeting rooms, all under the watchful eye
of an instructor. Instructional clinics can also be
offered to meet community needs while possibly
providing real-world experience to SVSU
students. Hospital beds and medical equipment
can easily be added to, or removed from, the Case
Study Suite, as the specific needs of all five Health
and Human Services departments were
considered in its design.
Spaces used by individual Health and Human
Services departments are also a vast
improvement over existing facilities. Before the
new facility was constructed, students had access
to simulation mannequins that could mimic a
variety of reactions and even speak, although the
person who was operating the simulator provided
the mannequins voice. In the old facility, this
person was positioned in the same room behind a
curtain. The new facility features an adjacent
control room that is linked to the simulation room
by underfloor data cabling. Operators can control
the speech and physiological responses of the
mannequin from the control room, thereby
creating a much more realistic simulation.
Students in the simulation room use functional
medical equipment to treat the mannequin, while
three built-in cameras record their actions at
every angle. A separate debriefing room provides
a suitable environment in which students and
instructors can review simulation footage in
detail.
All classrooms in the new facility offer outside
The Health and Human Services Building features two Nursing Practice Labs that are modeled
off of hospital designs with beds grouped around a central nursing station.
views and are equipped with
smart podiums to facilitate various
presentation styles, but the Health
and Human Services Building also
houses the most technologically
advanced classroom at SVSU,
according to Ballard. This unique
learning environment is equipped
with four cameras and two large
screens to allow close-up views of
what an instructor is working on, no
matter where a student is sitting in
the classroom. This classroom is also
wired for distance learning and
students outside the buildings walls
can follow the instructors every
move thanks to a motion-tracking
camera.
The Health and Human Services
Building features two Nursing
Practice Labs that are modeled off
of hospital designs with beds
grouped around a central nursing
station. One lab is used for
instruction, while the second is
strictly reserved for practicing skills.
Other unique learning
environments in the Health and
Human Services Building include
the Human Performance Lab,
Occupational Therapy/Orthopedic
Lab, and an apartment space with
working appliances where students
can practice teaching basic living
skills to patients who may have
diminished abilities due to injury or
illness. All spaces were designed
with sustainability in mind.
CODE GREEN
Sustainability was an important
consideration for the Health and
Human Services Building. State
funding for the project came with a mandate to at
least achieve certification under USGBCs LEED
rating system, but the project team surpassed this
requirement, as the facility is currently on track to
achieve Silver-Level certification. In addition to
making the building eligible for state funding,
LEED also fits in well with SVSUs facility goals.
Most of the LEED requirements that relate to
energy conservation and how people use the
building just make good sense, said Stephen
Hocquard, NCARB, assistant vice president of
campus facilities for SVSU.
No matter how good of an idea LEED is, its
benefits can only be realized if contractors
understand what is required of them. This
knowledge can only come from experience.
Implementing LEED in this area is still a
challenge, said Brian Keeler, LEED AP, project
manager for Spence Brothers. There are some
parts of the state where subcontractors and
suppliers are more up to speed on what is
required, but it is still fairly new here.
In most cases, Keeler simply had to direct
subcontractors to the ample information that is
readily available on the Internet. Once they had
the proper forms in their hands, LEED documen-
tation was often as simple as filling them out
correctly, a process with which Keeler was more
than willing to help.
I think LEED scares people more than it
should, said Keeler. The portion that deals with
subs is such a small part of the big picture. Its not
that difficult on their end if they take the time to
understand what they are supposed to do.
Once the LEED documentation was out of the
way, subcontractors were free to do what they do
best showcase their skills with exemplary
workmanship. Their craftsmanship is bathed in
brilliant natural light at the Health and Human
Services Building; as the facility was designed to
provide energy savings by maximizing
daylighting. Shading devices and low-e insulated
glass are used to minimize thermal gains that
could offset the buildings cooling system during
warmer weather.
Other green touches include a nearby
photovoltaic array that will produce up to 50,000
kilowatt-hours annually. Materials with recycled
content were used wherever possible and
regional manufacturers were used when
appropriate to reduce the environ-
mental impact of transportation. A
construction waste management
plan utilized during construction
allowed for the recycling of 12 tons
of scrap steel, 10 tons of cardboard
and 532 tons of concrete. Water
quality was also given careful
consideration with three swales that
detain and filter stormwater before
discharging it into the local storm
sewer system and the use of
indigenous plants that reduce the
need for irrigation for landscaping.
Many of these sustainable features
are within plain sight at the Health
and Human Services Building, but
the most unique green aspect is
largely hidden.
HOT WATER BOTTLE
Medical professionals, like
many other workers, are often
confronted with wildly inaccurate
stereotypes about their
occupations. In spite of their vital
diagnostic and clinical duties, which
require a great deal of specialized
training and skill, nurses are
sometimes seen as gofers who do
little more than pass out medication
or retrieve items to make patients
comfortable. If nursing students are
asked to bring a hot water bottle to
someone in the Health and Human
Services Building, at least they will
not need to look very far. One is
built all around them in the form of
an innovative aquathermal system.
The aquathermal system
was placed in existing six-acre lakes
near the Universitys main entrance.
Heat exchangers were floated onto
the lakes and sunk to the bottom, where they
exchange energy in the winter and reject heat
from the building in the summer. A total of 28
skids, each with 14 coils, were sunk. Each coil
provides one ton of cooling capacity, providing a
total capacity of 392 tons for the system. The
aquathermal system had tremendous potential
for SVSU, but contractors would need to think
creatively to bring the concept to fruition.
We had a perfect pattern on the drawings, but
the fear that I had was in getting them to lay flat
after we sank them, admitted Keeler.
The project team ensured proper placement by
simply creating a grid pattern above the surface
of the water with ropes that were secured
onshore. The systems underwater coils provide all
the benefits of a traditional geothermal system
with one added advantage.
If we were to put them underground or under
a parking lot, we would need to excavate if there
was a leak, said Wayne Kerbelis, principal for Peter
Basso Associates, Inc., Troy. If we have a leak here,
well see a pressure drop. We can isolate that loop,
bring it to the surface to repair it and drop it back
down, which is much easier than working
Students studying many different specialties can be seen in the
hallways of the Health and Human Services Building. The facility was
designed to help them all learn to work together.
underground.
The lake is also protected in the event of a leak
with DOWFROST SR1, donated by the Dow
Chemical Company for use as a fluid in the
aquathermal system. Its primary ingredient
propylene glycol is an FDA-approved food
additive, so it poses minimal risks to people and
wildlife.
Another benefit of the aquathermal design is a
water-to-water heat pump system that utilizes
only seven heat pumps as opposed to a
distributed heat pump system where each
controlled space would have its own heat pump.
Up to 100 heat pumps could have been required
with a distributed system, so the water-to-water
heat pump design greatly simplifies system
maintenance.
One potential downside to the aquathermal
system is that it can only heat water to 120-130 F,
while conventional systems heat water to 180-
200 F. Clever planning
turned this into an
advantage with an
underfloor heat system
that works well with lower
temperatures. PEX tubing
runs around the perimeter
of the building to negate
the gradient cooling often
found near exterior walls
and windows, though the
installation required
careful coordination, as the
position of each floor
penetration needed to be
checked against the
position of the tubing. The
water temperature was
also ideal for a snowmelt
system that keeps
walkways near the
building clear in the
wintertime.
In fact, the system is so
efficient that there was
some concern that it might
work a little too well. Water
towards the bottom of the
lake maintains a
temperature of around 45
F in the winter, but this changes when the lake is
about to freeze over.
Before the lake freezes, the water turns over, so
the surface temperature and the bottom
temperature are the same, explained Kerbelis.
Even though we had glycol in the coils that were
in the lake, we were concerned about ice building
up on the outside of the coils, which would lift
them to the surface.
During the first winter, operators were careful
not to push cold glycol too far into the lake. No
evidence of ice on the skids was detected during
this period and the performance data is being
used to develop safe operating thresholds that
will guide future operations. Much like the
operation of the aquathermal system, the
building project itself was guided by meticulous
planning.
HEALTHCARE PLANNING
Getting the most use out of the Health and
Human Services Building while saving money
where possible emerged as an early project goal.
The recently completed Regional Education
Building next door played a vital role. The two
buildings share an exit stairwell, faculty lounge,
auditorium, food service and catering spaces and
one science lab, all of which eliminated the need
to replicate these spaces within the Health and
Human Services Building.
The mechanical systems of both buildings are
also tied together. Excess chilled water provided
by the aquathermal system can be used to reduce
operating costs at the Regional Education
Building, while boilers and chillers inside the
Regional Education Building exceed that
buildings needs, so they can also serve the Health
and Human Services Building. Even though the
aquathermal system has performed very well so
far, it was prudent to consider that it could fail
given its innovative nature.
In addition to creating an efficient building, the
project itself was run almost perfectly. The desire
for a smooth running project forced the team to
ask a difficult question: could a local contractor
with limited aquathermal experience handle the
job? Since the system is the largest closed loop
system in Michigan, no local contractor could
claim to have experience on a similarly sized
project. Prequalifications could have been written
to effectively exclude all area contractors, but
there was a strong desire to create opportunities
for Michigan contractors. Fortunately, Remer
Plumbing and Heating, Inc., Saginaw, and S&J
Heating and Insulation, Dewitt, put in a strong
effort and got up to speed very quickly.
Equipment supplier, Loop Group, a Fort Wayne, IN-
based contractor with more experience on large
aquathermal projects served as a consultant, but
crews at Remer Plumbing and Heating took an
active role in learning about this emerging
technology for themselves.
The foreman for Remer didnt just look at the
drawings to see where the piping was drawn,
said Keeler. He helped us make sure that pipes
were tied in correctly and that all the valves were
in the right locations. Hes not an engineer and he
didnt design it, but he was educated and
experienced enough to know how it worked, and
that proved very beneficial during the install.
The project team also brought efficiency to the
building process through Building Information
Modeling (BIM). Much like LEED, BIM was a very
new concept for the region. Initial plans called for
coordination using standard 2D drawings, but 3D
modeling and BIM had the potential to greatly
reduce installation times by
providing exact locations for
mechanical and electrical
systems. With 95,000 pounds of
duct to install and a solid record
of experience with BIM, sheet
metal contractor Dee Cramer,
Holly, had a vested interest in
advocating for this approach.
This process often starts
with 3D steel and architectural
models, but since none were
available, Dee Cramer offered to
create them from the 2D
drawings and share them with
the team throughout the project
on an FTP site. The firm also
served as lead contractor in using
Navisworks for the automated
clash detection process and
prepared 3D drawings for other
contractors who had never used
BIM before. None of this would
have been possible unless the
entire project team was willing to
reevaluate longstanding industry
practices.
Were thankful that people
had open minds and were willing
to consider this, said Matt
Cramer, president of Dee Cramer. If Spence
[Brothers] hadnt been willing to push it with the
other subcontractors and discuss it with the
owner, we wouldnt have been able to do it this
way.
Collaborative teamwork led to the
exploration of many new ideas at the Health and
Human Services Building. Each of these new
concepts fell under the watchful eyes of Gerald
Stuart, director of construction, campus facilities
for SVSU, and the manager of thousands of loose
ends according to Hocquard. The Health Science
Building is the result of these loose ends being
tied together. The project team that
accomplished this task may never achieve the
notoriety of Florence Nightingale, but they did
create a lamp-like beacon that should serve as an
example for others to follow.
All classrooms inside the facility offer outside views, and many public gathering
spaces likewise offer access to sun and scenery.
DETROIT PEOPLE MOVER, MILLENDER CENTER STATION
LIGHTING ENHANCEMENT
Owner: Detroit Transportation Corporation/Detroit People Mover, Detroit
Design/Build Contractor: The Beresh Group, Inc., Livonia
Architect: Steven C. Flum, Inc., Detroit
Lighting Consultant: Bouyea & Associates, Washington Depot, CT
Electrical Engineer: ETS Engineering, Inc., Royal Oak
Trade Contractors/Suppliers
Electrical Hoover Electric, Inc., Detroit
HVAC - Exclusive Heating & Cooling, Inc., Detroit
Power Wash & Caulking - Poe Restoration & Waterproofing, Oak Park
Sound System & PA - Sound Engineering, Livonia
Ceiling - Standard Drywall, Utica
Painting - T.L.W.P. Painting Co., Detroit
Glass & Glazing - Universal Glass Co., Detroit
Clear Anodized Aluminum Tubing & Formed Metals -
Aluminum Supply Co., Detroit
Ceiling Supplier (Chicago Metallic) - Huron Acoustic Tile Co., Clinton Township
Ceiling Supplier (US Gypsum) Great Lakes Drywall, Clinton Township
DEARBORN TOWN CENTER - MIDWEST MEDICAL CENTER
Owner: Oakwood Healthcare System, Dearborn
Developer and Management Company: REDICO Management, Inc., Southfield
Construction Manager: The Dailey Company, Lake Orion
Architect: Hobbs + Black Associates, Inc., Ann Arbor
Civil Engineer: Professional Engineering Associates, Inc., Troy
Electrical Design Consulting: Project Design Associates, Birmingham
Electrical Engineer: Peter Basso Associates, Inc., Troy
LEED Consultant: The Mantis Group, Plymouth
Mechanical Design/Build Engineer: Limbach Company, LLC, Pontiac
Structural Engineer: Ehlert/Bryan, Inc., Southfield
Aerial Photography: Great Lakes Aerial Photos, Detroit
Asphalt Paving Nagel Paving Company, Novi
Cameras/Security Center Line Technologies, Inc., Center Line
Carpentry Conquest Construction Co., Inc., Livonia
Carpentry Jasman Construction, Whitmore Lake
Cast Stone Royal Stone, LLC, Williamston
Caulking and Waterproofing RAM Construction Services, Livonia
Cold Formed, Sheathing and Exterior Rough Carpentry
Turner Brooks, Inc., Madison Heights
Concrete Simone, Sterling Heights
Construction Cleaning BlueLine Maintenance, Inc., Sterling Heights
Crane Laramie, Detroit
Dock Seal Applied Handling, Inc., Dearborn
Doors, Frames and Hardware Gamalski Building Specialties, Auburn Hills
Doors, Frames and Hardware Tupper Door and Hardware, Inc.,
Farmington Hills
Doors and Windows KVM Door, Clinton Township
Dumpsters Capital Waste USA, Detroit
Dumpsters Waste Management, Wixom
EFIS Everlast Exteriors, Inc., Lapeer
Electrical Edgewood Electric, Madison Heights
Electrical Motor City Electric, Detroit
Elevators Otis Elevator Company, Farmington Hills
Environmental and Construction Testing NTH Consultants, Northville
Fencing Industrial Fence, Detroit
Fire Protection Professional Sprinkler, Inc., Wixom
Floor Covering Shock Brothers Floor Covering, Inc., Roseville
Glass and Glazing Modern Mirror and Glass Company, Inc., Roseville
Jib Crane Crane Technologies, Rochester Hills
Landscape Donato Landscape, Shelby Township
Masonry Leidal & Hart Mason Contractors, Inc., Livonia
Millwork Wally Kosorski & Co., Inc., Clinton Township
Millwork Mod Interiors, Inc., Ira Township
Miscellaneous Steel Davis Iron Works, Inc., Walled Lake
Painting Madias Brothers Painting Contractors, Inc., Detroit
Painting United Paint, Clinton Township
Pneumatic Tube Colombo Pneumatic Tube Systems, Inc., Ferndale
Porta Johns Bobs Porta Johns, Romulus
Precast National Precast, Inc., Roseville
Roofing Royal Roofing Company, Inc., Orion
Signage Visual Entities, Inc., Grand Rapids
Site Concrete Albanelli Cement Contractors, Inc., Livonia
Site Concrete Coatings D.C. Byers, Grand Rapids
Sitework Dans Excavating, Inc., Shelby Township
Spray Fireproofing Wm. Reichenback Company, Inc., Lansing
Steel Cadillac Iron, Inc., Oxford
Testing Environmental Maintenance Engineers, Inc., Inkster
Tile and Stone PMP Marble & Granite, Inc., Troy
Toilet Accessories Rayhaven Group, Southfield
Unistrut Strut Tech Systems, LLC, Clarkston
Wall Protection Construction Specialties, Southfield
HELEN DEVOS CHILDRENS HOSPITAL
Owner: Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids
Architectural Consultant/Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineer of
Record: URS Corporation, Grand Rapids
Architect of Record: Jonathan Bailey Associates, Dallas, TX
Construction Managers: Wolverine Building Group and Turner Construction
Company, West Michigan Office
Trade Contractors:
Mechanical and Plumbing Andy J. Egan Co., Inc., Grand Rapids
Coatings Aquis, Orlando, FL
Tower Curtainwall, Bridge Glass & Glazing, and Interior Glass & Glazing
Architectural Glass and Metals, Byron Center
Podium Glass Vos Glass, Inc., Grand Rapids
Metal Fabrication Architectural Metals, Inc., Portland, MI
Window Cleaning Award Window Cleaning Service, Grand Rapids
Drywall, Ceilings, SOFP, and Flooring Bouma Corporation, Grand Rapids
Electrical and Fire Alarm Buist Electric, Byron Center, Riverside, Grand Rapids
Millwork Calmar Manufacturing, Calmar, IA
Terrazzo Central Tile & Terrazzo, Kalamazoo
Caulking Custom Caulking, Marne
Masonry Davenport Masonry, Holt
Scaffolding, Lifts Davitco, Waterford
Miscellaneous Painting Eckhoff & DeVries, Grand Rapids
Miscellaneous Equipment ETS Lindgren, Glendale Heights, IL
Low Voltage Cabling Feyen-Zylstra, Grand Rapids
Sheet Metal Franklin Holwerda Co., Wyoming
Safety Supplies Give Em A Brake Safety, Grandville
Podium Concrete Grand River Construction, Hudsonville
HVAC Great Lakes Balancing, Grand Rapids
Miscellaneous Items Hardman Construction, Ludington
Bridge Steel Hillsdale Fabricators, St. Louis, MO
Insulation Insulation Environmental Services, Manistee
Food Service Consultant JRA Foodservice Design, Grand Rapids
Landscaping Katerberg VerHage Landscaping, Grand Rapids
Superstructure Concrete Kent Companies, Grand Rapids
Miscellaneous Items KnightWatch, Inc., Kalamazoo
Lightweight Concrete on the Plaza Lightcrete Company, Whitmore Lake
Painting Madias Brothers, Inc., Detroit
Geotechnical SME & Materials Testing Consultants, Grand Rapids
Kitchen Equipment Merchandise Equipment & Supply, Grand Rapids
Lightning Protection Michigan Lightning Protection, Grand Rapids
Fire Protection Peninsula Fire Protection, Grand Rapids
Demolition Pitsch Companies, Grand Rapids
Roofing Port Huron Roofing & Sheet Metal, Clyde Township
Controls Powerhouse Control Systems, Zeeland
Surveyors Prein & Newhof, Grand Rapids
Building Automation Trane, Grand Rapids
Window Treatments Triangle Window, Grand Rapids
Interactive Playwall Playvision Technologies, Mountainview, CA
Structural Steel Erector Pioneer Construction, Grand Rapids
Structural Steel Supplier Steel Supply and Engineering, Grand Rapids
Rigging and Crane Operations Ericksons, Inc., Grand Rapids
Miscellaneous Steel Van Dam Iron Works, Grand Rapids
Site Work and Excavation Velting Contractors, Grand Rapids
Miscellaneous Architectural Concrete Van Laan Concrete, Dutton
Soil Retention Schnabel, Chicago, IL
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FOOTBALL STADIUM EXPANSION
AND RENOVATION
Owner: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Construction Manager: Barton Malow, Southfield
Architect: HNTB, Kansas City, MO
Air Balancing: Absolute Balancing, South Lyon
Asphalt Paving Nagle Paving Company, Novi
Audio Visual Services Thalner Electronic Laboratories, Inc., Ann Arbor
Brick Supplier Belden Brick Sales Co., Fraser
Building Controls Seimens Building Technology, Inc., Plymouth Township
Caissons (East) Case Foundation Company, Northville
Caissons (West) Lanaville Foundation, Inc., Howell
Carpet and Flooring Action Flooring, Livonia
Ceramic Tile Southeastern Tile, Mount Clemens
Concrete Foundations (East) Christman Constructors, Inc., Plymouth
Concrete Foundations (North) Amalio Corporation, Sterling Heights
Concrete Foundations (West) Broadcast Design & Construction, Inc.,
Mount Clemens
Consultant The Bigelow Companies, Kansas City, MO
Consultant FP&C, Inc., Kansas City, MO
Consultant HNTB Civil, Detroit
Consultant HNTB Structural, Kansas City, MO
Consultant JJR, LLC, Ann Arbor
Consultant Structural Design Inc., Ann Arbor
Consultant ME Engineers, Wheat Ridge, CO
Consultant Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams, Inc., Dallas, TX
Consultant Ze Design, Inc., Centerview, OH
Demolition Blue Star, Inc., Warren
Drywall Brinker Team Construction, Detroit
Drywall Denn-Co, Detroit
Earth Retention Hardman Construction, Inc., Luddington
Electrical (East) Motor City / Huron Valley Electric, Detroit / Ann Arbor
Electrical (West) and Fire Alarms LaBelle Electric, Macomb Township
Elevator Installation Kone Elevator, Livonia
Excavation and Earth Retention (Pressbox) Eagle Excavation, Inc., Flint
Exterior Seating American Seating Company, Grand Rapids
Exterior Studs Turner Brooks, Madison Heights
Fire Protection Simplex Grinnel, LP, Farmington Hills
Fireproofing William E. Harnish Acoustical, Inc., Redford
General Trades AZ Shmina, Inc., Brighton
General Trades Irish Construction Company, Howell
General Trades and Elevated Concrete Decks Spence Brothers, Ann Arbor
Glazing (Field Side) Curtis Glass Company, Troy
Glazing (Street Side) Lansing Glass Company, Lansing
Independent Testing TEC, Troy
Landscaping WH Cannon Company, Romulus
Masonry (East Arcade and West Towers) Edgar Boettcher Mason
Contractor, Inc., Bay City
Masonry (North) Baker Construction Co., Inc., Whitmore Lake
Masonry (West Arcade and East Towers) Leidal & Hart Mason
Contractors, Inc., Livonia
Mechanical and Plumbing (West) Boone & Darr, Inc., Ann Arbor
Metal Panels C.L. Rieckhoff Co., Inc., Taylor
Micro Piles Schnabel Foundation Company, Cary, IL
Millwork Ebenisterie Beaubois LTEE, Saint-Georges, QC, Canada
Miscellaneous Metals Davis Iron, Walled Lake
Painting Midwest Pro Painting, Livonia
Plumbing (East) Western Mechanical Contractors, Inc., Clinton Township
Precast Risers National Precast, Roseville
Press Box Demolition Homrich Incorporated, Carleton
Roofing CEI Michigan LLC, Howell
Signage Harmon Sign, Inc., Toledo, OH
Sitework and Grading Site Development, Inc., Madison Heights
Steel Material Supplier Alro Steel, Jackson
Structural Design Consultant Structural Design Incorporated, Ann Arbor
Structural Steel (East) Bristol Steel & Conveyor Corporation, Davison
Structural Steel (North) Cadillac Iron, Inc., Oxford
Structural Steel (West) Douglas Steel Fabricating Corporation, Lansing
Seating (Club) American Seating Company, Grand Rapids
Seating (Suite) Irwin Seating, Grand Rapids
Surveying Washtenaw Engineering, Ann Arbor
Technical Wiring Hatzel & Buehler, Inc., Livonia
Terrazzo Michielutti Brothers, Eastpointe
Underground Electrical Shaw Electric Company, Ann Arbor
Underground Utilities Merlyn Contractors, Inc., Novi
Waterproofing RAM Construction Services of Michigan, Inc., Livonia
HILLSIDE PLACE APARTMENTS,
MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Owner: Michigan Technological University, Houghton
Architect: Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield
General Contractor: Gundlach Champion, Iron Mountain
Consultants: Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: Peter Basso Associates, Inc., Troy
Civil Engineer/Survey Layout: UPEA Engineers & Architects, Houghton
Structural Engineer: Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, West Bloomfield
2 0 1 1 S P E C I A L I S S U E S U B C O N T R A C T O R L I S T S
Subcontractors:
Metal Panels Architectural Products of Wausau, Wausau, WI
Site Concrete Arrow Construction, Negaunee
Sheet Piling Balcom Marine Contractors, Inc., Traverse City
Planting Down to Earth Landscapes, Manitowish, WI
Ceilings & Floors Gegare Tile Company, Green Bay, WI
Aluminum Entrances/Windows Glass Design, Inc., Rockford
Waterproofing Hillside Damproofing, Inc., Franksville, WI
Pavement Marking/Fencing JCS, Inc., Baraga
Plumbing & Mechanical John E. Green Company, Negaunee
Sectional Doors Keweenaw Overhead Door, Houghton
Appliances Kirkish Furniture, Inc., Houghton
Membrane Roofing Lake State Roofing, Iron Mountain
Ceramic Tile Maccos Commercial Interiors, Green Bay, WI
Fireproofing Martineau & Morris Construction, Inc., Houghton
Metal Roofing McGrath, Inc., Houghton
Casework Mod Interiors, Ira Township
Electrical Northland Electric, White Pine
Painting Omni glass & Paint, Oshkosh, WI
Elevator Otis Elevator Company, Kaukauna, WI
Vapor Retarder Pro-Foamers, Inc., Green Bay, WI
Drywall Rajala & Sons Finishes, Webberville
Guardrail Snowden, Inc., Escanaba
Precast Structural Concrete Spancrete, Inc., Green Bay, WI
Fireplace Specialties Superior Stoves & Fireplaces, Marquette
Sitework Tony Burcar Contracting, Hubbell
Communications Van Ert Electric Co., Kingsford
Concrete Reinforcement Wisconsin Rebar, Inc., Brillion, WI
Window Shades Wisconsin Window Concepts, Waukesha, WI
Suppliers:
Specialties Air Flow Architectural, Inc., Milwaukee, WI
Steel Ambassador Steel Corporation, Appleton, WI
Bike Racks Dero Bike Rack Company, Minneapolis, MN
Specialties DJG Sales & Service Company, New Libson, WI
Cast Stone Edwards Cast Stone Company, Dubuque, IA
Lumber/Sheathing 41 Lumber Company, Quinnesec
Doors & Hardware La Force, Inc., Green Bay, WI
Waterstop Midway Rentals, Marquette
Block Superior Block Co., Inc., Houghton
Concrete & Grout Superior Sand & Gravel, Hancock
Bonding Agent Sweeney Materials, Inc., Superior
Glu-Lams Timber Systems, Lapeer
Fencing Tribal Construction Company, Baraga
Structural Steel UP Fabricating Company, Inc., Negaunee
QUICKEN LOANS WORLD HEADQUARTERS
Owner: Quicken Loans, Detroit
General Contractor: Sachse Construction, Birmingham
Architect: von Staden Architects, Birmingham
Engineer: Peter Basso Associates, Troy
Alarm Systems Guardian Alarm, Southfield
Architectural PVC Skin Division Nine Products, Farmington Hills
Audio Video Systems Blue Water Technologies, Southfield
Blinds The Sheer Shop, Shelby Township
Cleaning Majic Cleaning, Mount Clemens
Cleaning Pro Image Cleaning, Redford
Carpentry DH Construction Company, Plymouth
Carpentry Ideal Contracting, Detroit
Carpeting Mastercraft Carpet, Redford
Concrete Cutting FMG Concrete Cutting, Brighton
Demolition Detroit Dismantling, Detroit
Doors and Hardware Tupper Door & Hardware, Farmington Hills
Drywall and Carpentry Brinker Team Construction, Detroit
Duct Cleaning Sani-Vac Services, Warren
Electrical Current Solutions, Shelby Township
Fire Proofing Russell Plastering Company, Ferndale
Fire Protection Simplex Grinnell, Farmington Hills
Furniture Supply and Installation Synergy Installation Solutions, Wixom
Garbage Waste Management, Santa Ana, CA
General Labor Preferred Building Services, Southfield
Glass Manufacturer Glass & Mirror Craft, Wixom
Glazing Curtis Glass, Troy
Graffiti Artist Shades, Detroit
HVAC Limbach Company, Pontiac
Lockers Steel Equipment, Pontiac
Low Voltage Systems GSI, Inc., Troy
Millwork and Trim Carpentry Trend Millwork, Lincoln Park
Painting Accurate Painting, Warren
Painting Colors Painting & Contracting, Pleasant Ridge
Partition Walls Gardiner C. Vose, Bloomfield Hills
Plumbing Oakland Plumbing, Ray Township
Raised Floor Supplier Data Supplies Company, Plymouth
Specialty Acoustic Ceiling Application Stony Creek Services, Westland
Specialty Floor Finishes Hoover Wells, Toledo, OH
Structural Steel American Steel Construction, Farmington Hills
Supplier Boomer Construction Materials, Detroit
Supplier Broner, Inc., Auburn Hills
Supplier Display2go, Bristol, RI
Supplier Dyson B2B, Chicago, IL
Supplier Fathead, Livonia
Supplier Grainger, Detroit
Supplier Great Lakes Hotel Supply, Detroit
Supplier N.A. Mans Lumber & Millwork, Canton
Supplier Rayhaven Group, Southfield
Tile Shock Brothers Floor Covering, Roseville
Tile Wolverine Stone, Warren
Trim Carpentry Ferrnate Manufacturing, Detroit
UNIVERSITY PREPARATORY SCIENCE & MATH HIGH SCHOOL
Owner: Thompson Educational Foundation, Detroit
Architect: Resendes Design Group, Detroit
Contractor: The Monahan Company, Eastpointe
Owners Representative: TAKTIX Solutions, Detroit
Consultants: Mechanical, Electrical Engineer: System Solutions, Inc., Detroit
Civil Engineer: Giffels Webster Engineers, Inc., Rochester Hills
Trade Contractors
Environmental Abatement Environmental Maintenance Engineers, Inc.,
Inkster
Demolition, Carpentry Dearborn Interiors, Dearborn
Asphalt Paving Nagle Paving, Novi
Fencing Reliable Fence, Clinton Township
Site Work Leo J. Funari, Inc., Clinton Township
Landscaping Cornerstone Landscape, Lapeer
Concrete Foundations/Flatwork V & O Contracting Co.,
Clinton Township
Masonry/Concrete Restoration Poe Restoration, Oak Park
Masonry JC Brick, Utica
Structural Steel Kehrig Steel, Ira Township
Caulking, Waterproofing DC Byers, Detroit
Roofing & Pavers Port Huron Roofing, Clyde Township
Insulation Dana Energy Savers, Clinton Township
Doors, Frames, Hardware Rayhaven Group, Southfield
Overhead Coiling Doors KVM Door Company, Clinton Township
Millwork Rice & Werthmann, Detroit
Glass & Glazing Chamberlain Glass, St. Clair
Louvers & Vents Architectural Building Components, Oak Park
Tile Empire Tile Company, Eastpointe
Floorcovering Mastercraft Carpet, Redford
Painting, Epoxy Floor Coating Michael Meda Painting,
Grosse Pointe Farms
Operable Partitions Interior Partnership Group, Clawson
Visual Display Boards Advanced Specialties, Clawson
Toilet Partitions and Accessories, Lockers Steel Equipment Company,
Pontiac
Interior Signage Detroit Marking Company, Detroit
Project Screens, Shades Design 24, Pontiac
Fire Extinguishers Progressive Plumbing Supply, Warren
Kitchen Equipment Stafford Smith, Ferndale
Scoreboards, Gym Equipment Bareman & Associates, Jenison
Bleachers Interkal, Kalamazoo
Lab Casework & Hoods Farnell Equipment Company, Linden
Elevator Kone Elevator, Livonia
Fire Protection VFP, Troy
Plumbing C & L Schoen, Troy
Electric R & J Electric, Clinton Township
Louver Installation Exterior Metals, Burton
MARYSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
Owner: Marysville Public Schools, Marysville
Architect: French Associates, Rochester
Construction Manager: McCarthy & Smith, Inc., Farmington Hills
Acoustical Treatment B & H Construction Company, Inc.,
Shelby Township
Aluminum, Glass and Glazing Curtis Glass, Troy
Asphalt Paving and Exterior Concrete ABC Paving Company, Trenton
Athletic Equipment AFC, Inc., Grand Rapids
Athletic Fields and Irrigation United Lawnscape, Inc.,
Washington Township
Audio Visual Consultant Acoustical Design Group, Mission, KS
Auditorium Seating Irwin Seating Company, Grand Rapids
Building Demolition Blue Star, Inc., Warren
Carpentry Wally Kosorski & Company, Inc., Clinton Township
Carpet and Resilient Flooring Floorcraft Floor Covering, Inc.,
Clinton Township
Caulking Eagen Drywall, Inc., Marysville
Civil Engineering Consultant Spalding DeDecker
Associates, Inc.,Rochester Hills
Concrete Footing, Foundation and Interior Concrete Gemelli
Concrete, LLC, Romeo
Construction Materials Testing G2 Consulting Group, Troy
Earthwork and Site Utilities Boddy Construction Company, Inc.,
Port Huron
Electrical Gillis Electric, Livonia
Electrical/Mechanical Consultant Peter Basso Associates, Inc., Troy
Fencing American Fence & Supply Company, Inc., Warren
Fire Protection System Interstate Fire Protection, Inc., New Hudson
Food Service Consultant Food Service Designs, LLC, Walled Lake
Food Service Equipment Stafford Smith, Inc., Bay City
Hard Tile Empire Tile & Marble Company, Eastpointe
Hazardous Materials/Asbestos Consultant Testing Engineers and
Consultants, Troy
Hollow Metal, Wood Doors and Finish Hardware La Force, Inc., Troy
HVAC Delta Temp, Inc., Madison Heights
Hydraulic Elevator ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Livonia
Landscape Design Foresite Design, Inc., Berkley
Landscaping Great Lakes Landscaping, Warren
Limited Use/Limited Access Elevator Wright & Filippis, Rochester Hills
Lockers Steel Equipment Company, Pontiac
Manufactured Wall Panel Systems
Royal Roofing Company, Inc., Lake Orion
Masonry Brazen & Greer Masonry, Inc., Livonia
Metal Studs, Drywall, Plaster and EIFS Eagen Drywall, Inc., Marysville
Music and Instrument Storage Casework
Architectural Systems Group, Holland
Operable Partitions Gardiner C. Vose, Inc., Bloomfield Hills
Overhead Doors Overhead Door West, Waterford
Painting LV Painting and Contracting, Inc., Ray Township
Plastic Laminate Casework Detroit Technical Equipment Co., Troy
Plumbing Contrast Mechanical, Inc., Macomb Township
Pool Construction & Equipment Baruzzini Construction
Company, Brighton
Pool Consultant Bill Robertson Pool Design, Northville
Roof Consultant Roof Design Solutions, LLC, Algonac
Roofing Port Huron Roofing Company, Clyde Township
Science Casework Farnell Equipment Company, Troy
Signage MLS Signs, Chesterfield Township
Spray Applied Fireproofing Pontiac Fire & Partition, Pontiac
Structural Engineer Penhale & Yates, Inc., Southfield
Structural Steel, Miscellaneous Steel and Precast Concrete
Casadei Steel, Inc., Sterling Heights
Technology Consultant Barton Malow Company, Southfield
Telescoping Stands Interkall, LLC, Kalamazoo
Theatre Planners Schuler Shook, Chicago, IL
Theater and Stage Acoustical Wenger, Owatonna, MN
Theatre and Stage Rigging SECOA, Inc., Champlin, MN
Toilet Partitions Brainard Enterprises, Inc., Rockford
Visual Display Boards Claridge Products & Equipment, West Bloomfield
Window Treatment Creative Windows, Ann Arbor
Wood Flooring Foster Specialty Floors, Wixom
GERALD B. ALWARD FIRE STATION NO. 1
Owner: Charter Township of Washington
Architect: SDA Architects, Inc., Clinton Township
Contractor: BRIVAR Construction Company, Brighton
Consultants: Mechanical and Electrical Engineers: EAM Engineers, Inc., Troy
Structural Engineers: A.R. Decker & Associates, Inc., Troy
Civil Engineers: Giffels-Webster Engineers, Inc., Rochester Hills, Detroit,
Washington, MI
Subcontractors:
Surveyor Metro Consulting Associates, Belleville
Earthwork & Utilities Cortis Brothers Trucking & Excavating, Inc.,
Marine City
Paving Dynasty Paving Co., Washington Township
Concrete MJ VanOverbeke Contracting, Inc., Casco
Foundations RMK Concrete Foundations, Howell
Masonry Zimmerman Masonry, Inc., Howell
Steel Krus Steel, Inc., Washington
Trench Drains East Jordan Iron Works, Inc., Oak Park
Rough Carpentry Damico Contracting, Inc., Rochester Hills
Millwork/Casework Fort Gratiot Cabinets & Counters, Port Huron
Building Insulation Chelsea Lumber Company, Chelsea
Roofing Reasonable Roofing & Remodeling, Inc., Port Huron
Gutters & Downspouts GA Largent & Associates, Inc., Stockbridge
Doors & Hardware Stafford Building Products, Waterville, OH
Overhead Doors Overhead Door Company of Whitmore Lake, Inc.,
Whitmore Lake
Glass & Glazing Signature Glass, Inc., Roseville
Wood Windows Johns Lumber, Shelby Township
Drywall & Ceilings National Ceiling & Partitions, Inc., Shelby Township
Ceramic Tile Galaxy Custom Construction, Inc., Lake Orion
Flooring Tom Thomas & Co., Troy
Painting & Wall Covering Forest Painting, Inc., Warren
Signage JL Geisler Corp., Warren
Toilet Accessories Stafford Building Products, Waterville
Projection Screen Parkway Contract Group, Livonia
Metal Lockers Shelving & Rack Supply, Inc., Walled Lake
Turnout Gear Racks Apollo Fire Equipment Company, Romeo
Food Service Equipment Stafford-Smith, Inc., Lansing
Window Treatments Parkway Contract Group, Livonia
Plumbing USA Plumbing/Oakland Plumbing, Ray Township
Fire Protection Simplex Grinnell, Farmington Hills
HVAC Tech Mechanical, Inc., Pontiac
Nederman Vehicle Exhaust System Michigan Air Products, Troy
Electrical Crystal Electric, Inc., Shelby Township
PA Speakers I.COMM Corporation, Wixom
Phone & Data Systems BSB Communications, St. Clair Shores
DETROIT ARSENAL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING
AND PARKING STRUCTURE
Owner: U.S. Army Garrison Detroit Arsenal, Louisville and Detroit Districts
Construction Manager: Granger Construction Company, Lansing
Architect: Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield
Civil Engineer: Nowak & Fraus Engineers, Royal Oak
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: FES Group, LLC, Wixom
Owners Construction Agent: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Warren
Parking Consultant: Carl Walker Parking, Kalamazoo
Structural Engineer: Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers, West Bloomfield
Acoustical Testing Kalano and Saha Engineers, Inc., Waterford
Air Barrier Testing BCRA Design, Tacoma, WA
Bus Shelters Traffic & Safety Control, Wixom
Caissons Rohrcheib Sons Caissons, Inc., New Hudson
Ceramic Tile Wolverine Stone Company, Warren
Concrete Material McCoig Materials, Romulus
Doors and Hardware La Force, Inc., Troy
Drywall and Partitions Acoustic Ceiling & Partition, Ann Arbor
Drywall and Partitions Mountain Chief Management Services, Inc.,
Granite Bay, CA
Electrical Bayview Electric Company, LLC, Redford
Electrical Micron Electric, Detroit
Elevator Otis Elevator, Farmington Hills
Final Cleaning First Class Building Maintenance, Saginaw
Fencing Future Fence Company, Warren
Fire Protection Professional Sprinkler, Inc., Wixom
Fire Protection The Racey Group, LLC, Livonia
Flooring Turner-Brooks, Inc., Madison Heights
Geotechnical Consultant Soils and Materials Engineers, Inc., Wyoming
Glass and Glazing Calvin & Company, Flint
Independent Construction Testing Tes Tech, Dayton, OH
Landscaping Salisbury Landscape Group, Belleville
Loading Dock Equipment Crawford Door Specialties, Inc., St. Clair Shores
Masonry Leidal and Hart Mason Contractors, Livonia
Mechanical and Plumbing John E. Green Co., Southfield
Metal Panels Universal Wall Systems, Grand Rapids
Millwork Trend Millwork, LLC, Lincoln Park
Painting Detroit Spectrum Painters, Inc., Warren
Precast International Precast Solutions, LLC, River Rouge
Roofing Ann Arbor Roofing Company, Inc., Whitmore Lake
Schedule Consultant W.K. Krill & Associates, Inc., Milford
Sealants RAM Construction Services of Michigan, Inc., Livonia
Signage ASI Modulex, Troy
Sitework Holly Construction Group, Detroit
Sitework John Carlo, Inc., Clinton Township
Spray Insulation Stony Creek Services, Inc., Westland
Structural Steel Casadei Structural Steel, Inc., Sterling Heights
Testing and Balancing, Aerodynamics Inspecting Company, Dearborn
Toilet Partitions and Accessories Payne-Rosso Company, Lansing
Window Blinds Sheer Shop, Shelby Township
MARYCREST HEIGHTS
Owner: Marycrest Heights, Livonia
Architect: Edmund London & Associates, Inc., Southfield
Contractor: Damone Construction, LLC, Troy
Owner Representative: R W S Development, LLC, Waterford, WI
Structural Engineer: Penhale & Yates, Inc., Southfield
Civil Engineer: Nowak & Fraus Engineers, Pontiac
Mechanical Engineer: MA Engineering, Birmingham
Trade Contractors:
Sitework WM R. Curtis, Inc., Walled Lake
Surveying Nowak & Fraus, Pontiac
Chelseas Subcontractor Kirkco, Inc., Dundee
Plumbing Direct Plumbing, White Lake
Electrical Rollinger Electric, Walled Lake
HVAC Garno Brothers Heating and Cooling, Swartz Creek
Concrete (Foundations) Titanus Cement Wall Company, Novi
Testing Testing Engineers & Consultants, Troy
Dumpsters Canton Waste Recycling, Canton
Precast Planks Kerkstra Precast, Grandville
2 0 1 1 S P E C I A L I S S U E S U B C O N T R A C T O R L I S T S
Kerkstras Subcontractor Assemblers Precast & Steel, Pinckney
Elevator Thyssen Krupp, Livonia
Windows Crown Windows, Davison
Fire Protection C & H Fire Protection, Detroit
Hollow Metal Doors Chelsea Lumber Co. HM Doors, Chelsea
Masonry John Travis & Sons, Detroit
Structural Steel Cadillac Iron, Oxford
Ceramic Tile Marson Enterprises, Southfield
Roofing Canton Construction, Canton
Caulking D.C. Byers, Detroit
Finish Carpentry Auger Built, Inc. (Carpentry), Orion
Gypcrete Floors Kent Companies, Redford
Asphalt Nagle Paving, Novi
Painting A&V Painting, Macomb
Concrete (Slab) North Channel Construction, Harsens Island
Misc. Accessories Golich Building Supply, Inc., Brighton
Drywall/Ceiling National Ceiling & Partitions, Inc., Shelby Township
Vinyl Siding Amend Siding, Vassar
CRYSTAL M. LANGE COLLEGE OF NURSING AND
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BUILDING
Owner: Saginaw Valley State University, University Center
Construction Manager: Spence Brothers, Saginaw
Architect: TMP Architecture, Inc., Bloomfield Hills
Lab Consultant: Ballinger, Philadelphia, PA
Mechanical and Electrical Engineer: Peter Basso Associates, Troy
Aquathermal System S&J Heating and Insulation, Dewitt
Asphalt Paving Pyramid Paving, Essexville
Athletic Flooring Star School Flooring Corp., Hastings
Audio Visual ICI, Saginaw
Concrete Foundations Fessler & Bowman, Inc., Flushing
Concrete Slabs Spence Brothers, Saginaw
Drywall William Reichenbach Co., Lansing
Electrical Maryland Electric Company, Clinton Township
Elevator Schindler Elevator, Grand Rapids
Fire Protection Winninger Fire Protection, Birch Run
General Trades Serenus Johnson Construction, Bay City
Glass and Glazing Architectural Glazing Systems, Mt. Morris
Hard Tile and Soft Flooring Standard Tile, Saginaw
Irrigation Marlo Company, Saginaw
Lab Casework Detroit Technical Equipment Company, Troy
Landscaping Bell Landscaping, Saginaw
Lockers Rayhaven Group, Southfield
Masonry Leidal Hart Masonry, Livonia
Masonry Foundations Boettcher Masonry, Bay City
Mechanical Remer Plumbing & Heating, Saginaw
Painting Hock Painting, West Branch
Resinous Flooring DC Byers, East Lansing
Security System Electronic Security Systems, Warren
Site Concrete A.J. Rhemus & Son, Bay City
Sheet Metal Dee Cramer, Holly
Sitework Fisher Contracting, Midland
Sitework Mead & Sons Contracting, Saginaw
Smart Podium Three Rivers, Midland
Structural Steel Delta Steel, Saginaw
Technology SPI Innovations, Freeland
Temporary Electrical Nuechterlein Electric, Frankenmuth
Temporary Fencing Noble Fence, Armada
Terrazzo Flooring Artisan Tile, Inc., Brighton
Testing and Balancing International Test & Balance, Inc., Southfield
Underground Electrical Halligan Electric, Flint
Underground Mechanical R.C. Martin, Bay City
Waterproofing and Joint Sealants RAM Construction Services of Michigan,
Livonia
Window Treatments Creative Windows, Ann Arbor
A D V E R T I S E R I N D E X
Ace Cutting Equipment ......................................................46
Aluminum Supply Company/
Marshall Sales, Inc. ..........................................................14
Amalio Corporation ..............................................................37
Aoun & Company ..................................................................50
Arc formerly Dunn Blue ......................................................24
Barlen Sanitation Solutions ................................................45
Beals Hubbard, PLC................................................................32
Beresh Group ..........................................................................19
Blue Star ....................................................................................65
Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Union Local #1 ..................................................................51
CAM Administrative Services ..............................................3
CAM ECPN ..............................................................................IBC
CAM Tradeshow....................................................................IBC
CAM Workers Comp. ............................................................38
C.A.S.S. ........................................................................................23
CEI Roofing ..............................................................................36
C.F.C.U. ..........................................................................................9
Cochrane Supply & Engineering ......................................92
Collins, Einhorn, Farrell & Ulanoff......................................22
Connelly Crane Rental Corp. ..............................................61
Curran Crane Co., J.J. ............................................................31
Curtis Glass ..............................................................................65
DCC Construction ..................................................................29
D. J. Conley ................................................................................28
D&R Earthmoving, LLC..........................................................31
Dailey Company, The ............................................................24
Damone Group ......................................................................83
Desai / Nasr Consulting Engineers, Inc. ..........................45
Detroit Carpentry JATC ........................................................43
Detroit Spectrum Painters ..................................................78
Detroit Terrazzo Contractors Association......................45
DiHydro Services ....................................................................93
Doeren Mayhew ....................................................................61
ETS Engineering......................................................................15
Environmental Maintenance Engineers ........................59
Executive Vehicle Sales, Inc. ................................................38
Facca Richter & Pregler, P.C. ................................................17
Ferndale Electric....................................................................IFC
Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. ........................30
French Associates ..................................................................64
G2 Consulting Group............................................................64
Glazing Contractors Association ......................................67
Granger Construction Co. ..................................................78
Hartland Insurance Group, Inc...........................................11
Hilti ..............................................................................................73
Hoover Electric........................................................................15
IBEW Local 252........................................................................53
Interface Financial Group, The ..........................................53
John Deere..................................................................................5
Kem-Tec ....................................................................................92
Kotz, Sangster, Wysocki and Berg P.C. ............................BC
Labor Compliance Services ................................................82
Limbach ....................................................................................22
MasonPro, Inc...........................................................................33
McCoig Materials....................................................................77
Metro Consulting Associates ............................................71
Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters ....................79
Monahan Company ..............................................................58
Neumann/Smith Architecture ..........................................42
Next Generation Services Group......................................25
North American Dismantling Corp..................................45
Oakland Companies..............................................................94
Oakland Metal Sales, Inc. ....................................................10
Operating Engineers Local 324-JATF ................................7
Plante & Moran, PLLC............................................................47
Plumbing Professors ............................................................30
Plunkett Cooney ....................................................................85
R.L. Deppmann Co. . ..............................................................18
R. S. Dale Company Inc. ........................................................57
Ricks Portables........................................................................82
Rolland L. Stapleton ..............................................................65
SMRCA........................................................................................52
Sani-Vac ....................................................................................50
Sound Engineering................................................................15
Spartan Specialties ................................................................61
Sullivan, Ward, Asher & Patton, P.C. ..................................39
Taktix Solutions ......................................................................58
Testing Engineers ..................................................................39
Valenti Trobec Chandler, Inc./
Griffin Smalley & Wilkerson..............................................4
Woods Contruction, Inc. . ....................................................17
Zervos Group ..........................................................................28
888 West Big Beaver Road, Suite 1200, Troy, Michigan 48084
www.oaklandcompanies.net
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BIRMINGHAM OFFICE
300 Park Street,
Suite 265
Birmingham, Michigan 48009
PH: 248.646.1050
Fax: 248.646.1054
DETROIT OFFICE
400 Renaissance Center,
Suite 3400
Detroit, Michigan 48243
PH: 313.259.8300
Fax: 313.259.1451
CALIFORNIA OFFICE
500 N. State College Blvd.,
Suite 1100
Orange, California 92868
PH: 951.413.0017
Fax: 951.413.0016
NILES OFFICE
12 Longmeadow Village Dr.,
Suite 100
Niles, Michigan 49120
PH: 269.591.6915
Fax: 269.684.4026
GRAND RAPIDS OFFICE
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Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503
PH: 616.940.0230
Fax: 616.285.7215
Call Jeff Sangster
@
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www.kotzsangster.com
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CONSTRUCTION COUNSEL
Kotz Sangster knows the construction industry. When you need practical, service-oriented lawyers who can answer your
questions, we are the law rm to call. We understand the types of risk you face on each project, and we add value to your
business by helping you develop and implement effective risk mitigation strategies. However, in the event litigation is
required, we are also aggressive, experienced litigators who protect your business interests.
Kotz, Sangster, Wysocki and Berg, P.C.

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IDEA SHAPE LIFE SYSTEM WORKER METAL PLAN CONTRACTS SYSTEM PERSPECTIVE BUSINESS STYLE CONCEPTION ENGINEER MODEL

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