CAM Magazine October 2014

OCTOBER 2014
Vol. 35 No. 10 $4.00
THE VOICE OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
14
SPECIAL ISSUE
CONSTRUCTION
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10
14
SPECIAL ISSUE
CONSTRUCTION
18
10 Lowe Campbell Ewald Headquarters

Contractor: Turner Construction Company
Architect: Neumann/Smith Architecture
44
18 Belle Isle Nature Zoo

Contractor: KEO and Associates
Architect: Ehresman Associates
24 The Garden Theater

Contractor: Construction Logistics
(Joint Venture between The Monahan Co.
and The Means Group, Inc.)
Architect: Quinn Evans Associates and
McIntosh Poris Associates
24
30 Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers Headquarters

Contractor: Wieland-Davco Corporation
Architect: Hobbs+Black Architects
38 Gateway Marketplace
Contractor: Dailey-Jenkins Joint Venture
Architect: Rogvoy Architects
44 the Z
Contractor: Colasanti/Sachse Joint Venture
Architect: Neumann/Smith Architecture
4 CAM MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2014
Voice Of The Construction Industry
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Bart Nickerson
Pre
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14
74
SPECIAL ISSUE
CONSTRUCTION
52 Delta College Health & Wellness

Contractor: Spence Brothers
Architect: Wigen Tincknell Associates
Architects (WTA)
60 Detroit Public Safety Headquarters Building

Contractor: Turner Construction Co.
84
White Construction Co.

Joint Venture
52
Architect: SmithGroupJJR
68 Resource & Crisis Center

Contractor: George W. Auch Company
Architect: DiClemente Siegel Design, Inc.
74 Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and

Information Commons at Grand Valley State
University
Contractor: Pioneer Construction
Architect: SHW/Stantec
84 Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church

Contractor: McCarthy & Smith, Inc.
Architect: Merritt Cieslak Design
92 Detroit Medical Center Harper University

Hospital Surgical Renovation Project
FROM THE EDITOR

For 19 years, CAM Magazine has been producing
its Special Issue, honoring 12 outstanding
construction projects that have been completed
over the past year.
This year, its encouraging that over half of
these honored projects took place within the city
of Detroit. Its truly a reflection of the continuing
rebirth occurring within The D, and all are
positive indicators for its future.
Other honored projects span across the state of
Michigan, from Allendale to St. Johns, from Bay City to the Metro Detroit cities of
Northville and Pontiac. With many new and forthcoming projects slated for
construction throughout the state, we are pleased to say that construction is again
alive in Michigan.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Special Issue 2014.
Contractor: Roncelli MPS Joint Venture

Architect: HKS Architects,
Hamilton Anderson Associates
100 PROJECT SUBCONTRACTOR LISTS

Amanda Tackett
Editor
ABOUT THE AUTHORS...
Mary E. Kremposky
Mary Kremposky graduated from Wayne
State University with a Bachelor of Arts in
English. As associate editor, she has
been writing articles for CAM Magazine
for over 20 years. She appreciates the
opportunity to tour wonderfully crafted
and beautifully designed spaces, and
feels that learning about sustainability,
urban restoration efforts and other vital trends is yet another
bonus of working for the design and construction industry.
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
Kevin N. Koehler
Amanda M. Tackett
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Mary E. Kremposky
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
GRAPHIC DESIGN
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Matthew J. Austermann
Noelle E. Scharer
Gregg A. Montowski
Cathy A. Jones
DIRECTORS
OFFICERS
Chairman
Eric C. Steck
Amalio Corporation
Vice Chairman
Todd W. Hill
Ventcon, Inc.
Vice Chairman
Mary K. Marble
Marble Mechanical, LLC
Treasurer
Larry S. Brinker, Jr.
President
Kevin N. Koehler
The Brinker Group
DIRECTORS
Stephen J. Hohenshil
Glasco Corporation
Doug Pawloski
Doug Pawloski is president of Digital
Marketing Production, Inc., a company
specializing in Creative Marketing,
Advertising, and Public Relations
Services. He is a graduate of Indiana
University's School of Business with a
Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and
Advertising. He has additional training in
Corporate Communications from Wayne State University in
Detroit and has more than 25 years of combined experience in
the fields of marketing, advertising and communications. Digital
Marketing is located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. For more
information, call 248-538-7107 or dmp-inc@comcast.net.
Brad Leidal
Leidal & Hart Mason Contractors, Inc.
Giuseppe (Joe) S. Palazzolo

Detroit Spectrum Painters, Inc.
John Raimondo
Roncelli, Inc.
John W. Rieckhoff
C.L. Rieckhoff Company, Inc.
Kevin F. Ryan
Powerlink Facility Management Services
Preston Wallace
Limbach Company, LLC
Donielle Wunderlich
George W. Auch Company
CAM MAGAZINE EDITORIAL

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
William L. Borch, Jr.

Ironworkers Local Union 25
Gary Boyajian
Division 8 Solutions, Inc.
Stevan Bratic
Bratic Enterprises, LLC
Marty Burnstein
Law Office of Marty Burnstein
George Dobrowitsky
Walbridge
Caitlin Wunderlich
Daniel Englehart
Caitlin Wunderlich currently works in the

Exhibitions Department at the Detroit
Institute of Arts and in the Registrars
Department at Cranbrook Art Museum.
She is a recent graduate of the University
of Michigan Dearborn with a Bachelor of
Arts in Art History-Museum Studies.
Raised in the construction industry, she is
thrilled to combine her passion for art and architecture with the
knowledge and appreciation of the industry. For more information,
she can be reached at cswunderlich@gmail.com.
Chris Hippler
Peter Basso and Associates, Inc.

Capital Letters
Dennis King
DMKING Consulting, LLC
Nancy Marshall
Aluminum Supply Company
Rick Rys
Hi Def Color
Sanford (Sandy) Sulkes

International Building Products, Inc.
James Vargo
Capac Construction Company, Inc.
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., BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI 48302-3204.
For editorial comment or more information: magazine@cam-online.com
For reprints or to sell CAM Magazine: 248-972-1000
Copyright 2013 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.
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GOOD KARMA: OPEN SPACE, OPEN MIND

LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD HEADQUARTERS
Associate Editor: Mary E. Kremposky
Photographer: Justin Maconochie,
Maconochie Photography
The interior contains

a row of tree houses
that can only be
reached via a ships
ladder located in the
two-story ideation
space.
Imagine a corporate headquarters without a

cubicle farm or an office with the freedom to work
beyond the Desk. Need to brainstorm with
colleagues? Gather around a writable wall
surface or meet in a free-standing pod formed of
wood from salvaged doors. Need to concentrate
and burrow into your own mind? Climb a ships
ladder and enter an indoor tree house with
computer outlets and a comfortable nest of
chairs. In this next-generation office, the CEO
not only has an open-door policy - his office has
an entirely open wall. You dont have to imagine
such a corporate nirvana. Lowe Campbell Ewald
has done it for you in its open, airy and light-filled
corporate headquarters in the former J.L.
Hudson warehouse within Detroits Ford Field.
Courtesy of Neumann/Smith Architecture and
Turner Construction Company, Michigan Office,
this flexible, collaborative and innovative officescape is tailored to generate that most
ephemeral of products: Ideas. As a full-service,
fully integrated marketing communications
agency, ideas are the lifeblood of Lowe Campbell
Ewalds business. Neumann/Smith brought its
own spirit of invention to the task of turning a
warehouse into a workplace for this storied
agency.
Simple materials used in inventive ways
complement the raw, exposed structure of the
original warehouse. Pairing massive steel cross
bracing with contemporary countertops created
a series of inspired food counters in staff eateries.
Adding to the industrial cachet, wood pallets
topped with glass become tables and rows of
electrical conduit become copy room wall
dividers and overhead ceiling planes.
Basic materials are a nod to the buildings
past, but cutting-edge technologies catapult this
company into the future. A real-time marketing
lab and a brand immersion space with a dual-use
interactive wall give Lowe Campbell Ewald the
edge in monitoring and communicating a clients
brand.
Bringing the future into this 1920s vintage
warehouse, Turner threaded exposed ductwork,
conduit and cable trays along open ceilings,
working diligently to create an orderly flow of
infrastructure throughout the 122,000-squarefoot interior. Melding new glass and drywall to
the bones of the former warehouse, replete with
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD
This 42 x 18-foot LED screen wall is found in no

other corporate interior in Southeast Michigan.
The LED screen wall is used for presentations,
graphic displays, and as an enormous social
media feed.
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD
out-of-plumb columns and other irregular details,

was a collaborative effort of Turner and
Neumann/Smith. The team worked together
throughout construction to make it happen and
to make it happen on time, for this warehouseto-workplace transformation was delivered in only
five months.
The end result is the perfect environment for
Lowe Campbell Ewald to continue to create its
own brand of marketing magic for its clients.
The team created a spirit in the building, said
Lowe Campbell Ewald CEO Jim Palmer. Call it
karma, call it a feeling, but when people walk into
the building they dont want to leave. They say
things like, I want to work here. Can I have my
next meeting in the building? Can I bring my
friends down to see it? What building do you
walk into where people react in that way?
Part of the buildings draw is the companys
open-minded energy and the unexpected use of
materials and space - the facility has the only
wall-less atrium in Detroit open from floor slab to
floor slab. The atrium, however, has another type
of wall: A 42 x 18-foot LED screen wall found in
no other corporate interior in Southeast Michigan.
The LED screen wall is used for presentations,
graphic displays, and as an enormous social
media feed. The LED screen wall is aggregating
the social conversation on Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram and other social feeds regarding
anything associated with our clients, said Lowe
Campbell
Ewald
Director,
Corporate
Communications, Kelly Barnes. You can stand
in the atrium and not only see everybody working,
but you can also see the client conversation
going on at any given moment.
The entire interior is a product of idea
streaming or brainstorming with a company in
the creative class. Not often do we have a client
who is in the design world, said Neumann/Smith
Partner Joel Smith, AIA. The client was
receptive to ideas that were a little out-of-thebox, so it motivated us to keep designing to that
level.
The Lowe Campbell Ewald staff is clearly
pleased with the results of this synergy. Every
time I visit the facility I notice someone showing
friends and family around the building, said
Smith. If you are proud enough to bring your
friends and family to see where you work, then I
think that is a successful project.
ThE BEST anD BrighTEST

This five-story headquarters marks the return
of Lowe Campbell Ewald to the Motor City after
36 years. In 1911, the agency established its
first Detroit office in the Lightner Building at 54
Lafayette Boulevard. In 1978, the firm built its
own 10-story office building in Warren. It was
almost a 40-year-old facility, so we decided to
relocate the company to a new area, said
Palmer. We looked at virtually every possibility

around Detroit, including all the suburban
locations. We then became very serious about
Detroit, because we felt that it would be the place
where we could attract the best and brightest
creative minds in the region.
Detroit is becoming a magnet for a creative
cadre of people who embrace the vitality of city
life. At its new Ford Field address, the firm is part
of this vitality, both as a participant and as a
catalyst for the citys resurgence. We are in the
midst of realizing the hope we had, said Palmer.
Detroit is becoming a vibrant place for people to
live and work.
Lowe Campbell Ewald selected the J.L.
Hudson warehouse for its new office after an
exhaustive search of available city properties.
The industrial feel of a historic warehouse in the
heart of the Motor City spoke to a company
launched in the very same era as the building,
and to a firm with roots in the durable goods and
automotive market.
The firms iconic ad
campaigns include See the USA in Your
Chevrolet and the Like a Rock truck
commercials.
The heritage of the company has been in
advertising and marketing for companies that
make things - big things like cars, washing
machines and other durable goods, said Palmer.
The idea that we could surround ourselves with
more of an industrial feel, which has been a very
strong backbone of our company, was very
intriguing to us. It seemed to settle right with our
culture, with our history and with our forward
vision of who we wanted to be. The bones of the
building seemed to almost speak to us in that
sense.
The simple raw materials of the space
complement the agencys mindset. Another ad
agency may have a slick, high-end type of
mentality, said Palmer. We see ourselves more
as a workman-like, craftsman-like agency, and
not as a sort of spin shop, if you will. The strength
of the building reflects our approach to things:
We want to generate long-lasting, durable ideas.
The Michigan Difference ad campaign for the
University of Michigan and the agencys work for
the U.S. Navy fit this model perfectly.
Lowe Campbell Ewald selected the ideal
building for its agency and the optimal team for
the job. Why Neumann/Smith? Palmer simply
states, They are really good. Lowe Campbell
Ewald CFO Jari Auger, adds, We saw a lot of
their buildings, and the work they had done in
Detroit. Neumann/Smith is experienced in the
type of industrial spaces we were looking for as
a company.
On FaMiLiar TErMS
As Lowe Campbell Ewalds program manager,
Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) participated in the
selection of both Neumann/Smith and Turner, as

well as in initial programming and budgeting. JLL
helped ensure that the dialogue and
communication between all parties was
productive and that decisions were made on a
timely basis throughout the project. They
assisted in ensuring that the project was
delivered on time and within budget. Having built
Bodman PLCs offices in Ford Field, Turner
understood the logistics of working in this
bustling sports and events center. We could
deliver this fast-paced project quickly and
efficiently, because we were familiar with the
building and familiar with the same Ford Field
team, said Turner Project Manager Brian
Cooper. The same Turner team built the Bodman
and the Lowe Campbell Ewald projects, including
Cooper, Project Executive Robert D. Bowen,
LEED AP and Project Superintendent Mark
Thom.
As a licensed carpenter, Thom was an
invaluable aid in meeting the tight schedule for a
project with a substantial amount of new and
reclaimed wood. Mark Thom has been in
construction for well over 30 years, said Cooper.
For many years, he ran our self-perform group
and managed all of our in-house carpentry crews.
Because he is a carpenter, he could examine a
lot of the constructability issues, bounce ideas off
of Neumann/Smith and come up with solutions
as opposed to just questions.
Knowledge of the former warehouse was
another important asset. Certain Turner personnel
once worked for JM Olson, construction managers
for the original Ford Field. Olson carved out a fivestory vertical opening in the warehouse as a white
box project in preparation for a proposed
Embassy Suites Hotel atrium. Neumann/Smith
had actually been involved in developing the hotels
design concept. We had a great deal of familiarity
with the warehouse based on our experience on
that project, said Neumann/Smith Senior Project
Manager Kathleen M. Buck, RA, LEED AP BD+C.
Turner had also been involved in the proposed
hotel project providing preconstruction and
budgeting services. This too augmented their
understanding of the space for Lowe Campbell
Ewald.
LETS DELivEr iT
Turner joined the project in the early stages
and began budgeting from day one. As soon as
we signed off on the budget, said Smith, the
attitude was Lets deliver it. Turner delivered
$8.4 million dollars of construction in a little over
five months, launching the project at the end of
July 2013 and finishing in January 2014.
Back in Warren, Lowe Campbell Ewald staff
watched the project unfold in living detail, thanks
to a GoPro camera. Turner tackled the light
polishing of concrete floors on five levels, all
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD
before completion of final design details. It took

a week-and-a-half to two weeks per floor, said
Cooper.
TOp OF ThE LinE

Switching from floor to ceiling, Turner tackled
the overhead installation of the dense web of
exposed infrastructure snaking along the open
ceilings of the five-story facility. Every data run,
every conduit and every run of ductwork was
thought out and put into our drawings, said
Smith. It is thoroughly organized and pretty
amazing.
Turner meticulously followed the specifications
to create orderly lines and layers of overhead
systems in a corporate headquarters beginning
on the third and reaching the seventh level of the
building. For proper points of attachment, Turner
took into account the buildings multiple structural
systems. The warehouse was built as a series of
successive additions, beginning in 1915 and
ending with the construction of the sixth and
seventh floors in 2000. This is why the structure
of the upper levels has steel beams and a
modern composite floor system of metal decking
and poured-in-place concrete, said Buck. The
vintage sections have clay tiles that fill in the
spaces between concrete beams, added
Cooper. We had to affix the systems to the
concrete beams and avoid the structurally
unsupportive clay tiles.
Turner coordinated their efforts closely with
Ford Field to protect sensitive ceiling-mounted
electrical panels and thick conduit piping on the
top floor. These systems feed into the rooftop
satellite systems that power television
transmission for all Detroit Lions home football
games. Turner was careful not to disrupt service
to one of the agencys own clients; Lowe
Campbell Ewald created the One Pride campaign
for the Detroit Lions.
For the building systems, Turner quickened the
pace of the schedule, beginning work on the top
level and working its way down. Turner Logistics
lowered the cost by procuring the light fixtures,
along with KRAC units, dry coolers and
generators, all at a substantial savings.
MinD MELD
The interior was a difficult puzzle whose pieces
didnt fit. Modern drywall and glass elements had
to be melded to the bones of a vintage building
with few, if any, perfectly straight columns and
walls. We have all of these glass walls in the
building, said Buck, but the edges of the glass
abut columns that werent even straight.
Neumann/Smith and Turner worked in a
collaborative mind meld to resolve building
details quickly. Very few details in the existing
space were exactly the same, said Cooper.
Joel Smith and Kathy Buck spent a lot of time
Visit us online at www.cammagazineonline.com
on site, popping by for walk-throughs and

collectively collaborating on a solution to keep the
project on schedule. Jari Auger and her team
from Lowe Campbell Ewald offered quick
decisions. We kept moving forward by working
together.
Like untangling an extremely knotted rope, the
project team resolved each building detail,
proceeding column by column and wall by wall
with a few floors thrown into the mix. Turner
installed wood flooring over an uneven concrete
floor in one conference room. We were planning
on evening out the concrete floors, but as we
attempted to do so, we encountered the
reinforcing right at the surface of the slab, said
Buck. As a solution, we built a raised wood
floor.
LiMiTED accESS, LiMiTED TiME

The entire team worked collaboratively to build
this collaborative work environment with few fixed
rooms and limited partitioning. Turner also
worked closely with Ford Field to coordinate
deliveries and construction activities.
We
couldnt bring in deliveries or have any other type
of interference up to two days before an NFL
game, said Cooper.
Material access was another collaborative
effort. The only access point for materials is a
single loading dock, servicing all of Ford Field and
hosting the only cluster of freight elevators in the
building. We had to coordinate with Ford Field,
because we actually needed to travel through the
finished operating stadium to get into the Lowe
Campbell Ewald space, said Cooper.
Turner met weekly with Ford Field to tackle
these concerns. We were in constant
communication, said Cooper, but we knew how
Ford Field operates from our previous project,
and Justin Turk and his team at Ford Field
worked with us. Our subcontractors knew of
these project parameters from the bidding
documents, as well.
raw anD high TEch

The end result of this team effort is a wonderful
blend of spaces. Step into the lobby and
become immersed in the companys chi or
energy. A mix of company history and hightechnology, of new and vintage materials with
interactive walls, the lobby and reception area
sets the tone for the entire building.
A ceiling soffit is blanketed with the brass
printing plates of past ad campaigns. The
printing plates were in storage piled up in boxes,
said Neumann/Smith Project Designer Jaime
Neher. We wanted to find a clever way of
reusing them. We decided to use them as more
of a construction material instead of in a display.
In the hands of Neumann/Smith, simple,
humble materials are used in surprising ways.
Can plywood be even remotely compelling? You

may rethink your answer after viewing the
plywood display wall resembling the contour lines
on a topographic map. Its composed of about
four or five layers of laminated, furniture-grade
birch veneer plywood, said Buck. Our design
team designed a layout of the contours that they
found appealing and then developed it in 3D.
Using CNC equipment, MOD Interiors, Ira
Township, converted a computer file of the
design into the undulating surfaces of plywood
turned into an art form. Because this is the main
entrance to the space, we wanted to do
something impactful, said Neumann/Smith
Project Designer Matt Stowe. This wall offers a
glimpse of what to expect from the entire space,
because plywood is a material that will be seen
throughout the interior.
A series of iPads are mounted to the plywood
wall, joining raw materials and technology into
one zone. The iPads can be programmed
individually to showcase a host of Lowe
Campbell Ewald clients or programmed in a
planned sequence to tell one clients story.
This raw, high-tech duet fills the entire lobby.
Raw materials straight out of the industrial
heartland dominate the lobby, including the
concrete reception desk, the polished concrete
floors and the furniture composed of stacked
layers of industrial felt with leather stitched to the
seats and arm rests.
As the high-tech counterpart, the brand
immersion space is visible through a glass lobby
wall. This working lab has a state-of-the-art,
dual-sided, multi-touch interactive video wall able
to bring clients directly into the conversation
about shaping their own marketing strategy and
brand identity.
Since we are a brand that has been around a
long time, we are juxtaposing the new with the
old by exposing the bones of the building and
by respecting our own history by showing the
printer plates and our historical ads, said Palmer.
With the high-technology, we are sling shotting
to the future, because we are really a company
that develops things more on the cutting edge.
People come to us because they want fresh
ideas and new ways of doing things.
EMBracE ThE UgLy

The entire interior follows the lobbys
blend of the raw, contemporary and
high-tech elements.
Raw: Walk past the brand immersion space and
enter a facility whose original columns are laid bare
in all their raw, gritty glory. The rough edges of the
concrete floor slabs remain in their original state
along the entire height of the five-story atrium. Our
approach was to embrace the ugly, said Buck.
We didnt want to do anything to make the columns
or slabs pretty or to change what they were.
CAM MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2014 13
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD
The interior contains more than 25 custom meeting pods made from 500 locally salvaged solid wood doors cut into narrow bands
and then stacked.
Neumann/Smith applied a light hand in its

design, allowing the exposed structure of the
warehouse to fill the interior with a sense of how
a thing is made. The design even accentuates
the fasteners, the heft and the feel of the steel
columns. We stripped the spray-on fireproofing
from the columns and actually sprayed them with
intumescent paint to allow people to see the
details of the steel, said Stowe. We wanted to
embrace the industrial. We wanted to do
something that was authentic and sincere to the
history of the space. We didnt want to conceal
it; we didnt want to overdesign it.
Contemporary: Decorative, contemporary
elements offset the industrial rawness of the
space. A dual-colored, tubular light fixture arcs
above a conference room table; its ends glow a
bright red and help to counter the severity of the
rooms heavy steel cross bracing. The more
decorative light fixtures balance all that rawness
and give the interior a contemporary look, said
Neher.
High-Tech: The seventh floor showcases two
cutting-edge spaces. Our real-time marketing
lab provides state-of-the-art monitoring of the
social space, said Palmer. We have our hand
on the pulse of real-time conversations about our
entire portfolio of brands that we can monitor
24/7. This covers blogs, tweets and other social
media. Whether sentiment of a brand is rising or
falling or whether there are discussions about
customer service, product launches or product
satisfaction, this advanced technology lab allows

us to give a snapshot to our clients at any time.
We can then take this real-time data and start to
respond on the clients behalf.
Lowe Campbell Ewald also has an all-digital
archiving system. Anything we have ever
produced is now in this digital library that is
accessible to everyone in the company, said
Palmer. The agency also has advanced audio
studios for the production of radio and voice-over
work. We can produce long-form content video
all with the latest technology available in our
industry.
a cOLLaBOraTivE cOMpany
More than a new - and truly unique - office, the
facility offers a new way to work. The work zones
are calibrated to offer different levels of privacy
and public space, said Neher. The actual work
stations are an open benching system with a
single, long rectangular flow of desk space with
only limited divisions between each station.
Despite the close quarters, the buildings sheer
volume and its variety of spaces accommodate
all types of tasks from the collaborative to the
cloistered.
Each floor has a cluster of self-contained
meeting pods in three or four different design
configurations. More than 25, 10 x 10 custom
meeting pods are spread throughout the
building, said Buck. They were created from
500 locally salvaged solid wood doors cut into
narrow bands and then stacked.

As the ultimate in privacy, the building contains
a row of wood-slatted tree houses that can only
be reached via a ships ladder located in the twostory ideation space. We had thought perhaps
that perching tree houses on a series of columns
was a crazy idea, said Buck. But Lowe
Campbell Ewald embraced it, and gave us
latitude to explore different design opportunities.
Neumann/Smith
created
over
100
collaboration areas, some with writable, pin-able
wall surfaces and others equipped with largescreen televisions and Apple TV. Over 45
monitors fill the collaboration areas of this fully
wireless building. With mobile technology,
workers need not be chained to their desks or
their desktop computers.
You are not in a cubicle, said Smith. This is
a trend that we are finding in design. Many
companies are trying to crowd source their ideas
to gather more information. Everyone weighs in.
Its a very collaborative way of working that was
conveyed to us as an objective of the design.
People can even work on a sixth-floor outdoor
patio with a grand view of Comerica Park.
Televisions, technology outlets and comfortable,
colorful furniture complete this en plein air
cubicle. A series of open-wall, indoor patios,
facing the Ford Field atrium and flooded with
natural light, make for an ideal work zone on a
winter day. On non-event days, staff can even
work in the stadium bleachers on their laptop or
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD
go for a jog around the stadium concourse.

This great banquet of spaces alleviated staff
concerns about working in the close quarters of
an open bench system. The facilitys sheer size
also offers some breathing room. The building is
airy, and it has tall ceilings and windows with great
views, as well as balconies and interesting places,
said Palmer. When people moved in from the old
office, they said, Oh my gosh, this is better.
An effective acoustical strategy eased auditory
stress in this open environment of predominately
hard surfaces. In fact, the five editing, broadcast
production and video suites on the fourth floor
are the only carpeted spaces in the facility.
For acoustic control, Neumann/Smith added
tectum with sound-absorbing K-13 cellulose fiber
insulation on virtually every ceiling, courtesy of
Stony Creek Services, Westland. Frequency
based sound masking devices are in place in
different zones throughout the facility for acoustic
privacy. I think people are quite surprised about
how well the sound masking and the acoustics
are done, said Barnes. When we are sitting at
our desks, we really have to roll right next to the
person to talk.
wide meetings were held in the parking lot of the

companys Warren office. The 10-story buildings
conventional layout blocked collaboration and
even basic knowledge of other colleagues.
People would meet in the elevator and have to
ask, Are you a guest or do you work here? said
Palmer.
This unique atrium is the place to congregate
as a company or work in small groups. Stepped
bench seating, computer outlets and movable
ottomans create another flexible, mobile work

space.
A small sidewalk-inspired caf
completes this people-friendly gathering place.
ThE BUiLDing in crOSS SEcTiOn

The atrium not only captures the cross currents
of the company but also a cross section of the
actual building. Columns segue from square steel
to round bell and back to square again from one
side ord-formed concrete share the interior with
ThE cOMpany in crOSS SEcTiOn

The ultimate collaboration zone is the five-story
atrium slicing through the heart of the facility. In
sync with the karma of the building,
Neumann/Smith left this vertical opening in its
unfinished form. The concrete and clay tile floor
slabs are exposed and retain their unrefined
appearance.
In harmony with the companys open modus
operandi, the atrium has no walls - all five levels
are open on all four sides of the square to the
central core. This includes Palmers own office,
perched at the top level, outlined in black and
projecting slightly into this grand open space.
People often wave to Palmer in his wall-less
perch; he even occasionally finds a tossed Nerf
ball on his floor.
The atrium is a conduit for all the buzz and
energy of this successful agency. The atrium is
an enormous open square, said Palmer. Its
almost like cutting a body open and seeing all the
parts working and the heart beating. People can
look across the atrium and see others designing
and working. Its like a cross-section of the
company all at work at the same time.
The atrium floor is host to company-wide town
hall meetings. Plywood stadium bleachers rise
to the bottom of the multi-story LED screen wall
a perfect arrangement for large presentations.
This space allows us to actually bring the entire
company together in one space, said Palmer.
Businesses are going towards a more
communicative, open and transparent-to-thebusiness approach with their employees.
In the before version of this picture, company-
STRENGTH THROUGH
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL
Website: www.realapprenticeship.com
Jack Russell, Secretary

Art Hug Jr.
Dan Damico
Patrick Landry
Chuck Raeder
Brett G. Jordan
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD
and within budget, meeting at least twice a week

to solve the unusual details of the space.
pThe facility has the only wall-less atrium in Detroit open from floor slab to floor slab.
in sync with the rest of the building, the rough edges of the floor slabs were left in their
original state along the entire height of this corporate town square.
The agencys main lobby uses simple materials in inventive ways: The coffee table is
formed of wood pallets topped with glass, the furniture is made of stacked layers of
industrial felt with leather stitched to the seats and arm rests, and a contoured plywood
display wall turns this basic material into an art form.
the modern composite floor above.
Turner inserted two steel staircases into the
atrium, cutting through the buildings multiple
structural systems and again grappling with
irregular details to mount the staircases into the
different floor levels. We even had the atrium 3D
scanned, because it was impossible to figure out
the connections and details, said Neher.
Using an alleyway for access, Turner hoisted
the stairway steel into the building through a
removed window, said Cooper. Additional steel
supports were installed in the atrium for the LED
screen wall. Turner used a spider lift a piece of
equipment capable of fitting through a standard
door and equipped with multiple arms to paint
the perimeter and clean the glass of the existing
atrium skylight located 73 feet above the floor, as
well as to install new glass walls for upper-level
conference rooms.
Lowe Campbell Ewald then used the spider lift
to direct installation of the dozens of different
screen panels composing the LED screen wall.
Subcontractors made good use of the spider lift,
including
Stony
Creek
Services,
the
subcontractor responsible for spraying K-13
acoustic insulation to boost the atriums sound

control.
In addition to acoustics, the atrium and open
environment demanded a different approach to
fire safety. We added 323 smoke detectors,
because we didnt have the traditional means of
separating the floors with glass, said Cooper.
All of the detectors are tied in with a very
intricate sequence of operations for alerting
occupants. The city had to grant a variance and
we had to go through a very detailed inspection
process.
Neumann/Smith and Turner worked together
to obtain the variance. The City of Detroit was
a real team player in the process, as well, said
Buck. We all had to make sure that everybody
was comfortable with it, because life safety is
paramount. It worked out very well.
At peak, over 123 tradespeople worked to
build this unconventional office in Ford Field.
Working in unison, Neumann/Smith and Turner
delivered another gem to Detroit, helping a
company return to its roots and bringing another
storied space back to life. The team was great,
said Auger. They delivered the project on time
wELcOME hOME
The new offices of Lowe Campbell Ewald were
officially unveiled on Jan. 21, 2014. As people
brought in their personal belongings on the very
first day in this new office, a choir of middle
school students from the Detroit Academy of the
Arts and Sciences officially welcomed the 500person staff to their new home in the Motor City.
Beginning a new era with song eased any
transplant tension and inspired the staff, some of
whom had worked in the Warren facility for many
years.
Standing on the atriums stadium bleachers,
students sang with heart, filling the interior with
the music of Motown, Michael Jackson, Alicia
Keyes and Pharrell Williams. They even sang a
Detroit rendition of the song Empire State of Mind
a contemporary version of the classic song
New York, New York. Without any notice to the
staff, these kids just started singing, said Palmer.
People literally started crying, because of the
wonderful way they were greeted on the first day
in a new place, and the sense people had that
this space was right for us. People loved it.
This talented choir of primarily economically
disadvantaged youth has since appeared on
Americas Got Talent and the Ellen Show. Pharrell
Williams himself appeared on the Ellen Show,
listening to this choir of Detroit school children
sing via video. Pharrells international hit Happy
aptly describes Lowe Campbell Ewalds reaction
to their amazing new corporate home, delivered
courtesy of Neumann/Smith Architecture and
Turner Construction Company.
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD
SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS AT
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD
Variable air volume mechanical system with fan-powered perimeter
boxes, allowing efficiencies to be gained from the variable speed
fan, heat generated from the fan-powered boxes and the ability to
turn off the system when the space is unoccupied
LED lighting with energy efficient controls and dimming
Reclaimed barnwood from Michigan and East Coast
Partitions made from salvaged wooden doors collected from the
Detroit area
Oversized work counters made of recycled palettes and concrete
Carpet made with 20 percent pre-consumer/11 percent postconsumer recycled content
Carpet cushion manufactured with Underscore, environmentally
sustainable backing with 31 percent pre-consumer recycled content
Tectum panels meet various LEED credits and use wood that is
FSC and SFI certified
Workstations made with 13.13 percent post-consumer/47.7
percent post-industrial recycled content, recycled steel and
aluminum, recovered particleboard and VOC-free adhesives
Eco-friendly chairs made with recycled content and
environmental fabrics
THE HOT NEW MEETING SPOT

BELLE ISLE NATURE ZOO
Associate Editor: Doug Pawloski
Photographer: Curt Clayton
Clayton Studios
p
The Belle Isle Nature Zoo has an attractive entrance and refreshed exterior that now blends into its environment.
Endangered plant species were saved while invasive plants were replaced by native plantings that will endure the climate.
p
Outdoor classrooms, such as the one pictured here, are located outside the rear exit. Children
learn more about Belle Isles environment from instructors and staff in this relaxing and
natural setting.
In the early 1700s, when the Detroit area was but

a trading post settled by Antoine de la Mothe
Cadillac, a heavily wooded island in the middle of
the river called Ile aux Cochons - or Hog Island offered a safe haven for the settlers to keep their
pigs safe from the wolves. Later, it was used to
keep a large garden to supply a garrison. After a
peace treaty was signed in 1783 between the
colonies and Britain, the land that included the
island was formally assigned to the United States
as part of a Northwest Territory bounded by the
Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the Great Lakes
to the north.
Designated as a Fort and flying the American
Flag in 1796, Detroit was on a path to becoming a
city and eventually incorporated in 1802. During
the Michigan Territory governorship of Lewis Cass
(1813-1831), the island had come to be known as
Belle Isle in honor of Isabella Cass, the Governors
daughter. The land acquisition of Belle Isle by
Detroit came about in 1879 when most major
cities in the country began establishing plans to
set aside and develop large intercity parks as a
place of refuge for the urban dwellers who were
flooding into the big cities. These developments
were spurred, in part, by the City Beautiful
movement that attempted to apply order and
aesthetics to the madness caused by the rapid
and haphazard growth of large urban and
industrial centers. Couple that with a new sense
of scientific exploration and health of the natural
environment which was fostered by technological
and scientific advancements, and you begin to
understand what led Detroiters to establish Belle
Isle as a municipal park for its citizens.
At 982 acres, Belle Isle is 16 percent larger than
New York Citys Central Park and is the largest
island park in the country. It has served many uses,
undergone many transformations, and endured
frequent struggles with expansion, maintenance
and closures over time. At the height of its
popularity, between 1920-1950, park amenities
included a ferry dock and pavilion; a casino; the
Michigan Yacht Clubhouse and Detroit Boat
Clubhouse; a greenhouse; a music pavilion; a
police station and stables; a bathhouse; barns and
workshops; a skating pavilion; an aquarium; a
horticultural center; a zoo; and numerous canals,
walkways, paths, lakes, beaches, monuments,
memorials and fountains. Sadly, some of this is
now just a distant memory for most Detroiters, yet
much of it still exists. Through the efforts of the City
of Detroit, private enterprise, non-profit
associations, and personal donations, elements on
the Island are being restored, remodeled or
repurposed. The former Nature Center, now
known as the Belle Isle Nature Zoo (BINZ), has
undergone a $1.88 million, 10,000-square-foot
renovation that was completed in July 2013.
Situated on three acres of protected forest and
wetlands on the eastern end of the island, the
BINZ is host to numerous animal exhibits, a bird
and wildlife observation window, outdoor

classrooms, a butterfly garden, a European Fallow
Deer enclosure (the deer once roamed free here),
and an eighth-of-a-mile Blue Heron Lagoon nature
walk - all free for visitors. The BINZ also offers
Summer Nature Camps so young students can
learn more about the natural ecosystem on the Isle
that is just a stones throw away from the city and
their own backyards. Campers now enjoy all the
improvements envisioned by the City of Detroit and
the Detroit Zoological Society, and a build team
dedicated to making their vision a reality.
takIng the exhIBItS lIVe

Formerly a Nature Center that primarily
displayed taxidermy, the BINZ had plans that
included live animals to enrich the visitors
experiences, but would require considerable
upgrades and modifications to sustain them. We
had several issues that needed to be addressed,
said Michael Reed, manager, BINZ. We wanted
to expose visitors to live animals, but the buildings
climate control system was not that good. The
animal exhibits were designed to display taxidermy
but needed to become functioning habitats for live
animals. Also, because the BINZ is located in the
middle of the Detroit River on wetlands, there is
always a high degree of humidity that requires the
exterior to be painted fairly often to protect the
structure and keep it looking presentable. Another
problem was that the large multi-purpose room in
the middle of the facility, used for community and
childrens workshops, teacher development and
presentations, was no longer functional or
technologically adequate.
The Detroit Zoological Society approached the
city about the capital improvement investment
required to transform the BINZ into a more useful
and meaningful facility. Although the State of
Michigan now leases the Island from the City, the
Detroit Building Authority (DBA) managed the
project as a city-owned asset that predated the
new agreement. This project was prior to the
states controlling of Belle Isle, and according to
the lease agreement, the State of Michigan would
be responsible for capital improvements. So going
forward, it would be the Detroit Zoological Society
working with the state, said Tyrone Clifton, Jr.,
construction project manager, DBA.
After issuing a Request for Quote and reviewing
the proposals, the Detroit Zoological Society
selected the architectural firm of Ehresman
Associates, Inc., Troy, to provide the necessary
design and engineering services. Their
responsibilities would include designing a new
faade, a new HVAC system with improved
controls, replacing the outdated and inefficient
windows, adding higher efficiency lighting inside
and out, creating a new reception desk, and
upgrading the restroom facilities. The scope of the
project expanded to include additional safety and
security improvements, such as a new security
camera, fire alarm system and increased

emergency exits to bring the building up to code.
Additionally, improvements were made to the
parking lot to improve traffic flow.
It Started WIth a VISIon

Once the BINZ and Ehresman developed their
vision for remodeling, the DBA needed to select a
construction company to perform the work.
Typically, we like to hire our construction
managers during preconstruction so they can have
a voice in the construction and programming
stages, said Clifton. That way, everyone knows
what they are getting into and can maintain the
budget schedule. KEO & Associates, Inc., a
Detroit-based construction management firm, was
brought in early in the process. The benefit of that
is we have an opportunity to engage in value
engineering, said Chris Onwuzurike, president
and CEO for KEO & Associates, Inc. Oftentimes,
the owners desires and wishes exceed the
available budget, so we can - with schematics and
working sessions - work to achieve the same
goals, but at a very cost effective level.
Though the budget for the project had been set,
the scope was still changing; so KEO &
Associates, Inc. worked diligently with the DBA
and Ehresman to finalize the scope and also
establish a finalized budget.
The project was set on a fast-track schedule
with the upgrade to the HVAC as the primary task,
to ensure animal climate control for the weather
transition from summer and fall to winter. The
interior demolition and architectural and electrical
work were performed during the winter and spring
months in close coordination with the BINZ staff
so they could maintain complete building
occupancy at all times. The exterior siding, parking
lot re-pavement, exterior lighting, and landscaping
work were performed during spring and summer
with minimal disturbance to the public and staff.
BrIng on the ChallengeS

Topping the list of challenges from an
architectural standpoint was replacing the large,
curved windows encircling the perimeter of the
building. The windows were Plexiglas in aluminum
angle frames with no insulating value at all, that
had clouded and yellowed over time, said
Elizabeth Muzyk, AIA, project architect for
Ehresman. They made the interior space look
dreary because no natural light was getting
through them. Youre in here with all these living
things and you have no sunlight.
This became one of the most important and
interesting challenges for Muzyk. She found
Tubelite, Inc., a Michigan manufacturing company
that designed a rotational mullion to work with the
curve of the building, but could accept straight
glass segments. You would have to see the
before and after to visualize what a huge
difference it really makes, said Michelangelo
Cereghino, general manager, KEO & Associates,

Inc. Its like a whole new space.
Adding an emergency exit presented another
challenge that was also complicated by the
buildings round shape. There was a single egress
door that had been converted to access a storage
room added to the building years ago. A special
curved lintel was fabricated for the opening that
would work with the buildings curved masonry
exterior wall. The storage area was eliminated and
the opening was expanded to accommodate two
doors that provided the needed emergency exiting
capacity for city code. We improved the life and
safety of this building tremendously, said
Cereghino. We added the emergency exit and a
new fire alarm system that the building didnt have
before.
the hot neW meetIng Spot

Several changes were made to the multipurpose room to improve its functionality and
comfort. The round room created echoes and
fluttering sound effects, especially for those seated
in the middle of the space. For a room intended
for lectures and presentations, that was an
enormous problem and prevented the BINZ facility
from reaching its full potential as a meeting place
and a learning center. To eliminate this problem,
they added storage space to the front of the room
that provided several benefits. First, it added
flexibility to the room because it can now store
tables and chairs nearby to accommodate the
needs of different groups. But it also provided a
flat surface for video projection and television
presentations that improved the sound quality of
the space by changing its acoustical dynamics.
Adjusting the space, with the storage room, the
acoustic panels, the carpet all of those pieces
together made it a much more useable room, said
Muzyk. The improvements did not go unnoticed
by the friends of the BINZ. I dont think I would be
stretching it to say that weve quickly moved up to
the hot new meeting spot on the Island, said
Reed. The use of the space went up at least 50
percent. The groups that associate with the BINZ
also communicate frequently with each other, and
word-of-mouth has spread that the multi-purpose
room is The Place to hold meetings.
keepIng It natural
The design of the entrance and reception area
was another change that really improved the look
and flow of the interior. The tall booth that was
anchored in the center of the entry was removed,
which opened the space and exposed the
opposite wall that had once displayed aquariums.
This space is now highlighted by a restored
reception desk that is covered with a product
made from oak tree impressions, giving it a rustic
and natural feel that looks great with the stone on
the walls in that same area. The thing we said

most during the construction was, Keep in mind,
we are a nature facility. Ehresman made sure to
incorporate that into the process, said Reed. I
think they did a great job with that. Additionally,
the new windows that extend above the lobby
bring in more light, making it much more inviting.
Things were changing on the outside of the
building that gave the remodeled BINZ a new look
and represented one of the biggest logistical
challenges for the build team. Installation of the
metal exterior siding was complicated and slowed
by the conditions on site. Extensive vegetation,
rough terrain, endangered trees, and a bee habitat
were among the obstacles that the team needed
to address. The BINZ staff went around the
building tagging trees and other elements that
needed to be protected. Using a Sky Track, an allterrain type vehicle with a boom would have been
the most efficient way to install the siding.
However, a Pumpkin Ash, an endangered species
of tree, was directly in the booms path. You cant
even get near the trees (with heavy equipment),
because if you get near them, you compact the
root system and you kill the trees, said Reed.
They did it the old fashion way, using scaffolding
and ladders, they were very creative, said
Cereghino.
The bee exhibit, which is an observation
window on the interior of the building, has an
exposed entrance for the bees on the outside. This
became another time-sensitive issue for the
builders because the bees had to be temporarily
relocated or the crew would not have been able to
perform their jobs. Also, the staff wanted the bees
returned to their original location as soon as
possible, so the contractors had to work quickly.
But the hive could only be moved six to 12 feet
away from the original location to prevent the bees
from becoming disoriented and possibly abandon
their hive altogether.
ControllIng the ClImate

The HVAC system was one of the more critical
aspects of construction because climate control,
especially in the middle of winter, was critical for
the resident animals. That is where KEO &
Associates, Inc. focused their efforts early in the
process to assure the needs of the animals would
be met before they moved on to other areas.
Special care was taken to minimize the effect of
construction on the live animals. The Mud Puppy
is a fish-like species whose 150-gallon aquarium
habitat requires considerable monitoring and care.
Other facilities have had difficulty keeping their
Mud Puppies alive, but the BINZ has done a
tremendous job with them. We are a research
facility for the Mud Puppy and they are a Keystone
indicator of water quality for the Great Lakes, said
Reed. For this reason, the Mud Puppy exhibit is
the only one on site that has its own generator

system to sustain the habitat should the BINZ lose
power.
Besides the obstacles of dealing with live animal
exhibits and endangered landscaping, the BINZ
maintained regular business hours throughout the
entire construction process. KEO & Associates,
Inc. needed to work closely with the BINZ staff to
coordinate each phase of the job in order to
minimize disruption. This is an area where we
bring our expertise. Being able to work with the
owner, and understanding that running their
program without interruption, and the safety issues
associated with us working in this type of
environment, is key, said Onwuzurike.
Mechanical upgrades included a new
transformer that was installed to replace the old
deficient unit, and two substantially more efficient
rooftop HVAC units were installed to replace the
older models. New LED lighting was installed
inside, outside, and in the parking lot, using
photocell and timer controls to improved efficiency
and reduce costs. The restrooms were upgraded
with new tile on the floor and walls, high velocity
hand dryers, efficient plumbing fixtures with
automatic faucets and flush valves, new water
fountains with integrated bottle fillers, and the old
vinyl flooring was replaced with a natural linoleum
that is more durable and maintenance-friendly. On
the outside, the existing native plants were pruned,
new native varieties were planted, and non-native
or invasive species were removed.
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A strong effort was made by the project team
to utilize as many Michigan-manufactured
products as possible, said Muzyk. There was an
emphasis placed on materials that perform well
and are more efficient and more sustainable. Ultra
Seam, the exterior metal siding selected for its
durability, recycled content and Energy Star color
rating, was manufactured in Detroit. The linoleum
flooring was selected for its natural materials,
durability and simple maintenance procedures.
Through his state conservation connections, Reed
procured a tree bark material that was used to
wrap the front desk, the support columns, and
some walls within the facility.
It is apparent that the teamwork between the
BINZ staff, KEO & Associates, Inc. and Ehresman
was critical to the successful delivery of this
t
This nature observation area features large
windows that provide visitors with a great
view of the birds and other plants and wildlife
that are common on Belle Isle. The new
windows above the space feature rotational
mullions that follow the curvature of the
building but accept straight glass, a solution
the designers were most proud of on this
project. The original windows were failing
and cloudy and held back natural light.
5750 Enterprise Court

Warren, MI 48092-3462
2846 Northridge NW
Walker, MI 49544
dont
think
would
be
stretching it to say that weve

quickly moved up to the hot new
meeting spot on the Island
project. The groups ability to maintain daily

communication and coordinate the workflow
prevented problems from occurring and directly
solved many issues before they could become
problems. It was definitely a plus that these groups
had worked together prior to this project. The group
as a whole has done a lot of work with the Detroit
Zoological Society and, of course, Mike Reed, who
was here day-to-day and very involved in this project.
said Clifton. The Detroit Zoological Society members
who were involved include Chief Operating Officer
Gerry VanAcker; Facilities Superintendent Melinda
Ostrander; and the Director of Park Operations John
Anderson. Clifton also credits DBAs former Director
C. Beth DunCombe for her leadership and support.
When asked about the most rewarding aspect of
this project as a construction manager, Onwuzurike
replied, Coming in to a project where the owner and
architect have already met and have a vision of what
they want to accomplish, and we were able to come
in here and facilitate and enable and bring that vision
to reality. KEO & Associates, Inc. and Ehresman had
much to be happy about when you consider the fact
that the work was accomplished without any serious
interruptions to the BINZ schedule or programs, the

owners were extremely satisfied with the results, and
even the animals seem to be enjoying their new
surroundings.
keep up the good Work

The responses from visitors to the BINZ have been
overwhelmingly positive. They are happy to see all the
improvements to the facility. But more importantly,
from the BINZs perspective, is that they notice all the
things that were done to improve the animals
habitats. Reed sometimes feels guilty when patrons
credit him for the improvements that have taken place,
simply because of the number of people involved that
helped make it happen. But it shows them that we
have the community at heart, said Reed. Concluding
a tour of the facility just outside of the main entrance,
a visitor felt compelled to interject his thoughts that
seemed to confirm Reeds words. He said, It looks
like you people have something to do with the work
going on here. Keep it up; its a really good thing! Like
so many others, he seemed to understand the Islands
history and potential. No doubt there are many more
people that share those exact sentiments.
p
The lobby was transformed into a light and airy gathering space complete with new
lighting and windows, natural stone walls, wood flooring, and a front reception desk covered
in a simulated oak tree bark material that adds to the rooms rustic ambiance.
Redesigning the acoustically challenged, round multi-purpose room in the center of the
nature zoo was interesting project for the design team. Adding flat walls, acoustic panels,
and carpet reduced the echo chamber effects. Add in the updated audio and video
capabilities and you have a space that is now the hot spot for meetings for municipal
employees and other groups.
REVITALIZING HISTORIC DETROIT

THE GARDEN THEATER
Associate Editor: Caitlin Wunderlich
THE GARDEN THEATER
p
Pictured is the detail of the restored plasterwork on the ceiling of the Garden Theater.
Photo by Jeff Garland
p
The renovated interior of the theater, as
shown from the bar. Photo by Jeff Garland
Detroiters have witnessed the recent economic

downturn that left a path of vacant buildings in its
wake. As the city emerges and recovers, many of
these buildings are left in a decrepit state, often
subject to vandalism and fire; they then become
dangerous and the surrounding community rallies
to tear them down. These structures are constant
reminders of the hard times felt by many.
Luckily for Detroit, its individuals appreciate and
fight to preserve unique architectural gems.
Detroits industrial reputation is known worldwide
- but Detroit was also the pinnacle of design and
innovation. In fact, some of the leading early 20th
Century and Mid-Century architects hailed from
the city.
Built in 1912, the Garden Theater was an early
project of C. Howard Crane, an architect who
began his career in Detroit before becoming one
of the most prolific theater architects in the
country. Crane designed many Detroit icons like
the Fillmore Detroit in 1925 (or State Theater, as
many still call it), the Detroit Opera House (or
Capitol Theater, in the early 1920s), and arguably
his most famous, the Fox Theater in 1928.
In 1949 the Garden Theater closed its doors
only to reopen as a series of nightclubs and adult
theaters. Its degeneration quickly infected the
entire block, until finally the theater was
abandoned and left to decay.
TheaTer
ProjecT
Becomes
Block
Over 10 years ago, three Detroit businessmen

launched Woodward SA-PK, LLC, Detroit, a
development group targeting blighted areas in the
city. Partners George Stewart, Michael Byrd and
William Mosely set their sights on the historic
Garden Theater on the 3900 block of Woodward
Avenue. Situated between Alexandrine and
Selden, the Woodward Garden Block
Development project grew out of the desire to
save an architectural gem overwhelmed by the
surrounding blight and decay. Woodward SA-PK

aimed to create an entertainment district around
the historic Garden Theater, closer to the growing
Midtown area.
This was the only blighted block between
Warren and Mack, explained Stewart, who had
grown up in Detroit and remembered the hustle
and bustle that once surrounded the area, but
now it was empty. It had at least two fires and
was quite decaying.
In order to achieve their vision for an
entertainment district centered on the Garden
Theater, the team realized they needed to tackle
the entire block. The first few years of
development focused on acquiring the
neighboring properties and building the right team
to manage the subsequent four separate phases
of construction. Unfortunately, because of the
economic conditions in Detroit at the time, this
meant postponing construction on the theater in
order to prioritize and finance the grand vision.
Woodward SA-PK contracted Quinn Evans
Architects, Ann Arbor, as the master architect for
the entire block. Quinn Evans prepared a
comprehensive plan for the individual construction
phases of the block that would span more than
five years. A firm with ample experience in historic
preservation, Quinn Evans was also contracted as
the architects of record for the historic
preservation of the two historic structures on the
block: the Blue Moon building (1886) on the
corner, and the Garden Theater (1912) in the
center.
McIntosh Poris Associates, Birmingham, was
also brought on board as the design architect for
the interior of the Garden Theater and the
individual build-outs on the block. Construction
Logistics, LLC, Detroit, a joint venture between
the Monahan Company and the Means Group,
were the general contractors for the rehabilitation
of the Garden Theater in addition to the later
phases of the block development.
p
The restored faade and new retail spaces facing Woodward Avenue. Photo by Jeff Garland
p
An image of the exterior of the Garden Theater after years of being abandoned.
Photo by McIntosh Poris Associates
Early phases of the Woodward Garden Block
Development project involved constructing a
parking structure, renovating the historic corner
building, and adding new office space. Currently,
that section of the block is home to Great Lakes
Coffee Roasting Co., Midtown Detroit, Inc., The
Kresge Foundation, and office space for Wayne
State University. These businesses have drawn
more traffic and energy to the block, and have
created the type of lively environment the theater
needs in order to become a vital entity in the
neighborhood once more.
Progress Underway
garden TheaTer
on
The
In 2012 the decaying state of the Garden

Theater was finally addressed. While the exterior
faade facing Woodward Avenue remained intact,
much of its original character was hidden under
layers of paint and grime, and the vestiges of past
owners. Structurally, the building appeared to be
in good shape from the street.
However, years of being vacant and damage

from fires destroyed entire sections of the interior.
The site, originally divided into two independent
structures by an open-air atrium, was completely
crumbling in some sections. The three-story
building facing Woodward served as a reception
or lobby area for the theater behind. This building
had suffered the most damage; an entire wall
separating the lobby area from the atrium had
collapsed exposing the three levels to the negative
impact of the elements. The loss of this wall also
drastically affected the structural integrity of the
building - entire sections of the building were too
dangerous to enter. In addition, the original plans
for the building were not found. Until the building
could be properly braced, architects were forced
to design areas of the space without actually
walking through them.
On the other side of the open-air atrium, the
actual theater space remained in better shape.
Structurally, all four walls remained standing, but
the interior was in need of extreme clean up and
demolition. Years of abandonment had allowed

debris to build up. Once that was removed, layers
of old renovations to the theater could be
demolished leaving an open, clean space for the
team to address problem areas and begin the
restoration.
Undoubtedly, the state of the building had
deterred many investors, but the economic state
of the city also had a great impact. As Detroit fell
deeper and deeper into recession, this building,
and many others, sat vacant. Once Woodward
SA-PK launched their plans to buy this property
and bring it back to life, there were no more large
banks loaning money for this kind of
redevelopment in the city. The team needed to
find more unconventional sources of funding.
According to Stewart, it took more than two
years and the help of many supporting
organizations to pull together the financing for the
Garden Theater portion of the project. Susan
Mosey, president of Midtown Detroit, Inc., was a
big advocate for the Woodward Garden Block
Development project. Because of the two historic
buildings that were saved on the site, Mosey
helped incorporate the entire block as a Historic
District within Midtown. This Historic designation
opened the door to several tax credits, which
consisted of about 20 percent of construction
costs. Woodward SA-PK also received the
Michigan Business tax credit, as well as other tax
incentives for removing blight in the city.
The plan for the final phase of construction on
the Woodward Garden Block Development
included a new five-story housing development
next to the Garden Theater that could fill the
housing demand in Midtown. This addition
enabled the team to secure a federal loan under
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) program. Stewart described
other grants and loans the block project received
including from the State of Michigan, Detroit
Economic Growth, and other local companies:
THE GARDEN THEATER
Detroit Edison had come out with several plans

about energy efficiency, so we were able to apply
for an energy grant, which we received.
Probably seven or eight different layers of
funding went into this particular project,
continued Stewart. And thats because you
couldnt just go to a bank, added Michael Poris,
co-founder of McIntosh Poris Associates. This
financing package allowed the developer,
Woodward SA-PK, to invest in the entire block;
but more importantly, by creating this package,
they could finance the restoration of an iconic
Detroit building despite the condition it was left in.
Had the team been limited to a narrower scope
of financing, the costs of preserving this building
could have overwhelmed and stopped the
project.
I think the synergy of the team that worked
together in Detroit always looked for solutions
instead of dwelling on problems, explained
Stewart. Once the Garden Theater was
recognized as a historic site, the architectural
team needed to work with both the State of
Michigans Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
and the National Park Service (NPS) to receive
funding and their approval. Elisabeth Knibbe,
architect of record for Quinn Evans Architects, and
Jennifer
Henricksen,
project
architect,
spearheaded much of this process.
Henriksen explained the in-depth process in
three simple phases: first, they needed to prove
that this building was significant; second, they
needed to demonstrate the severity of the existing
conditions and how they were going to proceed;
and finally, they needed to confirm that they
fulfilled their mission to earn their final approval.
We did need to meet the standards of the
Secretary of the Interiors Standards for
Rehabilitation, continued Henriksen, and that
was part of the way the project was funded.
Anything we did in the building was reviewed by
the State Historic Preservation Office and then
also the National Park Service. They want to meet
the 10 standards that are set up by the Secretary
of Interior for Historic Properties. The design
needed to fall within those guidelines in order to
be approved.
This approval process involved a lot of giveand-take in the design, and concessions were
made because of the state the structure. For
example, some of the walls in the lobby were
originally covered in plaster, which was destroyed
in the fire; so when they redesigned the space
they didnt need to re-plaster the walls. But in
areas where the plaster was still intact, the design
needed to include drywall over the brick to mirror
the plaster walls.
Originally, the building came in at $2.5 million
over budget. Working within strict financial
constraints, the team had to figure out how to
incorporate the necessary guidelines of both
SHPO and the NPS and bring the costs of
construction back in budget in order to make it

even plausible. Lis Knibbe was really instrumental
in going through the drawings and taking charge,
and allowing this project to take place, explained
Eric Means of Construction Logistics.
shore IT UP
Had it gone through another hard winter, it
would have been lost, explained Stewart. By
coming in and bracing and shoring it up, I think
we saved the outer faade. At one time I was very

worried that the outer faade was going to spill
over into Woodward Avenue. Thanks to a lot of
ingenuity from the architectural team and the
structural engineers, we were able to preserve it.
The peeling brown paint has been removed
from the faade revealing beautiful terracotta
colored brick. Pieces of crumbling limestone were
replaced with metal panel, and new storefronts
and canopies were added. Some elements, like
THE GARDEN THEATER
the original Beaux Arts cornice across the top of

the faade, were removed at an earlier point in the
buildings history, and therefore left off. The
architects did not want to simply recreate the look
of the theater; instead they chose to retain
elements of its past life in the city.
While they were able to rescue much of the
faade, the majority of the interior lobby and
theater had to be completely gutted and
retrofitted. About 95 percent of the floor joists,
which gave stability to the structural walls, were
rotted out, burned, or otherwise destroyed. We
had to replace them. As we started taking them
out, the building started to become less stable,
explained W. Daniel Monahan, project manager
for Construction Logistics.
We had one instance where the building
started falling and shores bent, continued

Monahan. Then we needed more shores, and we
needed to re-brace the building. It was all
handwork; we couldnt get a crane to it. We had
a forklift and a scissor jack to handle materials,
but everything else was basically three or four
carpenters and half a dozen laborers picking up
debris. For about six months, the construction
team tenuously worked to reframe the building. It
was a race between the structural installations
and the effect of gravity on the existing masonry.
One of the unique challenges Monahan
touched on was the accessibility issue with this
site. On one side of the theater was the newly
constructed office space and parking deck, and
on the other side was the site for the new
apartment buildings - a project that, because of
p Years of neglect and fire damage caused a partial collapse in the atrium between
the theater and lobby. Photo by McIntosh Poris Associates
the funding package from HUD, could no longer

be postponed.
HUD, which financed the apartment building,
has an interest in getting it done quickly and
getting the final financing in place, explained
Monahan. We had to ask for a three or four
month delay to start the apartment building just
so we could get the heavy lifting done on this site
first. We were able to hold off the apartment
building for a few months and get the equipment
on the roof, the steel set, all the carpentry done,
masonry, pour concrete, and we finally reached a
point where we didnt need quite that much
access.
InTegrITy Preserved
Throughout the theaters history, many owners
had cut corners in renovations to incorporate
modern technology into the building. HVAC
equipment, for example, was once cheaply
installed inside the theater with all of the ductwork
hidden above a drop ceiling.
However, their cost-cutting strategies
preserved and protected remarkable details of the
original structure that probably would have been
destroyed at some point. As the team removed
the drop ceiling from the theater, they were
amazed to discover the beautifully preserved
plaster ceiling, moldings and medallions. We had
an idea that there wasnt much left, and in the end
I think we were surprised at some of the things
we found, explained Henriksen.
This discovery enhanced the architects vision
for the space, bringing back the charm and
character of Cranes original design. While the
majority of the plasterwork on the ceiling was in
fairly good shape, they decided to do a little
patching up and a fresh coat of paint to give it a
new life.
p Shown here is the original plasterwork discovered

above the drop ceiling in the theater. Photo by
McIntosh Poris Associates
THE GARDEN THEATER
New technology was then smartly added to the

building. HVAC equipment was moved to the roof
with horizontal runs across the roof and dropping
down into the space. New plumbing and electrical
systems were incorporated. With the grant from
DTE Energy, everything is now cutting edge
equipment and energy efficient, said Monahan.
McIntosh Poris were responsible for much of
the interior design of the theater, specifically
focusing on how to integrate the necessary new
technology for an entertainment venue with the
rich history afforded by the remaining building. The
acoustic panels, for instance, are necessary for a
theater to create the right balance between live
and dead space. With strict budget constraints,
the team designed an efficient and relatively cheap
acoustic panel using laser cut plywood over
insulation, and positioning them in such a way that
they do not completely block off the plaster
ceiling. In fact, in some cases, they were able to
move the panels over damaged portions of the
ceiling to hide some of the imperfections.
The State Historic Preservation Office and the
National Park Service both approved of the mix of
modern and historic elements in the design which,
as Michael Poris explains, Creates a lot of
contrast so you can see the difference between
what has been added and what is original. The
juxtaposition of old and new breathes new life into
the venue.
At about 32,000 square feet and
accommodating around 1,200 people, plans for
the space include entertainment groups,
banquets, weddings, and other business events.
The two structures have been joined with an
enclosed atrium featuring an ornately carved steel
wall and large bank of skylights, both of which
harken back to the theaters original open-air
atrium. A brand new restaurant and bar now
occupy a portion of the first floor facing
Woodward, while office space and conference
rooms are on the second and third floors. The
theater portion has been upgraded to a state-ofthe-art auditorium with a upper level bar and VIP
balcony.
Recently, the Garden Theater hosted the JP
Morgan Chase Investment event celebrating the
companys move back into the City of Detroit.
That is the first time a major bank expressed
interest in investing money in the City of Detroit
since we went through the recession; probably
around 2008, explained Stewart.
As property values remain low in sections of
Detroit because of the presence of abandoned
structures, developers are flocking to the city.
Unfortunately, many of these developers are quick
to pronounce a building unsalvageable because
the cost of rehabilitating a historic structure far
outweighs demolishing and building a new
modern structure. These developers opt for new,
rather than investing in the historic buildings that
represent Detroits history. However, the Garden
Theater team tackled what many deemed

impossible.
As with any project, There is a lot that goes
untold. But after the fact, when you stand on
the curb and look at it, you can say, Well, it
wasnt that bad, explained Means. The team
was able to accomplish what they set out to do.
They saved an iconic Detroit building that was
on the verge of collapse.
A lot of people would have just torn the

theater down. Most people would have looked
at it and thought there was no way to save it,
and probably many did, explained Poris. But
now look at the quality that has been
maintained. Indeed, the Garden Theatre was a
burnt out building, a relic of a once great
theater lost in a blighted block and it was
saved.
D
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Masonry
Masonr
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Tuckpointing
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Concrete
C
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Sealants
S
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Waterblasting
Wa
W
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Expansion Joints
Joints
Sandblasting
Sandblasting
Guniting
Guniting
General
General Contracting
Contracting
Stone
Stone Restoration
Restoration
Terra
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Restoration
Terra C
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Structural
Steel
Replacement
S
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Waterproofing
Wa
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Epoxy
Injection
Epoxy Injec
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Rigging
R
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Steeljack
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S
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Cornice
Removal
Cornice Remo
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Energy
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Energy C
onservation
DOWN ON THE FARM

IN THE 21 ST CENTURY
AGRO-CULTURE
LIQUID FERTILIZERS
Clayton Studios
p
q
With a fieldstone base, a barn red rain screen system and a rolling half-arc of a roof, the
west half of the building honors the agrarian traditions of the Midwest.
This polished, contemporary interior has a beautiful flow of materials with a rustic twist as
shown by the strong use of wood and the corn-like pattern in the flooring.
Due west of St. Johns, a broad sweep of farm

fields stretches to the horizon in a 360 degree
view of sky, corn and soybeans. The farm
country on the fringes of this modest city in
central Michigan is the ideal place for a liquid
fertilizer company to put down its corporate
roots. In fact, a windswept corn field grows
directly next door to the incredible new
headquarters of Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers,
an innovative and environmentally responsible
company that treats its neighbors well both
plant and farmer.
A pioneering company with the ultimate green
thumb, AgroLiquid operates the largest plant
nutrition research farm in the United States. The
almost 1,000-acre North Central Research Farm
is located only seven miles from the firms
inventive new corporate facility, courtesy of the
Lansing design/build team of the Wieland-Davco
Corporation and Hobbs + Black Architects, Inc.
Part barn, part contemporary office building in
appearance, the new facility pays homage to the
agrarian traditions of the Midwest and to the
sophisticated backbone of scientific research and
modern agricultural technology needed to feed a
dinner party of seven billion people.
With a fieldstone base, a barn red rain screen
system and a rolling half-arc of a roof, the west
half of the building has the profile and
appearance of a country barn. The east half is
a contemporary arc of glass curtain wall with an
agrarian twist. A glass silo rises almost 40 feet
through the faade and roof. This contemporary
version of a traditional silo is set in a grid of metal
slats resembling corn cribbing, but rather than
corn, this silo stores a stock of AgroLiquid
memorabilia in a decidedly unconventional gift
shop.
On the interior, the Farm meets the 21st
Century in an inspired re-invention of rural forms
and materials. Within this 57,000-square-foot
facility, a fieldstone-clad elevator shaft resembles
an interior silo, 10 antique tractor wheels become
ceiling accents, and reclaimed barn wood serves
as a series of tables and sections of wall
cladding.
The buildings quality is undisputed; the design
is inspired. The project team turned timber,
fieldstone and corrugated metal into a polished
and sophisticated corporate headquarters. This
hybrid interior of country and corporate living has
a certain whimsical charm, including light fixtures
in the shape of inverted milk bottles over the
coffee bar.
Give a fertilizer company a great idea and
watch the project grow. AgroLiquid added
significant scope, but Wieland-Davco still met the
original schedule.
Wieland-Davco jumped
through a lot of hoops and all the hoops were
on fire but the company still delivered the
building in time for AgroLiquids 30th Anniversary
AGROLIQUID
celebration in June 2013. There was scope

creep without schedule creep, said AgroLiquid
Vice President of Operations Nicholas T.
Bancroft.
Creative in design and in execution, the
building inspires blue-sky thinking. This is
definitely a building where people can think
outside the box, said Bancroft.
seeDs of ChAnGe
The facilitys uniqueness is the perfect
expression of a company continually blossoming
with bright ideas. In fact, AgroLiquid is on the
leading edge of a culture shift in fertilizer products
committed to safeguarding plant health,
protecting the environment, and prospering the
farmer. As a founding member of the Responsible
Nutrient Management Foundation, AgroLiquid
advocates using smaller amounts of properly
applied, high-efficiency fertilizer for improved
plant yield.
AgroLiquids own formula for success: a
proper balance of micronutrients + precision
placement + prescription programs for a farmers
specific soil = the same or even higher crop
yields. Regulations are moving towards the
prevention of contamination of aquifers and water
systems, said Bancroft. What better way to do
that than to put the product where it is going to
get used and to apply less. Weve been doing
for 30 years what the government is going to tell
the fertilizer industry they have to do in the next
10 years.
AgroLiquid has planted the seeds of change
for its own corporate enterprise, as well. The
new headquarters is a far cry from AgroLiquids
original 4,200-square-foot offices. It was an old
equipment dealership built in the 60s that we
had moved into 15 years before, said Bancroft.
We were stacked like cordwood in the building.
Our facility was stunting our growth. We were not
hiring people, simply because we had no place
to put them.
Purchasing the adjacent 10 acres gave
AgroLiquid room to grow. Once limited to office
space and a small break room, AgroLiquids new
facility houses a grand atrium, research
laboratories, a new data center, and a production
studio for generating videos and marketing
materials. Adding to the mix, the building hosts
conference space for 150 people, a community
education center called the IQ Hub, and a suite
of hotel rooms for visiting national staff. Full
laundry service and a fitness center with windows
overlooking a field of bright, blazing green
complete the long list of amenities.
PlowinG heADlonG into the rfP

The amazing building now rising two stories
out of the farm fields along M-21 and S. Dewitt
Road began as a Request for Proposal (RFP)
sent in mid-December 2011. AgroLiquid sent the

RFP packets to eight design/build contractors,
including Wieland-Davco. Having worked with
Hobbs + Black on over 100 projects, WielandDavco decided to partner with the architectural
firm soon after receiving the packet.
The race was on, with each project team
having four weeks to prepare a proposal and
presentation. According to Wieland-Davco Vice
President of Marketing Kevin Shaw, the team
prepared design renderings, an animated flythrough video, and a complete Division 1 through
16 budget for the project, all in the quest to win
this coveted assignment.
The two firms put their shoulder to the plow in
preparing a fairly detailed design of a building that
was both high-tech and at home in its rural
setting. We did a great deal of research into
traditional agrarian structures, said Hobbs +
Black Project Architect David Nims. We also
asked ourselves the question: How do we
balance farm history and memory with the future
and innovation?
This became a question with several different
answers. We had a number of versions that
went in different directions, said Nims. Each of
these contributed to or informed the final
outcome. The project team clearly hit on the
right answer, as shown during the day of the big
presentation.
seize the DAy

January 2012: AgroLiquid President Troy
Bancroft and other Bancroft family members are
seated in a conference room in Wieland-Davcos
Lansing headquarters. A fly-through animation
of a detailed building design is playing on the
screen. We took a risk and put it all out there,
recalled Hobbs + Black, Director of Interior
Design Betsy Wagner, IIDA. We wanted this
job.
At one point, the animation laser locks on the
exterior of the executive boardroom housed in the
barn-half of the building. The boardroom and its
glass curtain wall cantilever over a great podium
of simulated board-formed concrete and directly
face the main entry road. We were looking at
barn structures in Tennessee, and these
cantilevered barns are part of an Appalachian
vernacular, explained Nims.
The exposed concrete base - an extension of
the foundation wall - is emblazoned with the
name of Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers. The
company logo, the cantilevered boardroom and
the great glass arc of the buildings east half
makes for a dramatic introduction to this unique
building.
The boardroom, like the building, is a hybrid of
barn and office. Two walls are clad in the barn
red slats of the fiber cement rain screen and the
north face is blanketed in glass curtain wall. The
boardrooms curtain wall visually grafts the two

halves of the building together through the
medium of glass. The boardroom provided us
with a great transition between this contemporary
piece and the historic piece of the building, said
Nims.
Moving into the interior, the fly-through zeroes
in on a computer simulation of Troy Bancroft
himself standing on the main staircase and
surveying his new headquarters. Shaw presses
the pause button, turns to Bancroft and asks,
Can you envision yourself in this building?
Proving the power of design and the art of the
presentation, Wieland-Davco ended the flythrough with a daytime shot of the east glass
faade and silo. The video went dark for a
moment and then a night shot of the silo and the
rest of the building lit up the screen, recalls
Shaw.
AgroLiquid was clearly impressed. We had
prepped ourselves and agreed that we were not
going to react to any of the presentations, said
Nick Bancroft. This was the only presentation
where we slipped. Once they showed the shot
of the building lit up, everybody went, Ah.
The aspiring team brought samples of custom
products, including corn-patterned carpeting,
and was even the only one to include a civil
engineer in the presentation. LSG Engineers &
Surveyors, Lansing, addressed a challenging site
that acts as a funnel for the stormwater runoff of
a wide swath of neighboring land.
A GrowinG Vision
AgroLiquid officially announced their selection
of Wieland-Davco/Hobbs + Black on February 1,
2012. The designs magic inspired AgroLiquid to
alter or add even more diverse spaces to the
building. I think the design helped take our
vision to a whole other level, said Bancroft.
Overall, AgroLiquid grew the actual space of
the building from 40,000 square feet to 57,000
square feet in the preconstruction design
development phase, said Wieland-Davco Senior
Project Manager Matt Getchell. The IQ Hub is a
prime example of a wonderfully altered space.
AgroLiquid intended to display its collection of
antique farm equipment in the east wing, but the
space morphed into a captivating community
education center.
Elementary school children will enjoy the seedto-plant display and the giant bean bags in the
shape of tomatoes, bananas and carrots.
Visitors can get the dirt on the living mat of soil
beneath their feet. As part of the nitrogen exhibit,
a ring of faux corn and soil rim the top of a small
theater in the round. The display shows the
progressive growth of a corn plant, while colored
lights in the faux soil track fertilizer uptake
throughout the plants life-cycle.
AgroLiquid opted for a commercial kitchen and
AGROLIQUID
five hotel suites, adding approximately 6,000 to

7,000 square feet to the building. The decision
to go for LEED Gold also expanded the square
footage. Opting for LEED Gold led to the
redesign of the original geothermal system and
the expansion of the mechanical systems to meet
LEED Gold energy standards, said Getchell.
Some mechanical systems were housed in
designated storage spaces, leading to the
construction of a freestanding, 12,000-squarefoot masonry storage barn.
Despite the added scope, Getchell tackled the
impossible with aplomb. Getchell had personally
promised AgroLiquid President Troy Bancroft that
he would deliver a quality project and meet the
schedule. And we did, said Getchell. In our
agenda that we went through every week, those
were our top two items. We continually asked
ourselves: Do we have any quality issues? What
do we need to do to meet the schedule?
zero sCheDule CreeP

True teamwork was a vital nutrient for this
successful project. The team that was brought
together was familiar with each other, and many
of the subs were prequalified, said Bancroft.
The people on the team have integrity, so when
we sat in the construction trailer to solve
scheduling issues, everybody was willing to make
it happen.
Constant feedback and prompt decisions
propelled the project forward. The owner and
architect were on site for weekly meetings, said
Getchell.
Wieland-Davco also carefully managed the
long lead items to bring the building in on time.
The long lead items included four-sided glass,
stone, structural steel and glu-lam timbers. The
four-sided glass - glass with no exterior mullion
cap and held in place by silicon sealant is
installed in the boardroom and east atrium.
Overall, Wieland-Davco simply did what it does
best. We excel at design/build, fast-track
projects, said Getchell.
Down in the VAlley

Wieland-Davco broke ground in June 2012
and began the year-long countdown to the grand
opening. One of the first tasks was management
of a site that acts as an unofficial collector of the
stormwater runoff from the surrounding 114
acres. In the old building, the water used to just
flow over their parking lot and basically flood
them out, said Getchell. Our civil engineer
designed some swales to protect the new
building by collecting the water in these swales
and in two stormwater retention ponds.
The company also discovered that three feet
of top soil had migrated and settled over much
of the AgroLiquid site. We stripped the three
feet of topsoil out, said Getchell, exporting
15,000 yards of topsoil, using some of it on

AgroLiquids own nearby research farm.
Wieland-Davco also installed a lift station and
approximately 2,465 feet of sewer and water
lines. The previous building was on a septic field
and well, but we needed city water because of
the size of the new building, said Getchell.
AgroLiquid secured township approval and
funded the new tie-in from the City of St. Johns
to the site.
the BuilDinGs roots

The building rests on spread footing concrete
foundations. The exteriors exposed concrete is
an extension of the foundation wall that is poured
to simulate the look of a past era. A liner panel
was inserted into the form, so when we removed
the form, the concrete actually looks like it was
formed with wood, said Getchell.
Most of the buildings west face is blanketed
in fieldstone quarried in Michigan and
Pennsylvania. The mason split it on site and laid
it by hand, said Bancroft, who even placed a few
stones himself. The two- to three-inch stone was
set in a deep mortar bed to form a fieldstone
base that seems straight out of 19th Century rural
Michigan.
Nims explains the concrete and fieldstone
alignment. On the west, the wall is concrete up
to the point the fieldstone starts and then it
transitions to a traditional wall system. This shift
between fieldstone and concrete is required as
the landscaping starts to undulate around the
building. The concrete below the fieldstone is
stepped to follow the height changes in the
grade.
This rippling landscape not only aids
stormwater management, but is also a play on
the clients liquid fertilizer products. It alludes to
the traditional barn ramp of built-up earth used
to access a barns upper level, added Nims.
A ComPlex BArn rAisinG

Overall, the building has four structural
materials: concrete, masonry, steel, and glu-lam
timbers. Its not a traditional office building with
steel and masonry as the structure and drywall
and carpeting on the interior, said Getchell. The
building has multiple systems and a great deal of
custom finishes.
The first step in assembling this complex
puzzle of a structure was building the 8,000square-foot IQ Hub. The Hub has a glass curtain
wall, but it is mainly a masonry load-bearing
structure with a grid of 10 massive glu-lam timber
beams, each weighing 8,800 lbs. Three beams
per truckload were shipped from Arkansas to the
site, said Bancroft. Each member is 3.5-feet
deep and almost 70 feet in length.
Hobbs + Black carefully plotted the random
pattern of the Hubs masonry walls. The
masonry was meant to mimic traditional silo tile,

said Nims. The texturing was supposed to bring
in the feel of rammed earth construction. As
another tribute to rural forms, the entire Hub
curves away from the east atrium and is
conceived as a kind of lean-to against the
building.
The next step in this complex barn raising was
setting the steel for the atrium and the glu-lam
timber columns for the barn. Although the steel
of the glass-wrapped atrium is framed
independently from the barns timber structure,
the two halves of the building, are bolted
together for rigid stability along two of the longest
wood beams that run the length of the building,
said Nims.
The border between the two building halves
is the back of the atrium where first-story steel
columns and second-story timbers form a single
column line. A pin connection links the timbers
to the moment frame steel plinth, explained
Nims.
heAtinG the BArn
Two silos one glass and the other fieldstone fill this grand
atrium with a contemporary yet natural feel. The glass silo
houses a gift shop, while the fieldstone actually wraps the
buildings elevator shaft.
A weAther-tiGht ContemPorAry
BArn
The building also has three different roofing
systems: an EPDM roof on the atrium, a standing
seam metal roof on the half arc of the barn; and
6,000-square-feet of vegetated roofing. These
living rooftops of sedum are perched on the west
sides massive fieldstone-clad podiums. The
executive office wing - another lean-to like
structure also rests on this grand rural stage,
giving Troy Bancroft and his three sons, Albert,
Gerritt and Nick, a wonderful view of this living
roof. A rooftop patio offers a great spot for staff
lunches at the pivot point where the barn
essentially divides into two wings and offers a
place for future expansion.
The sedum and other plantings visually merge
with the green, rolling hills stretching away to the
west. Always pushing the research envelope,
AgroLiquid has even set up an experiment
examining the evaporative cooling benefits of
irrigation on their own buildings vegetated roof.
The project team also pushed the envelope on

the actual building envelope by opting for a rain
screen system more commonly used in Europe.
In this system, the red fiber cement siding is
fastened to a series of hat channels placed every
two feet on center along the traditional building
wall and its sheathing and wrap, said Nims. Like
an umbrella for a building, the system makes it
difficult for wind-driven rain to adversely impact
the building. When the rain hits the front of the
building, it is hard for the rain to get in, and if it
does, it just flows through and out, said Nims.
The rain screen system creates almost a
negative pressure behind it.
Getchell adds, There is no maintenance with
this material. For construction efficiency, the
fiber cement cladding was delivered to the jobsite
precut. Although the red fiber cement rain screen
gives the building the iconic look of a traditional
barn, this building is far more protected and far
less subject to weathering than any barn ever
built.
Altogether, Wieland-Davco constructed a

building with four structural materials, three roof
types, two different halves and four different
wings.
And that wasnt even the most
challenging part.
The quest for LEED Gold required altering the
geothermal system and other MEP components
to meet the LEED Gold energy model. The 80
geothermal wells were reduced to 36 wells
installed 400 feet below grade, almost 100 feet
deeper than the originally designed system. Our
mechanical consultant, Greensleeves, LLC,
Grand Rapids, helped us to make the well field
more efficient, said Getchell. The geothermal
system supplies water-to-water heating units in
the ceilings for the forced air system. The
building also has radiant heat around the
perimeter and underneath the reception desk.
In other sustainability features, 98 percent of
the buildings wood meets Forest Stewardship
Council standards and 37 percent of the
materials were manufactured locally. The building
features a host of reused and repurposed
materials, as well.
The project team and trade contractors
worked hard on a very difficult building. The
reward was a quality project delivered on time to
the owner. One extra perk: AgroLiquid President
Troy Bancroft made homemade ice cream for the
crew several times during this challenging project.
CorPorAte Country liVinG

As promised, AgroLiquid moved into its
wonderful new home in June 2013. The company
is clearly pleased with Wieland-Davco. In fact,
AgroLiquid has even asked the contractor to
build a manufacturing facility for the firm in
Stockton, California.
AgroLiquid has invited suppliers, the
community and a host of other visitors to its new
home. Its not what people expect from a
fertilizer company, said Bancroft. Our office has
become kind of an icon on the west side of St.
Johns.
Walk through the entrance of corrugated metal
panels and enter an atrium that soars to a height
of almost 40 feet. A fieldstone wall rises behind
the reception desk and joins the fieldstone-clad
elevator. We used cut stone to match the
fieldstone base on the building exterior, said
Wagner. We took every opportunity we could to
reinforce the building concept on the interior and
to express the whole feel of agriculture.
Hobbs + Black used materials in inventive
ways. A waterfall of cast glass flows down the
length of the silo/elevator as a type of faux water
feature. The atrium ceiling has all the warmth of
wood, but it is actually an Armstrong acoustic
metal ceiling. Placing a wood flooring material on
A boardroom unlike any other, this space has a conference table made of reclaimed
barnwood, entryways replicating the look of sliding barn doors, and light fixtures
resembling stout wagon-like wheels.
the face of the reception desk and on the nearby

wall is another example of out-of-the-box and
sustainable thinking. It is a partially recycled
wood product called Terra Mai, said Wagner.
The Farm dominates the atrium. The atriums
light fixtures resemble the high-bay fixtures used
in farm buildings. Tables in casual seating areas
are formed of reclaimed barn wood, and one
even has a barn ladder integrated into the tables
side.
The atrium flooring is as diverse as the rest of
the building. Flooring includes sustainable
bamboo, polished concrete and stone tile

flooring. Living plants grow in a series of stone
floor beds. In a seating island, the pattern of an
earth-toned carpet resembles an aerial
patchwork of farm fields.
Walk across an elevated steel catwalk for a
grand view of the atrium. Functionally, it hides
the ductwork that is running out to supply air in
some of these spaces, said Nims. It also
connects and gives us some lateral stability
between the two silos.
Walk under the catwalk into a seating area
brought to life with large photos of sunflowers, a

bumper crop of potatoes, a cluster of luscious
cherries and other examples of the bounty made
possible by properly nourished soil. Above this
zone, a model train makes its rounds on an
elevated track. This miniature railroad, chugging
past a painted backdrop of scenes from
AgroLiquid facilities across the country, is a
replica of AgroLiquids private fleet of 165 rail
cars.
AgroLiquid added a lot of personal
touches, said Wagner. The building feels
personal, and for such a big, open space, the
atrium has a nice warmth to it.
In other personal touches, a Bancroft aunt
painted some of the murals in the employee
cafeteria, and Joe Bancroft, grandfather and a
former plasterer by trade, installed the decorative
plaster insets in the hotel suites. In honor of Joe
Bancroft, the interior uses plaster instead of
drywall even in the more functional corridors in
the laboratory and commercial kitchen area.
fArm work
Even the employee work stations, kitchen and
break room on both floors have a farm country
flair. We added 3M film to the glass to create a
pattern of abstract reeds and to give people
some privacy in the break room, said Wagner.
The buildings east half is a contemporary arc of glass pointing to the sophisticated research taking place within AgroLiquids
research laboratories.
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248.852.9255
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Shelby Twp. MI
586.739.1148
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Newton Crane Roofing, Inc. Royal Roofing Co.

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586.949.4777
AGROLIQUID
The work station areas have flooring of

recycled wood, circular insets of cornpatterned carpeting and the 3M film in a
grass pattern to give the space an
agricultural feel. The furniture is provided
courtesy of MBS, Haworth and Steelcase, a
company that also provided the two-inch
raised access floor in the employee office
area.
Hotel AgroLiquid anchors the south end
of the second level. Each room is named
after an AgroLiquid product, such as ProGerminator and Sure-K.
We opted to
include
hotel
rooms,
because
new
employees come to the facility from across
the country and spend a week or two. Other
employees come in for meetings and further
training.
The boardroom anchors the north end of
the second level. The boardroom interior
captures the tone of the entire building. The
planks of the conference table are made of
reclaimed barn wood, the entry ways
replicate the look of sliding barn doors, and
the light fixtures resemble three stout wheels
clad in wood veneer.
Hobbs + Black kept employee and

community functions separate throughout
the facility. There can be 300 people in this
building, and the employees dont even
know it, said Bancroft.
The employee areas are in the southwest;
the community spaces are the IQ Hub in the
southeast and the conference rooms and
companion coffee bar in the northwest.
Clearly, this is a corporate facility with its
arms wide open to the community. Weve
been able to allow the community into our
facility in ways that we never could before,
said Bancroft. AgroLiquid has hosted a wide
variety of community events, including a
Lansing Economic Alliance conference and
even a high-school prom.
No matter the location, virtually all the
spaces have incredible views to the farm
fields beyond. These views are perfectly
representative of what AgroLiquid is all
about, said Nims. When AgroLiquid had
their open house in August, the whole field
to the west looked like a mural of corn in the
conference rooms.
Over 4,500 people enjoyed this part open
house, part country fair.

Many in the
agricultural community supplied their
products, including the Michigan Cherry
Growers Association, Frito-Lay potato chips
and Country Fresh ice cream.
With the former office demolished and a
wonderful new headquarters, AgroLiquid
now has a facility to match their growth. To
think this company began by mixing fertilizer
in five-gallon buckets in a small shed. In
1983, the founders, Troy Bancroft and his
father-in-law, the late Douglas Cook, used a
200-gallon reactor with a 1,500-gallon
storage tank for their work.
Today,
AgroLiquids Ashley facility has a tank
capacity of 3.3 million gallons.
AgroLiquid has been on the cutting-edge of
liquid fertilizers for 30 years. Their companys
spirit of invention shines through the entire
building. Wieland-Davco and Hobbs + Black
poured their own creative energy into shaping
this unique corporate headquarters. Food,
clothing and shelter are the three basic
necessities of life. While AgroLiquid has the
food part down pat, the project team took care
of the shelter with a capital S.
C o m m e rc i a l
Industrial
Institutional
Parking Decks
WWW.AMALIOCORP.COM
6655 COTTER
STERLING HEIGHTS MICHIGAN 48314
586.731.6804
586.731.3732 FAX
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GLAZING
CONTRACTORS
ASSOCIATION
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An association of qualified, knowledgeable,
dependable and responsible contractors,
our members stand committed.
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GCA MEMBERS
Curtis Glass
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Modern Mirror & Glass

National Enclosure
Peterson Glass Co.
Universal Glass & Metals
43636 Woodward Ave. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
(248) 972-1132
www.gcami.com
HERE FOR THE LONG HAUL

GATEWAY MARKETPLACE
Photography: Marvin Shaouni
Photography
GATEWAY MARKETPLACE
t
Marshalls is one of several national retailers who
are tenants at Gateway Marketplace and have
had a presence in the suburbs for years but until
the Gateway Marketplace location gave them
their first store within Detroits city limits. The
developer and the city hope this trend
continues.
q
Just fourteen months after the ceremonial
ground breaking, Meijer representatives and
store personnel celebrated Meijers Grand
Opening on July 25, 2013. This 200,000 square
foot store anchors the shopping center and has
been so successful, Meijer will soon be opening a
second store within the City of Detroit.
A significant event happened in Detroit over twenty years ago that wasnt particularly noteworthy at the
time and didnt garner much attention, but its effects would be felt for years to come. In the more than
two decades since then, much has been written and discussed about the economic climate in Detroit
and its lack of grocers and retailers, and the significance of that seemingly innocuous event. What
occurred back then? That was when the last retail development within the City of Detroit took place,
but nobody realized it would be 2013 before a group of investors would venture into Detroit and fund a
retail shopping center. The Gateway Marketplace is extremely special for what it represents to a city
once on the brink but now on the road to recovery. This development is the first retail center built in
Detroit in over twenty years.
It is being hailed as a welcome addition to the city and an absolute success by the neighboring
communities. The Gateway Marketplace is located on the corner of Woodward Avenue and Eight Mile
Road, adjacent to the former Michigan State Fair Grounds. It is also the first development in this area
since the fair closed its doors for good in 2009. Legislation that would have provided funds to keep the
fair operating was vetoed by Jennifer Granholm that year, as just 217,000 visitors - down from a peak
of 1.2 million visitors in 1966 - came through the gates. Three years later, Governor Rick Snyder signed
legislation transferring the fairgrounds to the Land Bank Fast Track Authority which oversees all proposed
developments at that site.
A StArting Point for retAil

The Gateway Marketplace does represent the first retail development in Detroit in many years and
the first major development near the old fairgrounds, but it just might symbolize something much more
significant for Detroit. It could signal a willingness on behalf of retailers and investors to once again
venture into the city limits as they pursue their visions of a renewed city. The key here is that this is a
starting point for retail in the City of Detroit, said Scott Wortman, vice president of development and
project manager, REDICO, Southfield, the national real estate development, construction, and property
management firm responsible for developing the site.
The reason this site was attractive to the owners and developers was due to the high traffic and the
demographics around this intersection. Generally, the developer looks at a five to 10-mile radius around
a prospective site with regard to demographics and competition to determine the viability of a given
location, and this site certainly looked favorable. Probably two to three hundred thousand vehicles
pass through this intersection on either Eight Mile Road or Woodward on a daily basis, said Wortman.
Many of the neighborhoods to the south of this site are very stable, and you have the suburbs to the
north Palmer Park, Ferndale and Berkley - that are also stable, so you have a great demographic in
this particular location.
The planning for the Gateway Marketplace began in 2000 under the name Shoppes at Gateway Park
with the developer General Growth Properties out of Chicago, Illinois. In 2008, the U.S. economy began
a virtual free-fall that saw most of the retail development in the region come to a halt. Several large
retailers considered, but ultimately declined, the opportunity to open stores at this site. In 2008, General
Growth Properties decided to withdraw from the project. Soon afterwards, REDICO took over and
signed several major retailers and the pieces began to fall into place. We were brought in to assist the
ownership group in determining viable tenants and putting together leases, said Wortman. It was a
very long, protracted process that took much longer than normal to pull together, to understand what
would work in this particular area, and to get the appropriate funding.
The owners of the site, Detroit Gateway Park Outlet Mall, LLC (DGPOM) hired Dailey-Jenkins Joint
Venture, an alliance between Detroit-basedJenkins Construction, Inc.and Lake Orion-basedDailey
Company as the general contractor, in late 2011. They selected Rogvoy Architects from Bingham Farms
because of their experience working with builders and retailers on large-scale developments. Rogvoy
and Dailey Co. had previously worked together on a number of projects, as did REDICO, and this was
definitely an advantage for the owners. When REDICO was brought in, all of the major players had
working relationships, and this made for a smoother transition as the developers changed and the work
began.
the gAtewAy MArketPlAce BeginS to tAke ShAPe

The 340,000-square-foot, $70 million project is situated on a 36-acre site and currently has a 90
percent occupancy rate. It was completed in July 2013 and it is the largest shopping center within the
City of Detroit. It is anchored by Meijers first-ever store built inside Detroits city limits, and it accounts
for more than half of the 900-plus full and part-time jobs created as a result of this development. Other
retailers include Marshalls; Petco; K&G Fashion; Payless Shoes; Five Below; and Dots, each of which
operate multiple stores in Metro Detroit but are celebrating their first store within the City of Detroit.
Separate buildings along Eight Mile Road were also developed, and the tenants include McDonalds;
PNC Bank; Starbucks; Wing Stop; and Subway.
GATEWAY MARKETPLACE
p
One of several separate buildings constructed along Eight Mile Road near Woodward Avenue that comprise the Gateway Marketplace houses
Starbucks Coffee, Subway, Foot Locker, and several other national retailers.
Meijer had long considered two sites to build

their first Detroit store and, in the end, they chose
the Gateway Marketplace site. Once Meijer
made a commitment, youve got that 200,000square-foot grocer and everyone else fell right in
line, said Mark Drane, principal, Rogvoy
Architects. Rogvoy was responsible for the
planning, zoning and design on the Gateway
project. Meijer, and about half of the other
merchants, signed on between December 2011
and June 2012. By early 2012, the site plans and
the permits for water, sewer, gas, and electrical
work were approved, and the project had the
momentum it needed to bring other retailers in.
While REDICO continued to negotiate leases,
the design and build teams were busy developing
their plans and getting ready for construction.
Dailey-Jenkins was responsible for all site
development, infrastructure work, traffic signals
and acceleration and deceleration lanes, plus all
core and shell buildings. The ceremonial
groundbreaking took place on May 17, 2012 with

Meijer Stores Hank Meijer, Governor Rick
Synder, Mayor Dave Bing, and Wayne County
Executive Robert Ficano on hand for the event.
Dailey-Jenkins prepared the pad for the handover
to Meijer in September 2012, and Meijer took
responsibility for constructing their own building.
On July 25, 2013, about fifteen months after the
groundbreaking, Meijer became the first store to
open its doors.
Blending in And fitting in

The classic look of the shopping center - with
masonry walls, light sconces and cornices - is
what the community wanted. The process of
working with Detroits Planning and Zoning
Department included public forum meetings
where city officials and the community could
provide input on what would ultimately get built
on the site. The developers and the architects
worked closely with officials and neighborhood
groups to try and accommodate their needs and

address their concerns. We took control of all
the signage on the building, worked with every
tenant trying to get every one of their prototypes
to fit in with what the community wanted to see,
said Drane.
The community pushed hard for many things
that the developer was able to provide. But in
some cases, the requests were simply
undeliverable. For instance, the community
wanted to see stores lined up along Woodward
to create the feel of a shopping district similar to
downtown Ferndale. The problem with that was
the overpass and the one-way traffic, said
Drane. Even if the buildings were put up right on
Woodward, it would be hard to utilize and hard
for retailers to be seen. Because of the physical
layout, all the visibility and most of the traffic flow
comes from Eight Mile Road. There were also
requests to have certain larger and smaller niche
retailers located here but it would not have been
GATEWAY MARKETPLACE
economically feasible. REDICO was ultimately

responsible for matching retailers needs with the
opportunities available to assure mutual success.
Some of these bigger tenants, like Saks and
Nordstrom, want to be in a regional location
along an expressway where it is easy to get to
and the demographic area is larger, said Drane.
This is more of a neighborhood shopping
district.
A BUSy BUt
interSection
c o M P l i c At e d
Although the intersection of Woodward and

Eight Mile Road was attractive because of the
volume of traffic passing through on a daily basis,
making access to the shopping center easier for
vehicles was a serious challenge. Rogvoy
developed the plans to accomplish this and
REDICO worked with the Michigan Department
of Transportation (MDOT) to facilitate the changes
needed along both roadways to accommodate
retail traffic. After a traffic study was performed,
REDICO presented the findings to MDOT who
approved a new traffic signal and turnaround
along Eight Mile Road to improve access. We
have a fly-over bridge on Woodward and an
underground bridge on Eight Mile, so it wasnt as
simple as having just an intersection, said
Wortman. We also added deceleration lanes on
Woodward and Eight Mile for traffic entering the
shopping center, said Vince Washington, project
superintendent, The Dailey Company.
Retailers determine the design of their own
interior spaces in a development such as this.
Each tenant drives their own core plan, said
Drane. These are national retailers that have their
own design staff and prototype architects. In this
case, Rogvoy submitted perimeter drawings and
the retailers determined how much space they
needed and what the interior should look like,
and Rogvoy finished the drawings from that
point. A larger issues for the architect at this sight
was determining how the shopping center would
lay out in relation to the crossroads, and how
best to direct service vehicles to the receiving
areas. Mark Drane was catalyst in designing the
overall site so that it worked for the retailers, said
Wortman. Delivery trucks can only enter off of
Eight Mile but may exit on Eight Mile Road or on
Woodward Avenue.
Because of the angled approach from
Woodward, it would have been impossible to
accommodate the wide turning radius for most
delivery trucks considering the numerous utility
poles and other obstacles that could not be
relocated.
Another site challenge was working around the
parcel of property on the northwest corner that
was privately owned and not part of the
development. This primarily affected access
drives and entry points, but Dranes plan provided
manageable solutions to these issues despite the
obstacles. Trees and other landscaping were

used to soften and improve the view from the
shopping center toward that area.
digging in And cleAning UP

Over $7 million of site work improvements
were required on this new ground-up
construction project, and it was a major challenge
for the builders. The first surprise in the site
preparation process was all the rubble and
crumbled foundations underground that went
undetected and needed to be removed. There
were also ancient and dilapidated utilities that had
to be repaired, supplemented, or replaced
throughout the 36-acre site. Storm sewers that
were buried more than thirty feet deep had to be
reinforced or removed. Site Development, Inc., a
Madison Heights company that provided site
work and underground utility services on the
project, reinforced the storm sewers by lining
them with a fiberglass-like material that was
hardened using pressure and steam forming a
strong and permanent bond. Although this work
is expensive, it is favorable to excavating thirty
feet down in order to replace the old sewers and
then backfilling the trenches.
Instead of trenching, equipment was used that
self-drilled and buried the four-inch conduit to a
depth of three feet. The large machine pulled the
conduit through the ground as it bored its path,
helping expedite the work so the team could
maintain the tight schedules. I had to have five
utility crews putting in a massive amount of utilities
in the field with all the underground problems, said
Washington. We needed to maintain the
schedules for the utilities because Meijer had dates
for utilities, concrete, asphalt and landscaping.
Maintaining budgets and schedules for this
project involved addressing the requirements of
the owners, as well as individual retailers and
their needs. For the designs, we not only had
the individual stores coming in with their design
teams, but we had the overall landlord scope and we had to combine both of those items
together, said Debbie Anderson, senior project
manager, The Dailey Company. In order for the
retailer to set their store openings, we had to
present the schedules; and even though there
were challenges along the way, we had to meet
those timeframes. The build-outs for the interior
spaces were scheduled and performed to allow
the retailers to proceed with the installation of
their own fixtures. You start out with rather
generic information such as, What will it cost to
build the building and do the build-outs, said
Wortman. Then once you begin to pull the
leases together, you start modifying those costs
for a specific tenant, and the same for the
schedules.
As often as possible, Michigan-made building
materials were specified in the plans, not only
helping Michigan and the local economy, but
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also reducing energy costs associated with

shipping materials in from longer distances. The
masonry used on the Gateway structures was
produced in Grand Blanc. However, for this type
of development, the retailers determine many of
the specifications themselves. The reality is that
I am performing a design that is based off of the
tenants standards, so they are driving their own
designs, said Drane. For the buildings envelop,
Rogvoy did specify the hollow core masonry,
and the cores were filled with insulating foam.
On the interior surface, a rigid insulation was
used to meet certain R-value requirements.
They also used insulated glass throughout to
help in reducing the energy costs of operating
the stores.
The owners and architects decided early on that

this was going to be a high quality shopping
center. When we first stepped foot on this site we
always said this is going to be as good as any
suburban shopping center ever done, said Drane.
The focus was on the details such as using high
quality, mainstream products with good longevity,
moving the storefronts in and out to add variation
to the wall plains, and using different awnings and
decorative light fixtures on the exterior to appeal
to pedestrians. The look says suburban, the feel is
neighborly, and the concept is something the city
is more than happy to expand on.
The interior spaces are set up to be highly
flexible and can easily be adapted to new tenants
or expanded when retailers need more space. The
interior uses drywall partitions that can be easily

modified when needed. For signage, the tenants
attach a raceway to the front of the buildings and
attach their letters to the raceway. A raceway uses
a single electrical connection and can easily be
changed out as the retailers change or modify their
locations.
The center has been extremely successful and
it would be hard to picture any tenants leaving
voluntarily. Either way, the Gateway Marketplace is
here to stay and the neighborhood is better off
because of this development. The hope is that this
retail oasis is only the beginning, and other areas
of Detroit will soon be experiencing the same
economic boost and infusion of energy that the
Gateway Marketplace has brought to this area.
t
National retailers such as K & G, Petco, and
Five Below are tenants alongside Meijer in
the main building. These national retailers
are staples in the suburbs, but now they
are also celebrating their first retail stores
within city limits.
p Some of the underground utilities and infrastructure at the site

near the former Michigan State Fair Grounds were buried thirty
feet below ground and needed extensive repairs or had to be
supplemented or replaced. Site improvements alone cost
over $7 million dollars.
p With the shopping center nearly complete, this view of the 36acre site from the north looking south down Woodward Avenue
shows the former fairgrounds in the background. The center
opened with nearly 90% occupancy, created over 900 jobs, and
has a public bus system transfer station integrated into the site.
t The picture frame windows of

the Z mirror the windows of the
historic buildings nearby. Photo
by Quicken Loans
Pictured here, the graffiti artist WAIS is working on his mural at the Z. Photo by Sal Rodriguez
AUTHENTIC DETROIT EXPERIENCE

THE Z
As the city of Detroit filed Chapter 9 bankruptcy, the nations press

turned their attention to what they saw as an empty shell of a once great
industrial city. Reports spread of blight, arson and economic
devastation. Cranes rolled into Detroits Central Business District.
As the umbrella entity for Dan Gilberts portfolio of companies,
including Quicken Loans and Bedrock Real Estate Services, Rock
Ventures LLC, Detroit, invests hundreds of millions of dollars and adds
millions of square feet of viable space to otherwise outgrown or rundown
buildings. The Rock Ventures family has been hard at work revitalizing
downtown Detroit.
Bedrock Real Estate is directly responsible for scouting out new
properties and developments as a means to achieve Rock Ventures
core vision: To repopulate Detroit with high quality businesses, places
to live, shop, dine and play. Most of the projects have focused on
reinventing Detroits historic buildings in order to create workspace for
new businesses and entrepreneurs to lease. While the majority of these
projects have occurred relatively under the radar of those outside the
immediate downtown area, over the last few years more than 120
companies have moved into these revitalized buildings, bringing talented
young professionals back into the heart of the city.
As these companies have moved downtown, parking during business
hours has become a challenge. Team Members, employees of Rock
Ventures, were bussed to and from work every day from the various
surface lots and garages blocks away from their places of employment.
This ultimately squashed the foot traffic and energy that downtown
areas need to thrive. The solution? Develop two separate surface lots
into one grand mixed-use facility that can house a 10-story parking
structure above ground-level and retail space.
As the nation buzzed about the bankruptcy battle and the
disillusioned state of Detroit, Bedrock launched its first new build
construction project adjacent to the historic downtown area. In 14
months, Bedrock, along with Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield,
and Colasanti/Sachse Joint Venture Construction, Detroit, gave the city
and the nation a visible sign of progress.
DESIGNING AN EXPERIENCE
In late 2011, Rock Ventures launched a series of studies to determine

a solution for feasible parking near its businesses. Ideas ranged from
constructing an extra layer of decking on older garages, tearing down
dilapidated buildings to make room for a new parking structure, to even
gutting the interior of a building and putting decking inside. When two
adjacent surface lots on a single city block became available, the team
decided to construct two independent parking garages that were joined
on the 4th-10th levels, which allow it to function as one large garage.
Surrounded by Library, Grand River, Broadway, and Gratiot Avenues,
the Z provides a coherent parking solution on major thoroughfares in
THE Z
and out of downtown.

If parking is a must, then the Rock Ventures
team sought to create a utilitarian necessity
smartly and with a purpose. By integrating
retail space on the ground level, the parking
structure does not deter foot traffic in a vibrant
part of the city; in fact, it encourages and
promotes it. Finally, they strived to make it an
attraction - something memorable - a notion
that, to the teams surprise, would not be fully
realized until much later in the project.
Bedrock, along with the rest of Rock
Ventures, had high hopes for the new
structure. In order to facilitate its vision,
Bedrock first had to build the perfect team.
Kathy Buck, senior project manager with
Neumann/Smith, explained the many iterations
throughout the design phase to decide each
and every element of the proposed structure.
Bedrock challenged us to do something very
unique - something groundbreaking. It became
apparent that they wanted to push the
boundaries and have something provoking and
thoughtful.
Matt Jobin, senior project manager for Rich
and Associates, Inc., Southfield, the structural
engineers on the project, has extensive
experience developing parking garages and
explained how unique this project was because
the owner was willing and eager to challenge
the designers to think outside the box - you
just dont get that all the time. Bedrock spent
the extra time and money to ensure that the
quality of the product was top of the line. John
Olszewski, VP of construction at Bedrock, said
as the design process progressed, everyone
was excited about this opportunity to do
something out of the norm.
Nestled between several historic buildings
and the newer, more modern Boll Family YMCA
building, one of the early design challenges
was how to integrate a new mixed-use facility
in a way that would enhance the dynamic
nature of the area without detracting from the
charm and character of the historic buildings.
At street level, pedestrians experience the
tall retail spaces faced with linear sheets of
glass that enhance the scale and transparency
of the spaces, while preventing the overbearing
nature that results from walking alongside a
uniform 10-story building. The use of glass on
the ground level also links the design to the
modern glass and steel YMCA building across
the street. By incorporating large retail spaces
on street level, the architects were able to
shrink the perceived scale of the structure
while almost disguising the parking structure
from pedestrians. The upper levels are devoted
to parking, but the faade also helps disguise
the 1,000 + vehicles that the structure can
house.
The team also pulled elements from the

surrounding historic buildings into their design.
Some of the features that stood out were the
use of light colored terra-cotta tile on many of
the surrounding faades, as well as the large
number of windows. They incorporated these
elements into a unique design featuring twostory precast cladding that resembles picture
frames, a more modern interpretation of
windows. The white precast blends with
several neighboring white terra cotta clad
towers, while screening views of parked cars.
The design has a lot of the character and
texture of the historic buildings even though it
is a modern interpretation of the building,
explained Scott Bonney, design director at
Neumann/Smith.
URBAN ENVIRONMENT PRESENTS

CHALLENGES
Bedrock contracted local companies with

experience working in an urban environment,
as this created a unique set of challenges for
construction. Navigating through the permits,
building codes and other red tape of the city
can prove challenging to the life of a project. It
is extremely beneficial to employ contractors
who know the system and factor those
elements into the course of the project.
One of the unique challenges resulted from
the proximity of the site to the neighboring
historic district of downtown. The team needed
to consult the citys historical commission to
approve the designs. Immediately, the Detroit
Historical Commission was concerned about
the notion of bringing a 10-story parking
structure into the neighborhood. However, by
showing them the plans for two-story pictureframe precast windows, the design concealed
the nature of the building - an important
concern for the commission. Given the unique
Z shape of the structure, the commission was
also concerned about the contrast of the white
precast that abuts several darker, more
colorful, historic buildings on the block. As a
compromise, the design team stained the
interior sides of the deck that face the alley to
match the existing tones of those historic
buildings.
Another immediate challenge presented in
the design phase was that one of the original
sites is slightly narrower than the other.
Bedrock and the design team had many
opportunities to enhance the design and feel
of this mixed-use facility, however, they
ultimately needed to create something that
would function efficiently. Having one site
narrower than the other presented a challenge
to create efficient parking throughout the two
joined structures. Rich and Associates were
heavily involved in the design. After initial
designs failed to provide an efficient number of

parking spots, they initiated a plan to cantilever
part of the upper floor, which would create a
feasible number of spots on an otherwise
inefficient side of the deck. Otherwise, you
would be traveling up and there would be very
few cars on the ramps of the deck, explained
Bonney.
Malek
Eljizi,
project
manager
at
Colasanti/Sachse, explained some of the
technical challenges that arose while preparing
the site for construction. The entire structure
is supported by approximately 79 caissons,
120 feet deep, the largest being about 8 feet
in diameter. As we were core drilling, we found
a lot of obstructions, explained Eljizi, Before
the surface parking was there, there used to
be other structures in the 1900s. We realized
that there was a theater that was underground
on the Library side. Eljizi continued to explain
that some of these obstructions they
encountered were old foundation walls,
beams, and even a bathroom with toilet and
fixtures intact.
Drilling through these obstructions belowgrade entailed seven weeks of work time. Our
grade beams were right next to the basement
walls of the existing structures. We put crack
monitors and vibration monitors on the
neighboring buildings because as they were
core drilling they were creating a lot of
vibration, continued Eljizi. Once we were
done, we made sure that nothing affected the
existing structures. The proximity of the
structure to neighboring buildings, only three
feet in some cases, remained a concern
throughout the project.
Much of the structure is composed of
precast concrete - 1,923 pieces and 17,792
cubic yards of concrete above ground, to be
exact. The design team incorporated the
necessary structural elements into the design.
By beveling the concrete spandrels that
support the precast double tees, much of the
exterior design is structural rather than simply
applied ornament. Instead of building a cheap
deck and applying something complicated on
top of it, we said, Lets make it a slightly
smarter concrete form, and then were done,
explained Bonney. Additionally, by using
concrete throughout, the owner only has one
material to contend with for maintenance
purposes.
However, using precast panels in this
application was a challenge and required many
scaled Styrofoam mockups to plan for
fabrication, installation, and ultimately ensure
it was something they could build. As far as
quality control, I was really impressed with the
extent of mockups, explained Olszewski.
Kerkstra Precast in Grandville developed a
new type of stainless steel connection

especially for this project, which allowed the
entire precast panel to be articulated with
respect to the next panel. This enabled them
to perfect the joints between the faade
panels. I have never seen a precast structure
where we had such consistency between the
joints, explained Buck. Those panels are
about 13 tons each and they were being
hoisted 10 stories above your head by a
monster crane, and they were within inch
tolerance - its insane, but thats what they
were able to achieve.
The City of Detroit imposed many restraints
on the project including the path construction
vehicles could take in and out of the site, and
limiting the time trucks were allowed to enter
the jobsite - between 9 am and 3 pm. This
presented a problem for many suppliers
delivering materials. According to Eljizi, there
were approximately 1,250 truckloads of
precast concrete to the site, much of it coming
from the west side of the state. In order to
keep the project on track, they ended up
renting a lot nearby where the trucks were
waiting until 9 am, so they could be at the site
in 10 minutes. They would drive in, drop the
trailer at the lot and drive back out for another
load, he explained.
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PROJECT EVOLUTION
the Z was never going to be an ordinary

deck. There was a saying that became the
project philosophy: This wasnt a parking deck,
it was a parking experience, remembered
Buck. As the project continued to take shape,
the entire team witnessed the attention
Bedrock paid to the project to make sure that
every material and product was thoughtfully
chosen and implemented. It became apparent
that this mixed-use facility would truly be more
than a utilitarian structure.
However, like all projects, there was not an
unlimited budget. This was done very smartly;
we made a lot of smart decisions that I think
helped keep it in budget, explained Patrick
Wysocki, VP of estimating at Colasanti
Construction. Bedrock wanted to push the
design even further, but as the project evolved
the team continued to evaluate the budget and
make the necessary alterations and additions.
the Z features two, ten-story-high glass
elevator towers, which visually continue the
theme of transparency and modernity. The
team chose glass-backed elevators that allow
those who visit the structure to experience
fantastic views of the city as they travel down
to street level. Both towers are equipped with
color changing RGB LED lights that can be
programmed to 16.7 million different colors
and as many different patterns. This introduced
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THE Z
the opportunity for the glass columns of the deck to interact with the life of the city. They
can even show their support as Detroit teams gear up for big games.
Each floor is assigned a unique color to aid in navigation throughout the structure.
Elevators also incorporate the RGB LED lights, which change as the elevator moves from
floor to floor. The use of glass towers also promotes a sense of safety, something that is
always a goal for Bedrock and the rest of the Rock Ventures team. Each floor is brightly lit
and equipped with security cameras, blue emergency phones, and card access areas for
employees.
The use of lighting as a principle element in the design adds to the visitors experience of the
space. Again, as the project progressed, the team noticed that the blank walls within the structure
presented another opportunity to enhance the experience and reach out to a neighboring business.
Library Street Collective, located within a building next to the Z, has made quite the reputation for
itself in the Detroit art community. Co-founders, Anthony Curis, JJ Curis, and Matt Eaton partnered
with Bedrock to commission 27 international artists from various backgrounds to add another layer
of design to the Z. Artists were encouraged to spend time exploring Detroit and plan their unique
murals on the concrete walls of the parking structure. Each artist, or artists, were given a floor and
elevator lobby and free reign in their designs. They were only asked to find some way to incorporate
the predetermined floor color in the designs.
Many visitors who have encountered the wide variety of murals within the Z often link them to
Diego Riveras famous Detroit Industry murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts just down the street.
Just as Rivera depicted the dominant culture of Detroit in the 1930s through the context of Fords
Rouge Factory, many see these artists depicting the new culture of Detroit: bright, vibrant and
energized.
The late addition of the murals presented a unique challenge for the project as winter was quickly
approaching and the site was still under construction. Artists were outfitted with hardhats and yellow
safety vests as they mapped out their designs. Some of the last artists arrived in November, and
t
q
The glass elevator tower becomes a lantern at night with color-changing LEDs.
Photo by Neumann/Smith Architecture
Maya Hayuk incorporated the red theme of the first floor into the mural surrounding
the elevator lobby. Photo by Quicken Loans
the weather was changing. I have never seen conditions like we had the garage was sweating because we had an atmospheric condition that
you maybe see every ten years, said Jobin. As artists were gearing up to
paint sections of the concrete, interior paint in the elevator lobbies was
literally rolling down the walls on to the concrete floor. Once the problem
was corrected, artists were free to leave their mark. The murals were
then painted with an anti-graffiti coating to protect them for years to
come.
the Z became a unique parking experience. I have been in the
industry my whole life, and I have never seen such a group of people
that are driven for the best in design. Thats what I really find unique
about this environment, said Olszewski, It was lets do something
cool - lets try to amaze.
Officially opened to the public in January 2014, much of the retail
space is now leased and new businesses are in the process of
developing their units. Neumann/Smith remains involved in the design
plans as the Z continues to evolve and take shape.
There are a lot of critics that may say the city needs people, not
parking spots, but the fact that we have 1,287 spots for cars - those
cars support all the good things that need to happen in the city,
explained Bonney. While Detroit may have a lot of wasted space
devoted to surface parking lots, there arent many feasible options in
necessary locations. Surface lots are an unfortunate reminder of the
tough economic conditions that have plagued Detroit. By developing
a new mixed-use structure on top of two old surface lots, the entire
team has found a way to give a new life to this area of downtown.
Bonney added, The kinetic expression of the Z adds to the vitality of
downtown, offering unexpected and thoughtful new urbanism.
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A LONG TIME COMING

THE DETROIT
PUBLIC SAFETY
HEADQUARTERS
BUILDING

Clayton Studios
The Detroit Fire Department (DFD) was

established in 1860 and is steeped in a tradition
of service. The Detroit Police Department (DPD)
was established in 1865 and, likewise, has a long
history of public service. Now, after more than
145 years, these departments and over 500
employees have come together under one roof.
Their new home, the Detroit Public Safety
Headquarters (DPSH), is perched next to the
Lodge Freeway near Michigan Avenue in west
downtown Detroit. A primary goal for Detroit was
for this project to become a National Model for
Public Safety Integration. The city sought to
improve the effectiveness and efficiency of these
services while promoting an interactive
partnership between the departments. It was also
intended to encourage redevelopment, or
adaptive reuse of properties, a goal Detroit strives
for whenever possible. The city seemed to be
rolling the dice as they sought to integrate police
and fire personnel into one public service
headquarters in the former MGM Grand Casino.
But from the city and public safety officials point
of view, the project was well worth the gamble.
a Safety
community
Beacon
in
the
The highly visible $38.4 Million, 450,000square-foot redevelopment was managed by the
Detroit Building Authority (DBA) and constructed
by White-Turner JV, a joint venture between White
Construction and Turner Construction Company,
two Detroit-based construction management

firms. The design and engineering responsibilities
were awarded to SmithGroupJJR, also based in
Detroit and a nationally renowned designer of
public safety and crime lab facilities. The citys
relationship with SmithGroupJJR on this project
dates back to 2003 when initial discussions to
build a new crime lab began. By 2010, the plan
had evolved into a search for a suitable location
to house the new DPSH. Their relationship
continues today as Detroit continues to work
closely with both SmithGroupJJR and WhiteTurner JV on the build-out of an additional 14,000
square feet of space for future use.
The plan for a public safety headquarters was
not a new concept to Detroit. They had
developed the plan over a number of years as a
way to increase efficiencies and integrate services
in order to reduce operating expenses. The
development was organized as a condominium
allowing the DBA to negotiate with other potential
buyers. These negotiations led to the decision by
the State of Michigan (SOM) to purchase 50,000
square feet of space on the third floor for a new
forensics lab completed in July 2014. City
personnel, who make up the majority of the
employees located here, include staffing from the
police and fire administrations, Information
Technology Services (ITS), and the DBA.
Location,Location,Location
Once the decision to build the DPSH was
t
The Detroit Public Safety Headquarters stands like a
beacon in the community. The inviting East Entrance
has high ceilings and calm colors, and its glass
reflects the city skyline. The green-tinted panels
create an iconic image for Detroit Public Safety.
reached in 2010, they had to select an

appropriate site. The final site was selected
ahead of others based on several features the
building possessed. For instance, it would have
been cost prohibitive to create the lab that the
SOM was planning in any of the other locations
being considered, and Detroit did not have the
funding to build new. The high ceilings for the
crime lab and close proximity to the freeway were
important factors, said Donna Rice, project
manager, Detroit Building Authority.
The chosen site would also need ample, shortterm parking. During the course of a day,
numerous police and fire officials require parking
for quick, in-and-out visits. One location
considered was actually too downtown and
didnt have enough parking and that meant the
police entities would probably have to park on the
street, said Tyrone Clifton, Jr., project manager,
Detroit Building Authority. That scenario would
have caused traffic congestion and would not
have been ideal. It really was a host of things that
made the current location the best choice. The
relative cost for the size of the building, a 2,000space parking deck, the land, and a large
emergency generator that could power the whole
building were all part of the decision process,
said Jeffrey Hausman, AIA, senior vice president,
SmithGroupJJR. Once the site was chosen, it
was time for the team to roll up their sleeves and
get busy with the transformation.
There were no hard and fast notions for how
the city wanted the building to look - only that it

shouldnt look like a casino - and should anchor
itself to the neighborhood while being expressive
of the work being conducted inside. The green
metal panels on the exterior were met with some
skepticism early on, but since the building has
been completed, the doubts are a thing of the
past. It was intended to be a beacon in the
community, and in some ways stand out and be
iconic, said Bill Ash, design principal, AIA,
Designer, SmithGroupJJR, regarding the design
process for the exterior of the building. There
was this attempt to balance the seriousness of
serving the community with brightness and being
hopeful about the future, he added. The design
team achieved this by using neutral colors that fit
well with the surroundings, and then adding the

greenish tinted panels to create a new identity.
As is the case with a lot of municipal projects,
the budget determines what ultimately gets built,
or in this case, repurposed for the citys use. The
greatest challenge was to make the building
whole, said Ash. There were a number of
technical issues with the existing envelope; we
needed a cladding solution that addressed these
issues and produced an effective new skin but
one that also allowed us to explore design. The
goal was to fit in but also make a statement. It
appears to be successful.
PreconStructionexPLoration
Without
detailed
and
accurate
as-built
p
Viewed from the Lodge Freeway, one gets a sense of the interesting dynamics on display
between the colors and textures of the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters.
DPSH
documentation, many questions about the

original structure could not be answered without
extensive and sometimes destructive on-site
investigation. With the use of 3D Laser Scans,
Building Information Modeling (BIM), and on-site
observations, SmithGroupJJR and White-Turner
JV were able to generate a fairly robust picture of
current conditions a complexity of additions,
modifications, hybridized building systems and
equipment in varying conditions. A standard
approach might allot the design team time for a
detailed analysis after which design solutions
would be generated to allow for competitive bids
from various trades and manufacturers.
However, the complexity of this project,
coupled with the urgency of schedule, prompted
the team to opt for a design-assist approach for
the Mechanical-Electrical-Plumbing (MEP) and
exterior envelop that significantly reduced the
time between design and construction. The
information gained by the Laser Scans, including
locations of duct work in the ceilings and whether
various exterior walls had studs behind them,
was embedded in the BIM modeling offering an
accurate view of what was beneath the surface.
Traditional exploratory methods would have
generated similar results, but it would have been
more destructive and time consuming.
With the modeling available, White-Turner JV
hired mechanical and electrical subcontractors
early during schematic design so they could
collaborate directly with SmithGroupJJR
engineers, deciding together on the most feasible
path forward, tailoring solutions to specific
systems and product details, and jointly resolving
constructability issues as they arose. This was
especially effective in improving value
management decisions involving selective reuse

of engineering systems infrastructure. Cost
analysis and physical inspections led, in some
cases, to replacing equipment in favor of newer,
energy-saving systems. In other cases, existing
equipment was retained and either modified,
overhauled or otherwise adapted to the new
environment.
Beyond needing new materials to keep water
out of the building, the exterior walls offered little
to no thermal protection. Most of the original
loose-blown insulation had been water-laden and
settled significantly, and other more recent
insulation systems were simply failing. A new
exterior was designed using a two-inch insulated
metal panel system commonly found in cold
storage facilities a cost effective product that
offered two key benefits. First, the panel itself
comes with a high-performing insulation prelaminated between sheets of metal. When
applied over the existing walls, it provided all of
the required thermal value in a continuous
insulation layer. Second, the laminated panel
system incorporated
certain joint and
edge designs to
equalize pressure
and in some ways
act like a rain screen.
Because of this, the
metal
panels
eliminated the need
for
separate
sheathing and within
one system generally
provided the air
barrier, vapor barrier,
insulation and exterior finish material all in one

product.
theinSideGame
Because of the open concept design of the
new space, public safety personnel had a bit of
an adjustment period because many of them
went from private offices to sitting in cubicles.
When you look at the conditions where they
came from, the complaints go away very quickly
and they are very happy to be here, said Rice.
This type of reaction is normal when it comes to
employees who have relocated to new or
repurposed facilities. That parallels with
developments in the private sector with moves
from private offices to open offices, as well as the
shift from ownership in resources to shared
resources and greater access to natural light,
said Hausman. There are adjustment periods for
everyone but the benefits to the greater whole are
measureable. It does seems that most
employees are so pleased with their new office
arrangements that other city departments are
p
The Fitness Center offers employees a variety of options for
keeping in shape, including free weights and cardio-vascular
equipment.
p
The Open Concept of the new offices promotes interaction
and cooperation, as well as providing employees with
outstanding views of the city and plenty of natural light.
u
Large conference rooms are available to employees for
meetings and presentations, and can be reserved by
officials citywide.
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DPSH
hinting that they would like to secure similar

facilities for their own operations.
There was a unique set of challenges awaiting
the team on the interior directly related to the
previous owners. One was how best to adapt
disparate spaces originally built for the IRS and
modified by a casino, to work for the DPSH. The
valuable 18 ceiling height on the third floor
worked well as a major data center for the IRS
and later for the main casino floor, but the team
was not sure how to adapt the space for the
DPSH. After multiple planning scenarios and
input from the architects, engineers and
contractors, that high-bay space was blended
into front door DPSH space and the forensics lab
completed in July 2014. Unfortunately, the third
floor also had 2,200 holes in the concrete floor
that were used as power supply connections for
slot machines that needed to be patched and
sealed. The removal of numerous floor sinks and
sloped floor systems that were relevant to the
casino was required. Additionally, windows that
had been sealed to support the casino
operations were punched back into the exterior
envelope and daylight once again began to pour
into the space.
Floor layouts and seating arrangements were
no small tasks for the designers on this project.
Where the Fire Commissioner sits, where the

Police Chief sits - those things are critical, said
Hausman. This is especially important when it
comes to efficient and effective inter-department
communications. The layout encourages
interaction. Now the Police Chief can go right
across the hall and speak to the Fire
Commissioner much more promptly, which
ultimately better serves the people of Detroit,
said Rice.
The interior has other common and public
spaces that are important and are being utilized
on a daily basis. There are conference rooms
and meeting rooms used for large group events
and training programs citywide. A Media
Center, set up with all the necessary electronic
connections, is used for press conferences and
media gatherings. To promote a healthy lifestyle
there is a Fitness Center, equipped like a fullscale gym, available to all employees located in
the DPSH. In addition, a sundries shop (built by
White-Turner JV) recently opened that features
healthier food choices as well as more
traditional lunch selections. Rounding out the
common use areas are the new Interview
Rooms used by police and fire officials and a
large, open Main Lobby that proudly displays a
1937 Harley Davison Knucklehead Police
Motorcycle and an original firehouse bell that

dates back to 1876.
outWiththeoLd,inWiththeneW
White-Turner JV began their exterior demo
work in September 2011, when much of the
exploratory work was being done on the interior
space. The exterior demolition and MEP
installations, including interior underground
plumbing, began in March 2012. Following this,
the building was wrapped in new structural steel
at the floor lines to support the new, insulated
metal panel exterior wall system that was
installed in late May 2012. Also in May, the east
parking deck was being demolished to make
room for the expansion of the east lobby. The
foundation for the expansion began in August
2012. Interior partitions also started in August
with drywall having been coordinated with the
exterior enclosure schedule. Overall interior work
was completed for the base project by the end
of May 2013, allowing furniture installations to
follow, and a phased owner occupancy that
began in June 2013.
There were some significant challenges staying
on budget with a project that was established as
a fast track development, but the relationships
formed at the beginning helped overcome all the
p
The main entrance on Third Street has soaring 2-story ceilings, a reception desk with warm wood grains, and earthy colors on the walls. There is
also a strong security presence starting with vehicle barriers outside and security personnel and metal detectors inside.
DPSH
issues that developed. Because the work actually

started prior to the design being 100 percent
complete, it required continuous and open dialog
between the construction team, the architects
and engineers, and the DBA, to predict and
control costs, enabling the ability to anticipate
scope yet to be captured in the design. The
relationship between the three groups actually
served to improve not just the process but the
end result, as well. Early on it was not clear
whether enough funds would become available
to raze the east parking deck, located where the
new main entrance is today.
We were designing parallel entrance solutions
for the front door, not knowing if the deck would
even go down, said Ash. Working with WhiteTurner JV through all the parameters that were
pushing on that design made the resulting
entrance more significant and inviting than it
would have been had we been working
independently.
faSttrack-QuickreSPonSe
Due to the fact that the project started before
plans were finalized, certain issues arose that put
the teams relationships to the test. The biggest
challenge was working to complete the
drawings, said Carlos Moreno, project manager
for White Construction. There were a lot of

unknowns during that period of time, and it was
difficult putting work in place. But as the plans
developed, we were able to bring in more
trades. According to Moreno, it was a combined
effort with open communications between the
owners, designers and construction managers
that helped put the pieces in place to keep the
project on schedule.
On the outside, the exterior envelope was an
amalgam of various construction types and ages,
cladding and structural backup systems with
unknown salvageable value, and questions
regarding the exterior wall structures adequacy
to support new work. A design-assist relationship
between the architect and the cladding
subcontractor was far more applicable and
nimble, fostering a partnership wherein
construction could be done to facilitate design,
and designs could adapt and respond
immediately in order to keep construction going.
This agility was invaluable as the new metal
skin was developing and the team discovered the
existing EIFS exterior was leaking and could not
be saved. They also discovered that metal panels
they believed to be salvageable were peppered
with holes. Inevitably in instances like these, the
attempt to answer one question often leads to
several more questions and exposes unexpected

conditions that can significantly alter the design
direction. Wed be performing demo and come
across something, and with todays technology,
you send in a picture and have a sketch coming
back within one or two hours, so youre able to
keep going, said Mike Flack, project
superintendent, Turner Construction Company.
SafeandSoundPracticeS
Access to the exterior walls was problematic
and another challenge faced during the
construction phase, especially considering the
amount of work required. Because of the height
of the building and the fact that it steps back, it
was prohibitive to use a ground lift. The crews
utilized cranes and swing stages on nearly every
elevation to complete the extensive work
required. We couldnt scaffold the whole building
and just walk around all four sides at any time,
we had to phase it by wall, said Ash. Moreno
added, With the horizontal panels, you had to
start at the bottom and finish at the top so there
was a sequence you had to follow.
The nature of this work and the equipment
used necessarily increases the safety risks for
everyone on the construction site. White-Turner
JV partnered with MIOSHA and CAM to provide
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS
DPSH
p
The Media Center, equipped with all the necessary A/V equipment and connections, is used for press conferences and
other media and training events.
safety information during a sponsored

Participation Day. Workers did a walk-through
and were able to participate in a Question and
Answer session to address their issues in an
open discussion. As a testament to their effort
and the emphasis that was placed on safety,
there were no significant injuries or loss time
reported on the DPSH jobsite.
aBouttheenvironment
By removing the old, inefficient skin on the
exterior of the building, SmithGroupJJRs design
provides Detroit with an energy efficient facility
that is on track to receive LEED Gold
Certification. We didnt have the option of
starting all new we just couldnt afford it, said
George Karidis, PE, mechanical engineer,
SmithGroupJJR. We had to manage a
combination of existing and new for the
mechanical systems, trying to add efficiencies
where we could.
Throughout the building, environmentally
responsible materials and building systems were
used that are more sustainable and more energy
efficient. These features include solar reflective
roofing,
low-flow
toilets
and
fixtures.
SmithGroupJJR was able to quadruple the
efficiency of the chilled water system by replacing
the old steam absorption machines with high66 CAM MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2014
efficiency modular chillers.

Designs also specified regionally made and
recycled building materials, low-emitting
paints, coatings, flooring systems, and wood
products, and drought resistant plantings. The
metal exterior panels have an R-15 insulation
value, there are Energy Star appliances,
efficient lighting and retrofitted HVAC
equipment, lighting sensors and automatic
timers, and LED fixtures in the parking areas,
walkways, and around the buildings exterior.
By repurposing instead of building new,
Detroit did not have to demolish the site and
thus diverted over 90 percent of the
construction waste from ending up in landfills.
It also breathed new life into the western
downtown area by creating a thriving public
safety oasis that can serve as a hub for further
development
along
Michigan
Avenue,
extending beyond the Woodward corridor
where much of the new, downtown
development is occurring. Finally, this site
offers easy access to public transportation,
reuse of an existing parking structure, covered
bicycle storage, and preferred parking for fuelefficient and low-emitting vehicles.
toBetter ServeandProtect
Since opening in 2013, the DPSH has been
bustling with public servants from across the

city. They include police, fire, information
technology, and building and planning
personnel, as well as representatives from the
SOM who will occupy the Forensics Lab. The
plan to integrate these departments speaks to
Detroits determination to improve the lives of
its citizens and emphasizes its commitment to
the community. Integration has improved the
effectiveness and efficiency of the people who
serve. Which, in turn, helps to improve the lives
of the people that they serve.
The process of design and construction may
have been a fast track project, but the thought,
care and planning that preceded it was long and
thorough, and a major success. Officials from the
City of Detroits Finance Unit, a department the
DBA worked closely with to secure funding for
this project, are also pleased with the results. Its
all been positive, they all believe it turned out to
be a very good project, said Clifton. The exterior
is unique and inviting, and represents a new
wave of energy in the city. It parallels some of the
private development underway downtown. In the
end, comments from the skeptics regarding
integration, location, or appearance gave way to
comments like, I really love it, and We want
one, too! That last comment could keep the
DBA busy for a long, long time.
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OUTSIDE SALES CONTACTS

Trevor Peck
(586) 839-9285
Tom Thompson
(586) 854-5775
Dan Woods
(734) 904-8896
Jim Kwilos
(586) 850-8169
LANSING BRANCH CONTACTS
Adam Faught
(517) 224-6119
Tracy Smith
(517) 224-6114
Dana Mitchell
Joe Wilcox
INSIDE SALES SUPPORT
John Sadowski
Joe Bommarito
Gary Hibdon
"73T*OSEPHs,ANSING-I
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00H s&X
H s&X
BRINGING MENTAL
HEALTH OUT OF THE
SHADOWS
RESOURCE & CRISIS
CENTER
Photography: Beth Singer Photography, Inc.
p
A seating area demonstrates how the use of curves
can soften the space.
u
This large gathering area offers plenty of
multifunctional space and a commercial kitchen.
RESOURCE & CRISIS CENTER
t
The front entrance to Oakland Community Mental
Healths Crisis and Resource Center.
p
One of the private rooms and bathroom in the residential stay area.
The topic of mental health is often quickly dismissed for

something deemed more relevant to a larger portion of the
general public. Those who identified a serious need in their
communities were relegated very little funding and forced to
provide services in cramped, sub-par facilities; perhaps an
indicator of how society felt about those with a disability. However,
with an ever-growing number of individuals experiencing some form
of mental illness, developmental disability, emotional disturbance,
or substance abuse disorder, complacency and apathy were no
longer an option. It was time that the topic of mental health issues
was brought to the forefront, to be visible and worthwhile.
Serving approximately 23,000 adults, children and families in
Oakland County alone, Oakland County Community Mental Health
Authority (OCCMHA) is a public mental health system that partners
with several leading service providers to identify and deliver the
services and support needed within its community.
This year, OCCMHA opened a new 48,000-square-foot facility
the Resource & Crisis Centerat the heart of Oakland Countys
campus in Pontiac. The main floor of the facility houses the
immediate referral and crisis services to quickly assess and
address needs. The majority of the lower level is devoted to the
crisis residential unit, which allows people an extended opportunity
to get the services they need. The lower level features private
rooms with restroom facilities, a large gathering area, and a
commercial kitchen area.
Services currently offered at the site include: Oakland
Assessment and Crisis Intervention Services; Oakland Crisis
Intervention and Recovery Team; Free Legal Aid; 24-hour Access
Victim Assistance Program; 24-hour Resource and Crisis; Teen-2Teen Talk Chat; Telephone access to public mental health services;
and short-term crisis residential services from 1-14 days for up to
16 people.
As an advocate in the community, OCCMHA continues to remain
relevant. As the first Community Mental Health Board formed in
Michigan to address the mental health needs of its community just
over 50 years ago, OCCMHA fought to lead the field, as numerous
mental health facilities across the state closed their doors.
Relegated to several cramped and limited facilities, OCCMHA
strived to provide quality services. However, growing need and an
increased variety in the type of services that fell under mental
health began to impose constraints on the facilities.
Cathie Yunker, OCCMHA manager, access and community
integration of Oakland County, spoke about some of the challenges
OCCMHA faced simply because of a lack of space in former
facilities. You had families sitting in crisis in the waiting room
sometimes with 7- or 8-year-olds or younger, and you had the
Sheriffs department bringing someone in shackles or on a
stretcher because there was only one way in and one way out. So
families were traumatized by what was happening around them.
OCCMHA was trying to address the varying levels of mental health
issues from several limited and confined spaces, meaning that staff
needed to constantly shuffle people around and find a way to get
them the help they needed.
Having operated as a series of satellite locations for so long,
Oakland County launched an in-depth study to determine whether
an old nursing home facility in a desirable location on the campus
of Oakland County could be integrated into a feasible option as an
all-inclusive crisis center. Integrated care anywhere and
everywhere that you can create it, is where everything is headed,
explained Yunker.
OCCMHA wanted a safe and central

environment surrounded by the community
partners they interacted with regularly,
including the county court system, county jail,
and Childrens Village.
With fewer options in terms of mental health
facilities remaining in the State of Michigan,
OCCMHA began its search for inspiration
outside of state lines. Its goal was to integrate
approximately eight separate mental health
related departments within one building. If
someone entered their facility, OCCMHA
wanted to be able to immediately identify their
clients need and level of crisis, and then
quickly move them out of the waiting area and
on their path to help.
They have a national reputation for

providing crisis services in a very different way,
said Yunker. The team went to look at how they
patterned their program, how their facility
functioned, and how certain elements in the
design enhanced the function and the service
to their community.
They werent getting a prototype on this,
explained Donielle Wunderlich, project
manager with George W. Auch Company.
Nor did we want one, added Yunker. We
werent looking to replicate a typical mental
health facility. Although the Arizona facility
provided a trajectory for the new mental health
center, it still had an inherent institutional feel.
DiClemente Sigel strived to de-institutionalize
limitations were dealt with between the ceiling

and the floor deck above in many areas, was
to strategically locate major runs of air ducts
and other things in a manner that coordinated
with the lights, described Mamola. Not
everything can be in the same place at the
same time. In some cases, sconce lighting
was used to free up ceiling space; but it also
helped the design team achieve a softer,
de-institutionalized feeling.
Two separate residential wings extended
from a central administrative area of steel post
and beam frame construction. Exterior walls
were non-loadbearing, masonry veneer with
steel stud back-up assembly. This meant that
many of the interior walls were loadbearing and
Design Phase
Everything we do has to be
about the people we serve,
explained
Christine
Burk,
communications
and
media
relations
coordinator
with
OCCMHA. That is the focal point
of all decisions made in regard to
the building.
OCCMHA felt that the facilities
they had were not enough for the
ever-growing needs of their
community. They contracted
architectural firm DiClemente
Siegel Design, Inc., Southfield, to
incorporate their needs into a
comprehensive design plan, and
general contractors George W.
Auch Company, Pontiac, to give
life to that design.
There are owners out there that
believe the only designers you
should work with are those that
have done that type of design,
explained Lee Mamola, vice
president/director of architecture,
DiClemente Siegel. We as p
architects are trained to analyze A large tech and seating area with low profile furniture and bright colors.
and be able to dissect and put
things back together. Relying on
that essential training rather than a one-sizein every element of the design.
prevented the design team from creating
fits-all prefabricated design plan, DiClemente
Of course, renovating a 35-year-old
several large open areas within the building.
Siegel was able to hear the needs of the client
institutional style nursing home put limitations
The footprint of the existing building was not
and create a site specific and community
on the physical structure for OCCMHAs new
altered, but a penthouse was constructed on
specific building.
mental health facility. The existing building was
the existing loadbearing walls to house the
DiClemente Siegel launched many onsite
divided into two levels: a main floor and a lower
facilitys new mechanical equipment. The
interviews with OCCMHA to walk through their
level, and the structure was defined by minimal
penthouse provides a much needed location
facilities to identify what OCCMHA was
floor-to-floor height. This meant that ceiling
for the HVAC upgrades, while also allowing an
currently working with, and what would help
space was extremely limited. The vital
opportunity for the design team to define the
improve the function. During the research
upgrades to the buildings HVAC system,
entry point of the building and fill the interior
phase of this project, members of the design
electrical, and other systems components had
lobby with natural light from the large expanse
team, OCCMHA, and Common Ground, one of
to be meticulously mapped out with 3D BIM
of new windows.
OCCMHAs service providers, travelled to
software.
DiClemente Siegel took a really not-soArizona to tour Recovery Innovations.
The way some of the dimensional
sophisticated building and turned it into
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something that will last 30 to 40 years, with comfort for the clients,
explained Wunderlich.
Demolition Reveals an incReDible challenge
out - everything would be down.

Ryan Stolz did an outstanding job working all of that through, said
Wunderlich. Stolz, Auch superintendent, was one of a few people who
needed to be constantly on call during this process. Anything that might
have gone wrong at any time, day or night, he quickly resolved the
situation.
Demolition reveals new obstacles for any renovation; in this case it

threatened the course of the project, and presented safety concerns for
workers in the building.
De-institutionalizing the sPace
Mold was discovered within the cavity of the interior wall assembly
Both the design team and construction team had to coordinate the
around most of the buildings perimeter. The exterior sheathing that was
ultimate vision with the strict limitations imposed by the existing
affixed to the metal studs and abutting the masonry veneer had to be
structure and problems that arose.
carefully removed. One of the bigger concerns at that point was that
In order to counteract the hospital feel imposed by the long
the building was partially occupied; there was 5,000 feet occupied in
this building that we needed to keep up all the time,
explained Wunderlich. If I see mold and am introducing it
into an occupied space, those are health concerns.
According to Mamola, about 90% of the exterior walls in
this building were built at a time when metal stud wall
assembly just came on to the market. It was not
constructed with proper moisture barriers, which allowed
mold to grow in the hidden cavity.
The affected wall assembly had to come out, while
leaving the masonry veneer virtually unsupported, in order
to build a wall from inside out. The easy thing to do would
have been to demolish the exterior walls and rebuild them
correctly. However, the cost to do that was extraordinarily
high and it would have drastically lengthened the timeline
of the project.
Neither the design team nor the construction team had
ever run into a wall rebuild of this extent. Auch and
DiClemente Siegel held several meetings with the Masonry
Institute of Michigan, Masonry and Drywall trades, and
other representatives of specialty suppliers to discuss their
options in order to solve this problem. At one of the first
meetings, Wunderlich opened the discussion saying, We
will listen to anything today, any suggestions you may have,
but you cannot tell me that I have to take the brick off this
building. So take that off the table.
While we were designing this wall, everyday it would get
a little thicker, a little thinner, explained Andrea Zammitt,
architectural design and project coordinator at DiClemente
Siegel, which ultimately affected the design of the interior
space. This constant flux and problem solving during this
portion of the project meant that every person on the job
needed to be aware of what was going on and how the
designs were evolving.
The hard part wasnt to draw it up as designers, said
Mamola. The hard part was to draw it up so somebody
could build it. The team was able to find a unique
anchoring device to anchor the existing brick to a newly
constructed wall assembly that incorporated proper air
barriers. In addition, the team had to correct the weep and p
flashing assemblies that were constructed too close to the Curved walls transform the long corridors, and added elements make it feel more comforting
surrounding grade. They need to ensure that moisture could
properly escape and would no longer stay trapped behind
corridors, the design team added curved walls and many circular
the masonry walls.
motifs in the floor and furniture to soften the space. The design team
In addition these challenges presented by the mold, it is important to
also incorporated interior glass to visually open the spaces when
keep in mind that, as Wunderlich explained, a portion of this building
possible. Open spaces became a necessity, explained Zammitt. By
was occupied at all times. Jim Munchiando, vice president of Auch, also
adding curves to the long corridors, they were able to create the
pointed out, They have the main Ethernet that feeds the campus inside
illusion of open space, and by staging rocking chairs in the concave
the building. Everyone had to be very careful with what they did in there,
portions of the walls, DiClemente Siegel was able to recreate the
because if they knocked something out, they would knock the campus
relaxing atmosphere of a front porch.
A color palette based on the four seasons divided the building into
four specific areas to help orient people within the space, as well as
aid in the de-institutionalized feel of the building. Low profile furniture
was also chosen to give the illusion of openness and prevent the
structural constraints of the building from over crowding or closing in
the space. They also chose furniture that was more conducive to
relaxation rather than standard, cold, uncomfortable seating. In a few
areas, the design team opted for oversized, colorful chairs that look
like they would be in a home rather than a hospital.
Variations in flooring were also used to define spaces and promote
a comforting feeling. Carpet tiles were used whenever possible, while
high-traffic areas were given vinyl flooring that mirrors wood floors. All
Every design element creates a better environment for all who come
to the center, but also for those who administer to people in need of
help.
One pivotal element of the interior design is actually what you will
not see. There were security concerns but we tried to make them as
unobtrusive as possible, said Wunderlich. The building has a system
controlled locally at the building and with campus-wide notification in
case of emergency; specific doors have security ID card access; and
windows are also tied into the security system. Shawn Verlinden,
project engineer for Auch, describes one of the most impressive safety
innovations. They have a safety escort system which the nurses use
its a fob that they carry with them and they can push it if there were
ever an issue. But the team sought a balance between the
necessary safety provisions and the desire to create a
relaxed and non-detentional environment.
By approaching the project from a building code
perspective, the design team was able to split the building
up into separate areas defined by building codes. That
allowed for minimal use of firewalls, fire separations, and
other bells and whistles that could go off. It gave the team
more design flexibility to have fewer closed doors and to
incorporate interior windows in offices, and ultimately
allowed them to pull away from the institutional setting.
a builDing that Will gRoW anD evolve
g.
materials chosen for the interior of the building - including flooring,

exterior foam for insulation and noise reduction, abuse resistant
drywall, solid wood doors, and quality furniture - ensure that the
building will be able to achieve its optimal function. The design team
was able to meld practical materials with aesthetics to create the
environment they desired.
These design choices add a feeling of comfort and normalcy that is
vital for people who are frightened and experiencing a personal crisis.
The entire team - Oakland County Community Mental

Health Authority, DiClemente Siegel Design, Inc., and
George W. Auch Company - created a new model for mental
health facilities. Often you get into projects like this where
you have messy renovations, said Manola. Personalities
get in the way, there are clashes, there are egos, and its a
mess. Fortunately we didnt have any of that.
Yunker agreed, saying proudly, Everyone caught the
vision. It didnt matter if it was the technical people, the
design people, or whoever was involved. Everyone got what
we were trying to accomplish, and it was keeping that
human element in mind that I think helped the cohesiveness,
and also helped in actually getting us to the prize.
Oakland Countys Crisis and Resource Center opened in
time for Oakland County Community Mental Health
Authoritys 50th Anniversary. The project stayed on time and
on budget, and OCCMHA was able to give the community
a facility that it desperately needed.
The building opened to rave reviews from the community.
When they arrive, the people we serve feel worthwhile and
worthy. Oftentimes people in crisis are scared, they are
uncertain of their situation and reaching for help can cause
anxiety, explained Burk. When you walk into a place that
is welcoming and secure, safe and warm, it changes the
whole experience.
The staff who administer to individuals in crisis are also
appreciative of the new facility. Yunker said, They have said
how much it has impacted how they feel about their work,
and how it has validated the importance of their place in the
community in Oakland County. Its a critical service because the
Resource & Crisis Center makes a statement to them and the people
who are coming in.
For all involved in this project, its evident that this new facility on
Oakland Countys campus means something more than just a tool for
treating mental health; this facility gives a face to those who are
suffering, no longer will mental health issues be pushed into the
background.
THE NEW LIBRARY SCIE
GRAND VALLEYS
LEARNING AND IN
ENCE
S UNCOMMON LIBRARY,
NFORMATION COMMONS
Photographer: James Haefner
Cyberspace is changing actual space in academia. With books less in print

and more online, universities are increasingly asking the question: What are
libraries for? Grand Valley State Universitys (GVSU) answer is generating buzz
not only on its own campus but at universities across the country, thanks to GVSU,
SHW Group (now Stantec), and Pioneer Construction, Grand Rapids. More than
a repository of books, the Mary Idema Pew Library, Learning and Information
Commons is a collaborative idea exchange now being used as a model by a
major midwestern research university.
What are libraries for? At GVSU, the answer is clear: Students. The exchange
of ideas is not exclusively between the Scholar and the Book but between
students, using laptops, iPads, printed books and movable whiteboards as
learning tools, all in a flexible, technology-rich environment with a host of
collaborative spaces, peer-to-peer mentoring and over 30 different types of
seating. The Mary Idema Pew Library is the leading example of a national effort
to move library services out of whisper-quiet halls and into the center of a lively
educational community, said GVSU Associate Vice President Facilities Planning
James R. Moyer.
Changes in technology, the classroom and the workplace are the driving forces
behind this next-generation library. Watching student assignments change from
individual to group, seeing employer expectations change to a team environment
and just watching student behavior suggested the need for an environment that
was richer and more carefully engineered than the passive library of the past, said
visionary GVSU Dean of University Libraries Lee Van Orsdel.
In this 21st Century library, most of the printed books are stored in a Dematic
Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) as a complement to GVSUs
million plus digital books. Pioneer installed this 40-foot-tall computerized book
vault with a footprint of 3,500 square feet and a storage capacity of 600,000
printed books, DVDs and other educational media. The same number of books
in a traditional library would have consumed 60,000 square feet. By freeing up
this space, the ASRS helped to make this collaborative learning hub possible.
A House of GlAss And stone

SHW/Stantec turned these new forces in library design into an inspired
150,300-square-foot building with a beautiful book jacket of glass and stone
on the exterior and a thoughtful programming of space on the interior. Glass
is the language of openness, inviting in the light and welcoming connection.
The entire north face of the building is draped in a 60-foot-high glass curtain
wall, drawing students into this new learning adventure. The glass houses a
soaring atrium, a grand volume of space swimming in natural light and serving
as the living room for the entire campus.
The south face has an equal architectural presence. The north is the front
door sited along the main axis of campus, but the south is important because
it has a student bus stop with bus ridership topping three million, said
SHW/Stantec Principal Designer Tod R. Stevens, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, NCARB.
Built of glass and stone, the south face can even be read as a key to the
spaces within. For student choice, GVSU split the upper three levels into a
contemplative east side and a collaborative west side. The contemplative half
of the south face has less windows and more walls, the windows being tall,
narrow slits set in a rich stone fabric. This approach cues the quiet in a sense,
while the west side has much bigger apertures, said Stevens. The west half
opens into a sizeable picture window framed in stone; the same window
code is in play on all three building faces to identify individual and communal
seating areas.
The buildings cloak of varied stone includes a fieldstone base, weaving the
library into the material fabric of the original campus buildings circa 1964. The
fieldstone base also reinforces the return of the library as the foundation of the
university. Limestone of varied texture and color, placed in a random ashlar
pattern, completes this timeless building envelope. Stone is reserved for the
most important buildings on campus, and this building is certainly in that
category, said Stevens.
t
The entire north face of the building is draped in a 60-foot-high glass
curtain wall, drawing students into this new learning adventure.
p
The building exterior is a key to the spaces within: Narrow windows in the walls stone fabric mark the contemplative east half; broad expanses
of glass mark the collaborative west half.
GutenberG meets bill GAtes

Both Gutenberg and Bill Gates would be comfortable in this seven-story
facility (the atrium concourse begins at the bottom of a significant slope,
followed by four floors of library space and upper and lower mechanical
levels). In the quiet east, the Hearth Room has a 20-foot-long fireplace, cozy
banquette seating and a classic view of a carillon bell tower and the treefringed Grand River Valley of GVSUs Allendale Campus. On levels two
through four, group study rooms bookend the book stacks filled with a
total of 150,000 printed books primarily in the Humanities and Social
Sciences, said Stevens. The stacks form a barrier between private study
areas lining the narrow windows and an open meeting area edging toward
the buildings great divide where east meets west in a series of bridges.
Walk across the bridge and enter the open, active and collaborative zones
of this yin/yang building. Thanks to Wi-Fi and mobile technology, students
move whiteboards on wheels to create on-the-fly group study spaces
anywhere they like even on stair landings. The Innovation Center takes
the new model to its fullest expression. Students reshuffle and reconfigure
an assortment of tables, chairs and whiteboards to create spaces of their
own choosing.
tHe librAry: A GrouP exPerience

The concourse and first level give way to completely open and flowing
spaces that have the most motion, buzz and activity. In the first floor Knowledge
Market, student consultants help colleagues improve writing, oral presentation
and research skills in peer-to-peer engagement. Communal spaces include a
caf, a glass-enclosed gallery and 100-person multipurpose room. These latter
two spaces, according to Van Orsdel, have hosted over 200 events, including
a 24-hour reading of Homer and a talk by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the notable
astrophysicist who mesmerized audiences with his series, Cosmos: A
Spacetime Odyssey.
Other spaces include a Technology Center with an IT Help Desk. The

Technology Center is steadily attracting students with 3-D printer
demonstrations, Google Glass and an iPad robot, said Moyer.
Noise is never forbidden and conversation is encouraged, along with a host
of group experiences few would ever associate with a library. The building has
hosted everything from flash mobs to fencing matches, all designed to shake
up tradition and spark a new way of thinking about a university library. Weve
even had Zumba classes, said Van Orsdel. The objective is to interrupt the
pattern of a traditional library. All of these mechanisms and activities are
designed to push the message out to students that this is their space.
GVSU students have embraced the new model. Since opening day in June
2013, more than one million students have used the library three times as
many as the former Zumberge Library, said Moyer. Quoting one student in
the school newspaper, the Grand Valley Lanthorn: It makes studying an
exciting outing.
Visiting educational institutions from China, Japan, Israel and Canada also
feel the energy of this re-imagined library. People from all over the world have
visited the facility, said Van Orsdel. They often say, I have never seen students
working so intensely in a library. It is amazing to me that so many libraries of
all types and sizes are visiting to see what weve done. A major midwestern
research university came twice and vowed to model their 10-year renovation
project on our student-centered design. After a West Coast architect spent
two hours touring the building and hearing about our programs, he vowed to
bring the president of a prestigious California college to see the library because
he had never seen anything like it. He was highly complimentary of
SHW/Stantecs design. We love whats happening in our spaces, but we dont
forget that it took courage for Grand Valley State University to build this
untried vision.
sHW/stAntec PAsses tHe entrAnce exAm

The building not only took courage to build but careful study and an
GVSU
intense fundraising campaign. Lack of state

funding put a new GVSU library on hold for over
a decade, but the delay gave the University time
to think of a new direction. In 1998, the intent
originally was to produce an old-style library, said
Moyer. That means doing the math and setting
aside so many square feet based on the number
of students.
Without state funding, GVSU decided to forge
ahead on its own. As the new dean of libraries,
Van Orsdel wanted a vibrant gathering place for
students to learn, explore and grow as budding
professionals in the 21st Century workplace.
GVSU began soliciting architectural proposals
in 2006 and 2007, eventually selecting five
different architectural firms for the final interview.
Van Orsdel posed a question for each firm: What
ideas do you have for applying retail-like concepts
(think Apple Store) to educational settings? As
Van Orsdel recalls, SHW/Stantec was the only
firm that actually leaned forward in their seats and
became excited about this departure from the
norm. Open-minded, innovative and inventive,
SHW/Stantec passed the entrance exam with
flying colors, joining this groundbreaking project
in 2007.
A nAtionAl roAd triP

GVSU and SHW/Stantec embarked on a road
trip to university libraries across the country. We
toured university libraries at Loyola, Valparaiso and
Stanford, as well as at the University of California,
Merced and the University of Michigans Ross
School of Business, said Stevens.
Each
university had certain elements of the new library
model, but none had the complete package.
The dean actually went to the Saltire Centre at
Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, said
Stevens. This facility was the closest to her vision
of a library promoting student engagement.
SHW/Stantec also toured museums, Apple
stores and other building types to get a tangible
sense of what drives both collaborative and quiet
spaces. We asked, Why is everybody quiet in a
museum? said Stevens. Why are people active
and engaged in an Apple store? We took cues
from these building types and brought them into
the GVSU building.
The project team even studied GVSUs existing
library. As the main furniture supplier and
researcher, Steelcase, brought different types of
furniture into Zumberge and set up cameras to
analyze student usage pattern. SHW/Stantec
worked in tandem with Grand Valley and
Steelcase, said Stevens. We would often sit in
the existing library, observing and record what
was happening. This process gave us insights
into some of the diverse needs of the space.
time And money

Pioneer Construction toured the University of
Chicagos underground ASRS installation. We

gleaned some insights from that tour that allowed
us to build the new building around the ASRS,
said Pioneer Project Manager Scott Veine.
Pioneer joined the project in January 2009 in
schematic design, bringing its savvy budget and
schedule management to the $65 million project.
Our estimating staff was extremely engaged from
day one, said Veine. We had to be very
conscious of the construction dollars, because
the project is funded by donors. Pioneer
employed real-time budgeting, rather than
reviewing the budget at set completion points.
We did multiple budgets almost constantly, said
Veine. The budgets could be done anywhere
from within two weeks to two months. We
selected systems with GVSU and the architectural
team and evaluated them from a cost standpoint.
As a scheduling aid, Pioneer single sourced all
heavy equipment, including sharing a single tower
crane among the entire subcontracting team.
We used a jobsite specific crane that stayed on
site for 16 months, said Veine. This approach
was ideal for a tight site with significant slope and
for a site located in the center of this thriving
university.
For the atrium interior, We rented a scaffold
directly and let all of our trades work off of it to
accelerate the schedule, said Veine. We
probably had 30 different trades that had work in
the atrium.
Speed never trumped safety on this wellplanned project. In fact, Pioneer established its
first Michigan Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (MIOSHA) partnership on this
project. Pioneer and all 54 of our subcontractors
teamed with MIOSHA, said Veine. We raised
the bar of our safety program dramatically on this
site. It was extremely successful, and we are
continuing our partnership with MIOSHA on the
next job.
A tHree-story-tAll booksHelf
Pioneer launched construction on April 25,
2011. The first order of business: Bidding the
Dematic ASRS system, a three-story tall complex
of metal racks and bins, plus two crane units
the massive computerized arms that retrieve the
books. Because of the lead times and the critical
path of this complex system, the ASRS was the
first subcontract let, said Veine. Having the tech
p
The Hearth Rooms 20-foot-long fireplace
and its nest of banquette seating create the
ideal place for quiet study. The beauty of
natural stone and wood envelops this serene
space located in the east half of the building.
u
Grand, light-filled and welcoming, the
atrium serves as the living room for this
new facility and for the entire campus.
GVSU
support of Dematic, a company located right here

in Grand Rapids, meant everything. The ASRS
bid package was released in October 2010,
allowing the requirements of this system to be
integrated into the final construction documents.
Pioneer installed the crane units prior to steel
installation, protecting these sensitive instruments
throughout construction and establishing
milestones for rack completion, bin installation
and commissioning of the system. For final
commissioning, we tested the cranes ability to
talk to the crane units in Grand Valleys downtown
campus, said Veine. GVSUs downtown campus
houses one of the first ASRS installations in North
America for an active library, added Moyer.
Pioneer poured an independent, 14-inch-thick
concrete floor to support the ASRS. Quality
control for flatness had to be impeccable,
because an imperfect floor would cause the crane
units to hit the bins as they rolled down the aisle
way, said Moyer.
The entire ASRS system demanded a
mandatory level of precision, including meeting
the incredibly tight tolerances of the racking and
support systems, said Stevens. We had to
calibrate the system and test every one of the
4,104 bins when the system was first installed to
make sure everything was properly aligned, said
Moyer.
bAtHtub construction
A stone JiGsAW Puzzle
Pioneer encountered the perfect storm in

carving the 44-foot-deep mass excavation for the
ASRS and the building proper. The crew
excavated through the Grand River Valleys pure
clay soil during a summer of torrential rain.
Twenty-three days of rain in June and 10 in July
turned the excavation into a bathtub. Pioneer
made up for lost time, thanks to its quality
contractors, more manpower, additional shifts and
weekend work and lots of dewatering. The
construction economy was a little shaky at the
time, so there was a lot of trade availability that
we could tap into for the job, said Veine.
The clay presented further challenges. This
clay breaks into large, heavy clumps, so we could
only fill our trucks to 50 percent capacity, said
Veine. Pioneer actually gave some of the
excavation spoils to GVSUs Art Department,
because the material is an ideal modeling clay.
Pioneer wasnt finished with its work down
under. The deep basement hugs right up to the
Kirkhof Student Center, said Veine. This meant
we had to sheet and shore the student center.
Pioneer also carved tunnels and installed support
systems to link the new building to the campuswide steam and chilled water plant, as well as to
the Universitys own primary electrical loop.
For the next phase, Pioneer credits steel

fabricator, Van Dellen Steel, with accelerating the
schedule by its virtually flawless structural steel
fabrication. They accelerated our schedule by
sheer speed and production, and by the lack of
fabrication error, said Veine. Error in fabrication
drains time away from the job. We had few errors
on this project, and when we did, the relationship
between ourselves, SHW/Stantec and Van Dellen
resulted in a quick resolution.
Students signed the final steel beam, attending
the topping off ceremony 1,500-students strong.
About 4,000 to 5,000 students later attended a
building preview.
We always take pride in a building, said Veine,
but seeing that kind of joy in a new facility from
people who will use the building meant everything
to my construction staff.
The building was ready for its stone cladding,
beginning with the fieldstone base. The stone
masons loved it, because its real, two-and-aquarter-inch-thick stone on the exterior, said
Veine.
The reddish quartzite fieldstone also
enriches the building. What is really beautiful is
that when it rains, which it often does, the reds
come out and animate the building even on a gray
day, said Stevens.
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GVSU
Split-face accents and subtle color tones

create a wonderful weave of quartzite stone.
Each random ashlar panel is set in a stainless
steel grid; metal and stone creating a dialogue
between the traditional and the contemporary.
The stone quarry packaged each panel in a
separate crate, numbering each stone and
attaching an assembly diagram. Our stone
mason would take the drawing, stick it on the wall
and then just go with it, said Veine.
The wall was assembled like a five-story jigsaw
puzzle of different panel types and grout layouts.
We have two or three panel types and we just
rotated their position on the wall, said Stevens.
The stone mason and the glazing contractor
worked together closely in this pairing of stone
and stainless steel. A series of metal solar
shading louvers extends across the buildings
glazing. Pioneer placed the louvers in the glazing
contractors scope of work because these metal
items tie heavily into the glazing.
PAssinG tHe tHermAl test

The random ashlar stone actually altered the
walls substructure. Traditional masonry ties
cannot be used for installation of random ashlar
stone, said Veine.
Instead we installed
approximately 4,000 metal knife plates that go all
the way through the wall cavity and tie into the
structural stud.
Problem solved, another created: The knife
plates create thermal bridging, meaning the metal
conducts cold into the building. We broke the
thermal bridge with caulk and sealant, and also
totally encapsulated the knife plates with spray
foam, said Veine. Pioneer actually switched the
original plan from rigid insulation to the spray foam
after a series of meetings and construction of a
full building mockup.
As another departure from the norm, the wall
actually has two spray applications, one being the
spray foam and the other a spray-on vapor barrier
applied to the DensGlass. We applied a sprayon vapor barrier to avoid pushing moisture into
the wall cavity in this humidified building, said
Veine.
Pioneer used thermal imaging to test the
performance of the wall substructure in the middle
of the brutal winter of 2013-2014. We did
thermal imaging in January and February 2014,
which was one of the coldest winters on record,
said Veine. Our thermal imaging proved that we
did things the right way.
A five-story Picture WindoW

This mosaic of stone and its well-engineered
substructure gives way to a five-story wall of glass
on the buildings north face.
Each highperformance, triple-pane glass unit weighs 800
lbs. - three times as much as standard units.
Given the weight of the glass and the slope of the
site, Pioneer conducted extensive pre-installation

meetings with the glazing contractor for safety
and logistics, and even added an extra crane.
From a sequencing and safety standpoint, it was
very critical to plan these maneuvers, said Veine.
Strategic placement of coatings created these
high-performance units. SHW/Stantec and Arup
Engineering, a design partner in the early phases
of the project, did a great job in the
preconstruction phase of playing with what
inboard plane the coatings would best be placed
on, said Veine. According to Stevens, of the six
different surfaces in a triple-pane glass unit, lowemissivity coatings were placed on layers two and
four the inside layer of the exterior-facing glass
and the interior-facing layer of the middle pane.
The glass passes a simple test: the snow actually
sits on the window, meaning there isnt any heat
loss from the building, said Stevens.
The windows passed an even more rigorous
test. When GVSU brought in an independent
company to assess the buildings energy
performance, the companys initial suggestion
was to remove this north-facing window wall.
Probing further, they discovered that removal of
this grand wall of glass would not improve the
buildings energy signature at all, said Moyer.
Because of its high-performance qualities, the wall
remained.
loss.
Pioneer installed a reputable, high-quality Tate
floor system. Our quality control was extremely
intense to prevent leakage and infiltration, said
Veine. We even X-rayed the finished floor.
A UFAD saves energy because less fan power
is needed for air distribution. SHW/Stantec
Mechanical Engineer Joe Lapinski, PE, LEED AP
explains: The fans create pressures in the
plenum that are less than 1/10th the pressure that
would be needed in an overhead ducted system.
With air supplied at the floor level and removed at
the ceiling, all the pollutants in the space are
pushed up and out of the breathing zone without
mixing with the rest of the air in the room.
Because the UFAD system is more effective at
removing pollutants, the system requires less
outdoor air to be brought into the building, saving
a significant amount of energy year-round.
The system also fits in perfectly with this flexible
learning and information commons. It is beautiful
from a librarians standpoint, because the
technology and the furniture can be easily moved
around, said Stevens.
Unlike a forced air system, the UFAD system is
virtually soundless. Consequently, a sound
masking system was installed in the collaboration
areas to create private conversation zones; a
white noise system was installed in the east half
of the library for better sound control.
Wood innovAtion
The interior has its own palette of innovative
materials and systems. GVSU wanted a wood
feel to the interior with a sustainable twist. Moyer
thought of the concept of reusing waste wood as
feature walls in the library interior. Fortunately,
West Michigans furniture industry has an ample
supply. We pulled from furniture plants here in
town, as well as millwork shops, said Veine. It
took us about 14 months to collect all the material
we needed.
Pioneer collected waste wood in a variety of
dimensions and stockpiled it in their Grand Rapids
yard almost 10 months before a subcontractor
was even selected for this aspect of the project.
The interior walls now feature 460 different wood
panel sizes, all formed of waste wood. We
created all those shop drawings and actually
planed, cut and installed all the panels, said
Veine. The wood feature walls now grace virtually
every floor.
x-rAyinG tHe floor

The building is host to yet another
unconventional system. Blanketing about 90
percent of the building, a raised access floor
houses the electrical systems, cable trays and the
underfloor air distribution system (UFAD).
A
raised floor over such a large expanse must be
installed properly, for an improperly sealed floor
would result in leaks, wall infiltration and energy
tHe PlAce to be
Despite these complex systems, Pioneer
delivered this new library to GVSU ahead of
schedule. The library originally was supposed to
be turned over to GVSU in mid-to-late July 2013,
said Veine, but we evacuated the existing library
and had the ASRS book retrieval system ready for
operation in April 2013. We accelerated our
schedule and GVSU took over full ownership of
the entire facility on July 1, 2013.
After 28 months and 240,000 man hours,
students started pouring into the new facility in
July 2013 and they have never stopped. Many
more students are visiting the library multiple times
throughout the day, indicating that this is the
place to be when they are not in class, said
Moyer.
Walk up the slope, enter the main door, and
stand a moment on the entry stair landing
between the atrium below and the first-floor
above. From this location, students have access
to some of the most visually stunning views in the
building, including the light-filled, cathedral-like
atrium, the activity in the atrium below and
glimpses of students engaged in the Knowledge
Market on the first floor.
On the atriums west side, a series of canted
pods project out into this grand volume of space,
creating another unique group study zone and
sightline. The buildings open bridges and atrium
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p
Students are flocking to the cutting-edge Knowledge Market a place to exchange ideas and
obtain help in research, writing and oral presentation from peer consultants.
balconies produce more wonderful sightlines that
promote the librarys mission. Our hypothesis
was that part of the energy in the building would
come from students watching other students,
said Van Orsdel. The building made it easy to do
in very intriguing ways.
A librAry re-invented
Its all about energy and connection at the Mary
Pew Idema Library. The atrium has an actual
underground connection to the student center.
The building is also aligned with all the other

campus buildings, so the atrium becomes a living
room for the entire campus, said Stevens. The
atrium, as a new campus home, has a fieldstone
base on the interior wall, linking it material-wise to
the entire campus.
A limestone mosaic and maple acoustical
panels dominate the broad circulation avenues of
the first floor. Walking these wide corridors, one
never sees any traditional library signage or even
a reference desk. In the first-floor Knowledge
Market, four kiosks with red graphics simply state:

Write, Speak, Find and Share. The graphics refer
to the writing, speaking, research and
presentation skills offered at each kiosk through
peer-to-peer engagement. Two presentation
practice rooms give students space to hone
speaking and presentation skills, and for peer
consultants to video record the presentation.
Research
shows
that
peer-to-peer
consultancies boost student confidence in their
ability to learn and achieve, said Van Orsdel, who
created a partnership with the School of
Communication and the Meijer Writing Center to
make the Knowledge Market happen. The Office
of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship, the
Frederick Meijer Office of Fellowships have also
relocated to the Mary Idema Pew facility, added
Moyer.
The library also established a partnership with
the Information Technology Department, including
the provision of an IT Help Desk modeled more
or less on the Genius Bar in an Apple Store, said
Van Orsdel. Students can get help with either
hardware or software issues, right in the library.
The facility also has a special room dedicated to
bibliographic or library research skills, as well as
20 formal group study rooms.
Weve had
Taking the Heat at GVSUs New Mary Idema Pew Facility

SHW Group, now Stantec, designed the inventive Mary Pew Idema Library,
Learning and Information Commons for Grand Valley State Universitys Allendale
campus. Several energy initiatives have created a building that is expected to
operate at an energy level of 50 percent below the requirements of ASHRAE
90.1 2007.
The Berkley architecture and engineering firm designed a host of heat recovery
systems to reduce energy usage in the 150,300-square-foot facility. In general,
air-to-air energy recovery extracts energy from air that is leaving the building to
help pre-condition raw outside air being brought into the building, said SHW
Mechanical Engineer Joe Lapinski, PE, LEED AP. He also explains specific heat
recovery technologies.
flAt-PlAte enerGy recovery:

The flat-plate energy recovery device is located in one of the buildings air
handling units that is dedicated to the buildings toilet rooms, high volume copy
rooms, storage rooms, and showers. This air handling unit exhausts the
required amount of air from these spaces, and supplies conditioned air back
to the space to make-up air that was exhausted.
Before the exhaust air leaves the building, it goes through the flat-plate
heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is made of layers of hundreds of
aluminum channels, with each layer oriented at 90 degrees to the preceding
layer. Air passing through these channels heats or cools the aluminum media.
Fresh, outside air passes through the opposing channels in this heat
exchanger and exchanges heat with the aluminum media, effectively preconditioning the air and reducing the heating or cooling demand of the coils
in the air handling unit.
entHAlPy WHeels:
Enthalpy wheels are similar in principle to flat-plate energy recovery devices,
but are able to transfer moisture between opposing air streams. There is
significant energy involved in removing moisture from air streams (i.e., summer
time cooling) or adding moisture (winter humidification). These devices allow
both heat and moisture exchange between exhaust air leaving the building and
the outside air that is being brought in to replace it.
condensAte HeAt recovery system:

This system is a custom-designed and fabricated piece of equipment,
which involves both the buildings main steam heating system and the snow
melting system. The main purpose of this device is to save energy at the
campus central steam boiler, which has another form of energy recovery
device - a boiler flue gas economizer. This flue gas economizer works more
effectively with lower (colder) steam condensate temperatures. At the Library,
a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger system pre-heats return fluid from the snow
melting system by cooling steam condensate before it is pumped back to
the main campus boiler system. This cooler condensate improves the
efficiency of the flue gas economizer.
The Commercial Building Partnerships (CBP) is a cost-sharing initiative for
building projects. Through this program, the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) partners laboratory staff with private-sector technical experts to provide
energy analysis support to explore ideas and strategies leading to increased
energy savings for commercial buildings. GVSU was able to realize federal
government tax incentives for energy savings by working with the DOEs
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Arup Engineering, as the
technical experts, to increase energy savings in the building. Using the
benefits of the CBPs broad network of resources, PNNL and Arup were able
to provide design suggestions to optimize the energy efficiency of the building.
Increased energy savings were also realized through occupant behavioral
coaching aimed at making occupants aware of energy-saving options within
the building and making them readily accessible and easy to use.
33,000 reservations this year alone for use of the

group study rooms, said Van Orsdel.
Every space and every seat was designed to fit
students needs. Every seat is a good seat
became the project motto. The facility has a chair
to fit any posture, whether sitting, lounging or
even laying down, said Stevens. The quiet and
contemplative areas on the east side tend to have
nice, soft seats, said Van Orsdel. They kind of
nurture and envelop the student. They can even
lie down flat on their back and they do.
Even individual chairs, called twist-again chairs,
can be reconfigured to fit different body positions
and postures. All of the chairs and seats are
designed to give students a choice, said Van
Orsdel. The use is absolutely phenomenal. I
think every chair in this place is sat in at least once
a day by somebody.
sPArkinG ideAs
Some of the best seats and the best views in
the library are in the Reading and Hearth Rooms.
These two spaces are perched at the very top of
a facility that moves from quiet to active, not only
from east to west, but from the lower to the upper
levels. The Hearth Room cantilevers beyond the
buildings east edge and offers a wonderful
campus overlook through its own glass wall.
Stone, wood and nest-like seating fill this restful
place for quiet study. The fourth-floor Reading
Room overlooks the Hearth on one end, and on
the other, a green roof with a flower-filled terrace,
one of four outdoor spaces in this unconventional
library. The spaces include a sunken outdoor
amphitheater in the north, a south plaza called
the porch and a third-floor outdoor courtyard
actually located in the very center of the building
for use as an open air study spot. Thanks to this
open air courtyard, it can actually snow in the
middle of the library.
This collaborative facility - with a touch of quiet
- truly re-invents the traditional library, giving this
venerable institution a place in the 21st Century
and sparking learning within and between
students.
Students who may have seen
themselves as consumers of knowledge in the
previous library are now starting to see
themselves as scholars and creators of
knowledge, as well, said Moyer.
This new paradigm of a library seems to be
taking hold. We are now getting RFPs almost
weekly from institutions trying to renovate libraries
to a model very much like the Mary Idema Pew
facility, said Stevens.
Unlike a book, a building can be judged by its
cover. At the Mary Pew Idema Library, Learning
and Information Commons, both the exterior
cover and the interior spaces have clearly
received rave reviews from GVSU, students and
visiting educators from around the country and
the globe.
BRINGING BACK CLASSICAL

OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHURCH
Photographer: Chris Lark Photography
p
From the back of the sanctuary, the open support structure, paneled
ceiling, updated lighting, new pews, slate tiles and altar are prominently
displayed. Not so evident are the sprinklers, air ducts, and other mechanical
infrastructure intentionally concealed in the design..
As Father Denis put it, we wanted to

Create something beautiful for God
p
Visitors see this view inside the main
entrance from the parking lot. The warm
tones of the various wood finishes, slate
tiles, and carpeting provide a welcoming
and comforting environment for worship.
t
The detail and craftsmanship is evident in
this Mission-style oak paneling used
throughout the church.
u
The sconce lighting adds to a sense of
timeless beauty and tradition that the
church was trying to achieve through
the renovations.
The present Our Lady of Victory church and social hall in Northville was constructed in the
fall of 1957 for $226,000, and at the time there were just 330 families in the parish. Cardinal
Mooney dedicated the church a year later and the membership had grown to over 460 families,
but the structure remained mostly unchanged over the years until its first major renovation in
1987. Fifteen years later, the church adopted a 10-year construction plan featuring new
construction and renovations beginning with a new K-8 school building in 2006. Two years
later, the second phase transformed the old school building into new staff offices, meeting
rooms, and a religious education wing. Beginning in 2013, the renovation of the church was
the final phase of the plan.
Merritt Cieslak Design, Inc., also in Northville, developed the master plan that culminated
into a three-phase project. Originally the church and the old school were to be renovated at
the same time, but they ended up as separate phases. The general contractor for Phases II
and III was McCarthy & Smith, Inc., Farmington Hills. They entered the project for some
preliminary estimating while the school was being built before becoming the general contractor
for the final two phases. Because the architect and contractor worked together on previous
projects they were very familiar with each others methods. By the time the renovations to the
church had begun, the owner, designer and build team had been planning together for more
than six years.
Teamwork and CommuniCaTions

McCarthy & Smith are great; theyre on top of things, they manage things, and they know
when the architect wants to be a part of the decision, said Ronald Cieslak, RA, Merritt Cieslak
Design. A small group that included Our Lady of Victorys Pastor, Father Denis Theroux and
Mike Sanders, director of maintenance, Our Lady of Victory Parish and School, as well as a
few others, would meet regularly with the design/build teams to discuss issues and come up
with solutions and alternatives. We had weekly meetings and we championed that, said Steve
OUR LADY OF VICTORY
Having satisfied the Worship Department,

the plans were presented to the College of
Consulters at the Archdiocese and
approved. The parish community moved out
of the sanctuary in July 2013 just ahead of
the start of construction. Masses and other
ceremonies were held at the school gym
during this period and it wasnt the most
convenient of circumstances.
This was one of the most challenging
aspects of the renovation for the church
community. Having to set up the gym for
Mass and then having to use it as a gym for
the rest of the week was probably the most
challenging part, said Sanders. To set up
the gym for Mass, the altar was placed on a
platform to raise it and additional seating
was added for every Mass on Saturday, three
on Sunday, and one on Monday. This
process was reversed and everything broken
down and stored in the hallway of the school
every Monday and repeated each and every
week for six straight months.
p
When it was determined that the walls needed to come down so that foundation support
could be added, the designer and builder took advantage of the opportunity and replaced
some of the angular wasted spaces with much more practical and usable space, such as the
reconciliation room shown here.
Cipparone, project manager, McCarthy & Smith, Inc. We wanted to meet weekly with all the
stakeholders and it did take time out of the day, but I think it helped. The situation was fluid
because the parish and school were in full operational mode, and life events continued to
happen, such as funerals and weddings. The teams had to be prepared to accommodate these
events, and everyone understood that. The meetings helped the teams prepare for these issues
and plan their schedules accordingly.
The 23,000-square-foot, $1.7 million renovation included a complete interior makeover for
the nave and sanctuary, enhancements to the entrance and gathering space that improved
functionality and traffic flow, and upgrades to the mechanical, sound and lighting systems
throughout the building. The third phase addressed some of the design deficiencies in the
church that worked when it was renovated in 1987, but didnt work today, said Cieslak.
Besides being outdated, the heating and cooling was ineffective and inefficient, the sound and
lighting systems were inadequate, the chairs were uncomfortable, and the steps at the altar
made Mass difficult for the priests. The church was dated and needed to be remodeled, said
Sanders. We had an influence on the plan that Ron Cieslak came up with, and he knew what
would appeal to Father Denis and to all of us as a team.
The Parish sTePs uP suPPorT

Once the plans for renovation were developed and discussed with the parish, the people
got on board in a big way. The parish had one big vote to see if they were supportive or not,
and that is the fundraising campaign, said Cieslak. And they were very supportive. The
master plan needed to gain the approval of the Archdiocese in Detroit who sent a
representative from the Worship Department to discuss the plans and to determine whether
they satisfied the needs of the Archdiocese and were consistent with Roman Catholic Liturgy.
Bringing BaCk ClassiCal Feels

righT
In the church, its important for the altar to
be the central focus. Ever since Vatican II in
the 1960s, there was a movement to make
Roman Catholic churches simpler with the
emphasis on the altar and the community,
said Cieslak. But he thinks this resulted in
people looking for more familiar features and
more traditional roots in their places of
worship because they just feel right. The
tabernacle, in keeping with tradition, is
located once again in the center of the altar
rather than off to the side. The desire for
more tradition also affords designers the
opportunity to use nicer materials such as
the oak paneling lining the walls of the
church.
The Mission craftsman character is
something that will last. Like a button-down
oxford shirt, its always going to be in style,
said Cieslak. Throughout the sanctuary,
entrance, and gathering spaces, high-end
finishes and oak paneling dominate the
landscape. It was really a continuation of
the character that was established with the
school, and it culminated there in the
sanctuary with the woodwork, the platform,
and the tile, said Cieslak. The church is
really the high point of the style that we
developed at the school.
Robert Schimmel, of New Carpentry, Inc.
in Detroit, performed the carpentry and his
skills and craftsmanship are abundantly
evident. The running trim and lumber came
in lengths that had to be site cut and fitted.
Thats a little bit on the unusual side in
todays world, said Schimmel. The
OUR LADY OF VICTORY
architects typically have all that done in the

shop, but the owner saw the need to
generate something that would last many,
many years and they had the opportunity
and the foresight and insisted on high
quality. Rift-sawn oak lumber was used,
which has a very straight and narrow grain
compared to other cuts, and the finish has a
distinguishingly beautiful look. Because it is
the most labor intensive cut and it results in
the most waste, it is also the most expensive
cut.
One complexity is that the wood came
prefinished and we had to cut and fit it, and
then everything was glued and tacked in with
very fine pin nails, said Schimmel. Its not
often that a carpenter has the privilege to do
this kind of work. Time constraints and onsite conditions were a challenge throughout
the process. The stair stringers to balcony
are in wood that was custom fit to the
existing stairway, and we used the new oak
to encapsulate the existing ceramic tile steps
and stringers, said Schimmel. It was all
custom fit to existing stairs which was very
time consuming, but very beautiful. The
vestibule required many unusual pieces and
cuts and the results are stunning. It was a
wonderful experience of cooperation and
communication between all parties and I am
very proud of the facility.
Hard surfaces are pretty standard for most
churches, but the slate tiles used in the
aisles, with their warm, earthy tones, are as
attractive as they are enduring. The exposed
organ pipes behind the altar once gave the
area a metallic feel and a second focal point,
competing for attention with the altar. They
looked nice but it was their positioning that
drew attention to them, said Sanders. The
people would say it was like they were
worshiping the organ pipes. Now they are
concealed behind beautiful oak paneling with
light fabric grille covers that provide a much
cleaner
and
softer
backdrop
that
complements, rather than competes, with
the altar.
leTs make iT PermanenT

The choir had previously been located on
portable risers surrounded by drywall and
track lighting but when they were not
seated, the area looked empty as if
something was missing. They are now on a
permanent platform with the wood panel
backdrop, improved lighting, and a more
reflective surface overhead to help the
acoustics. The organ is now situated directly
in front of the choir, which helps the organist
direct them. To address the concerns
regarding the altar steps, the area was
completely reconfigured with a ramp added
to the left side for the disabled.

The portable chairs were replaced with
permanent pews that surround the altar on
three sides, the beauty of their wood now
enhancing the sanctuary. The pews also
provide more seating than the chairs
previously did. Another feature everyone
wanted changed was the entry to the
sanctuary that forced parishioners to enter

at the altar area in the front of the church.
People arriving late created a distraction,
and were probably a bit uncomfortable being
so visible. The completely redesigned entry
now directs the flow through the back of the
sanctuary where the tardy can find seats
more discretely.
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OUR LADY OF VICTORY
The obsolete sound system was

replaced with a programmable digital
system that is clear and crisp, with
integrated speakers throughout the
church. They provide the ultimate
surround sound and are barely
noticeable, mounted overhead on
columns and rafters. The previous
lighting system was operated with a
breaker switch that was either on or
off, and used full power constantly.
The new lighting is a controlled
system; some of the fixtures are LED
which allow the lights to be used at
any level including full power. We have
our presets so during the day we have
minimal lighting, but enough so when
someone comes in they wont think the
church is closed, said Sanders.
making
worshiP
ComForTaBle
more
The old air conditioning unit was so

loud that they chose not to use it
during Mass, and the original boiler
heater was very inefficient. Both were
in line for replacement. One of the
main challenges the designer faced
was determining where to install a new
HVAC system and the ductwork while
maintaining proper ceiling heights. In
an exposed structure, how do you
incorporate a mechanical system in a
graceful way so that it isnt a
distraction, and do it without running
duct through the space? said Cieslak.
They decided to install the equipment
on the roof above the religious studies
area and bring the ducts in along the
center of the sanctuary ceiling in a
soffit-type enclosure. We did build an
area for the ducts to come into the
space and a nice screen that allowed
for noise attenuation, said Cipparone.
It doesnt draw attention to itself or
look out of place, but appears to be
part of the ceilings design. It does
provide ample space necessary for the
ducts needed for air movement
u
The enclosure built to cover the organ
pipes blends in to the background of
the altar, no longer competing for
attention. It features fabric grilles
and removable wood panels that
allow access to service the organ.
OUR LADY OF VICTORY
without the noise level of the previous

system.
A second major design challenge was how
to add a sprinkler system to bring the
building up to code, and again do it without
running pipes and spigots that were visibly
everywhere. With new construction, a
sprinkler system can be concealed inside the
new walls and ceilings. Not so in a case
where you have a renovation with vaulted
wood ceilings with exposed structure.
Working with the sprinkler company, Elite
Fire Safety, Southfield, a chase system was
created to conceal the pipes that is
unobtrusive and actually blends with the
wood and is virtually unnoticeable, save for
a few places. Theyre on the back sides of
the arches so the congregation sees no
sprinkler pipes, said Cipparone. Theyre
really just wood boxes that are painted to
match the ceiling; I dont think anyone really
notices them.
An integrated emergency generator was
installed, which was something the church
had wanted for quite some time. They had
experienced power outages in the past and
they didnt want to have to turn people away
in the event of another outage. We once lost
power on a Friday and didnt know if it would
be back on by Sunday. We wanted to be
able to power up the safety systems,
lighting, and the sound systems so we could
hold Mass, said Sanders. In the renovation,
it was decided early on that a generator was
a necessity. An automatic unit that operates
on natural gas was installed. The generator
cycles once a week and will operate under
load regularly as part of its self-maintenance
cycle. It turns on automatically when a power
outage occurs.
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making iT FiT
Fitting everything that was needed into the
space and making it work without losing
seating was tricky. It would have been
easier if we could reduce the seating, but we
couldnt do that, said Cieslak. It took a lot
of juggling and measuring, and using pews
helped. The pews actually seat more people
than individual chairs, so the space lost was
offset by their use. The design and
construction team also captured storage
space in the organ room to increase the size
of the gathering space. This would have
made a tight squeeze if maintenance were
necessary. We made some of the panels
removable in the front so the pipes could be
accessed for repair if need be, said
Cipparone.
Space was added to the churchs
gathering area but it was done under the
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OUR LADY OF VICTORY
same roofline and with minimal exterior changes other than the
reinforcement of the sanctuary walls, which took place before the
brick was re-laid during Phase II. However, structural steel was
needed in the sacristy area to carry the load of the mechanical units
on the roof.
What was below the building was unsuitable to support the
additional weight of the steel and the mechanical units above, said
Cipparone. They removed some existing material and had to add
additional concrete to shore up the foundation. In the process, many
of the interior walls had to come down allowing the team to
reconfigure the layout and create more practical and useable space,
especially in the new reconciliation room. The architect for the 1987
renovation liked all these angles, and on plans it looked pretty good,
said Cieslak. But there was a lot of unusable space and we couldnt
expand, so we needed to make better use of what we had.
Decisions like these were made during the weekly meetings and
as a result of continuous lines of communications between
stakeholders. Father Deniss direction was, Lets make this a usable
space, said Cipparone. Through the course of construction, things
changed a bit and allowed us to create a very functional space that
serves the purpose better. Bids on the project came in below the
figures that were budgeted which helped when issues arose,
including reconfiguring the sacristy. These cost savings ultimately
allowed the team to complete a major overhaul of the parking lot that
is underway. This includes resurfacing the lot, new concrete and
curbs, and a redesign that will address various issues including

modifying the location of the handicapped spaces to make them
more accessible.
a well managed ProjeCT

It is normal on projects such as this to have supply issues or other
problems that threaten to slow or delay progress, but this renovation
was well managed. Steve had to keep the project going while we
resolved these issues or we were waiting for steel, said Cieslak. He
did an excellent job keeping things moving forward, even when we
ran into stumbling blocks, without sacrificing quality or safety.
The project was fortunate to have excellent tradespeople who
participated in the process, and there were no safety issues on site
during construction. The entire process was a team effort from start
to finish, in how they communicated with the church and each other.
We were never going to sacrifice quality for schedule, and it meant
solving lots of issues and the church having to go through the
Christmas season in a temporary space, said Cipparone. But at
the end of the day, the best thing we could do was to do it right.
The team never felt at any point that they had to rush the process
along. There was a vision and a tenacity that we knew this was
going to be completed and we were very fortunate to be a part of
it, said Cipparone. It is apparent that the team was focused on the
mission at hand. Cieslak said, As Father Denis put it, we wanted to
Create something beautiful for God.
Your
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Your
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Renovated surgical staff area and larger patient area. Photography by Mark Kochis
NINE SEPARATE PHASES ONE VISION

DETROIT MEDICAL CENTER HARPER UNIVERSITY
HOSPITAL SURGICAL RENOVATION PROJECT
Established in 1863, Harper University Hospital, on the campus of

the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) in Midtown Detroit, is among the
oldest teaching hospitals in the country. Harper Hospital was the first
hospital to successfully perform an open-heart surgery in 1952,
using a mechanical heart developed by a team of physicians and
General Motors engineers. Years later, Harper Hospital and the DMC
launched Cardio Team One, the nations first 24/7 heart attack
response team; U.S. News & World Report named it one of
Americas Best Hospitals for heart medicine and heart surgery. For
the last 150 years, Harper Hospital has been a leader and innovator
in the medical field. Today, it is home to a new surgical suite
incorporating the most advanced medical technology of the moment,
and equipped to handle coming innovations.
As part of their purchase of the DMC in 2010, Vanguard Health
Systems, now part of the larger Tenet Healthcare Corporation,
pledged $350 million in routine capital improvements, and an
additional $500 million directed toward specific projects during the
first five years of ownership. One of the major projects slated in the
original purchasing agreement was to upgrade Harper Hospitals
entire surgical department located in the basement of the hospital.
This is one of the busiest - if not the busiest - hospitals in the
state of Michigan from a surgical volume perspective, explained Ken
Mason, CPC, vice president of Plante Moran Cresa, Southfield.
Representing the DMC, Mason has been a key player in several of
p
Enlarged pre-op and post-op patient areas, featuring open corridors
and clear sight lines. Photography by Mark Kochis
the capital projects launched through the Vanguard purchase.
At 55,000 square feet, the new Surgical Center at Harper
University Hospital centers on the newly constructed Hybrid Surgical
Suite. Used primarily for vascular procedures, Hybrid Operating
Rooms (ORs) are being added to hospitals across the country. A
Hybrid OR brings advanced imaging equipment into the sterile
surgical environment. The equipment provides real-time guidance for
surgeons during a procedure. If something were to go wrong, for
example, when inserting a stent into an artery, surgeons can
immediately operate to correct the problem. Otherwise, patients
would need to be transported to a nearby operating room, which
increases the risk of infection and other complications.
Flanking the Hybrid OR are four, large state-of-the-art operating
rooms, 26 renovated patient pre-op cubicles, and 22 postanesthesia cubicles, as well as ample staff support areas and sterile
storage. Plans for the renovation also included relocating,
consolidating and updating the adjacent Stat Laboratory, Blood
Bank, and Molecular Genetics Lab.
DisjointeD anD CrampeD

p
Private patient areas; each cubical is identical to ensure patient
safety. Photography by Mark Kochis
Many buildings across Detroit were constructed at a time when

efficiency and economy of space were the primary objective. Little
consideration was given to how people interact with the environment
that space creates. In the case of Harper University Hospital, this
meant long narrow corridors, with rooms branching off on either
p
Detail of operating table and imaging technology within the Hybrid OR. Photography by Toshiba, Inc.
side. Built in the early 1970s, the surgery
center had been continuously retrofitted to
keep up with the ever-changing innovations
of medical technology, but the footprint was
inhibiting a proper flow of patients, staff and
information.
In terms of the evolution of technology
and processes, and pure volume that
transpired from the mid-1970s to 2010 when this facility was originally constructed
- the way they operate, the number of
people, and the equipment they use is vastly
different, explained Mason.
For example, in the old facility, incoming
patients waited in a four-foot by six-foot
space, which is about 1/6th of what it should
be by todays best practices. The staff was
making sure the patients were comfortable
and safe - they were doing an exemplary job
of actually existing in that environment, said
David Schmitzerle, project manager at HKS
Architects PC, Northville, architects for the
Surgical Renovation project.
Taking that space and creating a space
that meets the needs of today but also gives
flexibility for the next evolution of technology
and process - that was really the
foundation, continued Mason.
The design plans to renovate the surgical
center emphasized patient-centered facilities
that could enhance healing and promote
comfort through the experience of the space.
The surgical department really lacked any
sort of contemporary surgical flow,
explained Schmitzerle. They were using the
same space for prepping patients as they
were for Phase One recovery and Phase Two

recovery. There was no space to differentiate
whether a patient was incoming or going
out.
HKS Architects sought to re-envision the
entire space by evaluating the program
needs of the surgery department and how to
redesign the space in which they operate,
but also redesign how they function from an
operational
standpoint.
Originally
a
conglomerate of individual broken-up units,
the design gave the department a singular
identity and continuous space, which
allowed for transparency and flow.
There was initial reticence from the staff
about how the new space would function.
Through constant communication, the
design team had to prove and re-prove that
by updating their processes within the new
environment they would be able to help
them deal with the volume increases more
efficiently and more effectively so that their
patients would be more comfortable and
have better surgical outcomes because of
that, continued Schmitzerle.
Aesthetic elements of the design were
chosen to promote calmness and comfort, to
create a healing environment for patients and
their families. Patient areas were enlarged
and clearly separate from staff areas to give
patients and their families a sense of privacy.
Staff concerns were also taken into account
in the design; for example, the majority of the
space has a rubber floor, which is a lot easier
to stand on all day.
A major element of the overall design is
that all patient areas, all prep areas, and all

ORs are identical. There is an increase in
patient safety having identical spaces. For
the healthcare provider everything is always
in the same location no matter where you
are, added Schmitzerle.
nine separate phases - one

Vision
One of the truly remarkable feats on this
project is not necessarily the end result and
the aesthetics - although it is very nice and
everything performs as anticipated - but it
was really how the team worked together to
develop how to get from point A to point Z
while keeping the department fully
operational, explained Mason. There were
still people coming in needing surgeries;
patient volumes could not and would not
change to accommodate construction
activities.
One of the largest challenges for the team
to overcome on this project was the need for
the entire floor to remain occupied and fully
operational.
HKS
Architects
and
construction managers Roncelli MPS Joint
Venture, Sterling Heights, developed a
phasing plan in order to systematically
renovate and turn over portions of the floor
back to the DMC. Originally, they planned for
15 separate construction phases, but with
consistent
collaboration
and
open
communication between the construction
team and Harper Hospital, they were able to
complete the surgical floor in nine phases.
In late 2011 construction began on a new
DMC HARPER
lab area offsite. By relocating one of the

original labs offsite, the team was able to
begin renovations within the vacated area in
Harper Hospital. From there, it was a domino
effect; renovate one area, move equipment
in, and then start on the next.
Each component within the surgical
department had to remain completely
operational during the entire construction
process. For example, the medical labs
located at Harper Hospital provide testing
services to many other facilities within the
Detroit Metropolitan area. Samples come in
with a guaranteed turnaround time. While
new labs were being constructed, either
offsite or relocated within the department,
the old labs needed to remain online. Once
the new lab area was complete, the
equipment had to move, get recertified, and
brought back online to maintain all of the
necessary qualifications. Then the staff could
make the final move to use the new facility,
and the old labs could be decommissioned.
At the end of each phase, there wasnt a
lot of time for staff to move in. Often
construction would complete on a Friday and
they would have to move in over the
weekend to be back up and running by
Monday.
The location of the renovations and tight
corridors to and from the construction area
was a challenge for bringing materials and
large mechanical equipment into the work
area, and safely removing debris. It is in the
basement of the hospital, explained Jeffrey
Tessmer, project manager for Roncelli MPS.
It is all below ground and from a logistical
standpoint, it is not close to any truck docks
or any easy access to get materials in and
out.
Working within an occupied hospital,
meant that much of the work had to revolve
around surgical schedules; often that meant
working in the middle of the night. Temporary
partitions were constructed with insulation
and vapor barrier materials to eliminate dust,
noise, odor and vibration. While moving
through patient areas, workers were often
asked to wear temporary boot and face
protection. Patient safety was as much of a
concern for the construction team as it was
for Harper Hospital staff.
They were working right next to ORs,
said Todd James, project engineer for the
DMC. They would be doing procedures, and
with vibrations or any kind of movement, it
can get dicey. They worked a lot of nights
and we did a lot of weekend work because
we didnt have regularly scheduled
operations at those times. But, emergency
operations did arise and the team had to be
prepared with a functional OR.

Constant communication with the hospital
staff was imperative. There were times we
were told to stop. There was too much
noise. Throughout the whole job it was just
constant communication with the staff and
making sure they always knew what we were
doing and when we were doing it. If we had
to put a halt to something because it was
causing disruption, we accommodated that,

explained Tessmer.
The COO of the hospital, Valerie Gibson,
was very hands on and she was a big part
in making sure all of the parties were at the
table from our standpoint, to make sure
everyone was in the loop, and make sure
there was accountability, added James.
That helped the situation a lot; that we had
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DMC HARPER
someone from upper management who

Basso Associates, Inc., Troy, on the project
be able to stand on its own. Each phase
wanted to make sure everything went well.
to develop the intricate phasing plan for all
needed to meet all of the infection control
You dont always get that support.
of the complex infrastructure systems.
requirements, airflow rates, life safety
Cooperation of the hospital staff was
New systems were installed, often in an
measures, and lighting requirements, in
integral to the phasing plan. They
order to open that phase and
changed the patient flow, they
move on to the next.
changed the flow of supplies into
The
design
assist
and out of the ORs. The number
contractors were also very
of operational changes that had to
important for getting into the
take place really dwarfed the
space early on and helping the
amount of architectural and
team locate and assess
mechanical changes that there
potential challenges that didnt
were. They changed as much as
show up on the original
their environment did during the
drawings. While the older
process, said Schmitzerle.
infrastructure put limitations on
Each phase of construction
some elements of the design,
also required extensive planning
with the assistance of these
of
mechanical,
electrical,
trades, the team was able to
plumbing, and fire protection
successfully
achieve
the
p
systems. Several trades were
modern vision of the space by
Inside the Hybrid OR, part of the larger Surgical Renovation Project.
brought on a design assist basis, Photography by Toshiba, Inc.
relocating structural columns.
including Bumler Mechanical, Inc.,
A mezzanine was added
Sterling Heights; Center Line Electric, Inc.,
already crowded ceiling plenum, and brought
above the new PACU unit to support the new
Center Line; and Bill James Inc., Madison
online before old systems could be
and very large HVAC equipment for the new
Heights. These three main design assist
decommissioned and removed. In terms of
ORs and surrounding patient areas. The
partners were involved early on in the design
State review, each phase of construction had
mezzanine was constructed between the
process, coordinating with HKS and Peter
to be seen as a complete project, it had to
ceiling of the new patient area and the main
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DMC HARPER
level of the hospital above. We basically dug

all the footings and erected all of the steel
essentially by hand; either digging by hand
or using chain falls, said Tessmer.
The final phase of construction was the
installation of the hybrid room, which was
the most intense from an equipment
standpoint and all the systems that go to
that room. It is the most technologically
advanced space, and it is right in the middle
of all of the work that we had just done,
explained Schmitzerle. The last space we
renovated ended up being the deepest in the
department.
That OR itself is probably equivalent to
two-and-a-half ORs, added James. The
Hybrid OR suite accounts for the OR, the
control room, and the equipment room that
houses all of the hybrid equipment. We built
four new ORs which added capacity, and
replaced the two that we had to take down
to build the Hybrid OR.
The hospital did a really good job getting
the latest and greatest equipment. When we
designed the space, we left it as open as
possible because they hadnt made an
equipment selection yet. With most
technology, that turnover is about every six
to twelve months. We designed a room that

was flexible and then plugged in the
equipment as soon as they had it selected
and ready, said Schmitzerle.
positiVe outComes - improVing

patient safety
In addition to the advanced technology
located in the Hybrid OR, the entire surgical
center features new technology aimed at
improving patient safety and experience. The
floor is equipped with paperless electronic
information systems, which allows for an
easier flow of patient records to the nurses
station and on to the surgeons in the ORs.
OR
schedules
are
also
displayed
electronically on a series of large monitors
improving patient flow, OR bookings, and
staff support.
All of the new ORs feature Cleansuite, a
modular ceiling system that combines the
diffusers, ductwork and structural support
for OR lights and booms into a single
assembly making installation much quicker.
In addition, LED lighting is integrated into the
diffusers, which provides more uniform light
distribution while keeping the ORs much
brighter and cooler.
p
Interior of one of the four additional renovated ORs,
technology. Photography by Mark Kochis
The ORs also incorporate an impressive
Digital Integration system, which allows
surgical information to flow into and out of
the ORs during procedures. The system
consists of a series of computer servers,
cameras and monitors attached to two
booms extending from the ceiling on either
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Sullivan, Ward, Asher & Patton
featuring Cleansuite ceiling system and integrated
side of the operating table. These monitors

can display all of the patients records within
the sterile field, allowing the surgeons to see
the most recent medical documents or scans
while performing surgery. This integration
system even allows for real-time visual
communication between the other ORs.
These systems also allow specialists offsite,
or across the world, to guide a local surgeon
on a difficult or new procedure.
Two of the ORs also feature Da Vinci
machines, which are advanced robotic
systems that take erroneous movement out
of a surgeons hands. From a remote
location, the surgeon is able to manipulate
the equipment that has multiple fingers
with lights, cameras and various instruments,
on very small robotic hands that allow for
precise incisions.
Throughout this entire process, patient
safety and care had been at the heart of
every decision, whether it was from the
hospital or the construction team. Ken
Mason emphasized this point. Thanks to the
implementation of a very robust safety
program, working inside of a hospital,
working inside of a surgery environment,
Roncelli MPS thinking not only about their
safety and the safety of their workers but
also the patients, the staff and the people
that are surrounding them 24/7, there were
no safety incidents on this project.
The amount of teamwork on this project
surpassed most out of necessity to keep the
project moving forward. I think that is a key
difference with this job, said Schmitzerle.
The hospital committed to the vision early
in the process and then made it possible for
the team to deliver that vision intact.
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248.746.0700
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PROJECT SUBCONTRACTOR LISTS
Subcontractors:
Carpentry and Drywall Turner Brooks, Inc., Madison
LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD

HEADQUARTERS, DETROIT
Owner: Lowe Campbell Ewald, Detroit
Architect: Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield
Construction Manager: Turner Construction Company,
Michigan Office, Detroit
Program Manager: Jones Lang LaSalle, Detroit
Consultants:
Acoustical Consultant Acoustics By Design, Grand Rapids
Code Consultant Rolf Jensen and Associates, Chicago,
Illinois
Furniture American Interiors, Wixom / Knoll, East China
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing MA Engineering,
Birmingham
Structural Engineering Desai/Nasr Consulting Engineers,
West Bloomfield Township
Testing and Inspection NTH Consultants, Ltd., Northville
Heights
Ceramic Tile Empire Tire and Marble, Eastpointe
Concrete Polishing and Sealing Inside Edge Commercial
Interior Services, Eagan, MN

Doors, Frames and Hardware Rayhaven Group, Southfield
Electrical Center Line Electric, Center Line
Electrical Demolition Advantage Electric, Shelby Township
Fences and Gates Industrial Fencing and Landscaping,
Detroit
Fire Protection Lawrence Green Fire Protection, Detroit
Floor Covering Turner Brooks, Inc., Madison Heights
Glass and Glazing Madison Heights Glass, Ferndale
Interior Concrete JJ Barney Construction, Rochester Hills
Interior Paint Madias Brothers, Inc., Detroit
Interior Selective Demolition Blue Star, Inc., Warren
Interior Signage Spectrum Neon, Detroit
Interior Spray-On Acoustical Insulation Stony Creek
Services, Inc., Westland

Lighting,
Electrical
and
Procurement Turner Logistics, Detroit

Mechanical Great Lakes Mechanical, Dearborn
Millwork MOD Interiors, Ira Township
Mechanical
Equipment
Miscellaneous Structural Steel and Ornamental Metals
Davis Iron Works, Walled Lake

Plumbing Progressive Mechanical, Inc., Ferndale
Toilet Accessories and Partitions RE Leggette, Dearborn
Window Shades The Sheer Shop, Shelby Township
Owner: City of Detroit, Detroit Building Authority

Architect: Ehresman Associates Inc., Troy
Construction Manager: KEO and Associates, Inc., Detroit
Engineers: Scales & Associates, Detroit
Subcontractors:
Carpentry - Mid-Michigan Carpentry, Rochester
Concrete - Midwest Concrete, Inc., Clarkston
Demolition - Blue Star, Inc., Warren
Electrical - AAA Electrical Service, Inc., Shelby Township
Exhibit Glass - Edward Glass Company, Livonia
Exhibit Work - Michigan Shotcrete/NDK Contracting, LLC,
South Lyon
Flooring - Mastercraft Carpets, Redford
Glass and Glazing - United Glass and Mirror, Chesterfield
HVAC/Mechanical - Systemp Corporation, Rochester Hills
Irrigation - Marc Dutton Irrigation, Waterford
Landscaping - WH Canon Landscape Company, Romulus
Masonry - Great Lakes Masonry, Chesterfield
Metal Siding - Reasonable Roofing & Remodeling, Port Huron
St. Clair
Shores
Royal Oak
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Eastpointe
(586) 775-7200
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Painting - AM Painting and Drywall, Hamtramck

Paving - Nagle Paving Company, Novi
Plumbing - Macomb Mechanical, Sterling Heights
Roofing - MacDermott Roofing, Livonia
Security - Security Corporation, Novi
Steel Contractor - Great Lakes Welding and Fabricating, Ray
Township
Testing - PSI/Detroit Office, Chicago, IL
AGRO-CULTURE LIQUID
FERTILIZERS HEADQUARTERS,
ST. JOHNS
Owner: Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers, St. Johns
Architect: Hobbs + Black Architects, Lansing Office
Design/Build Contractor: Wieland-Davco Corporation, Lansing
Subcontractors:
Asbestos Abatement - ALAM, Inc., Jackson
Asbestos Testing - Fibertec Industrial Hygiene Services, Inc., Holt
Asphalt Paving - American Asphalt, Lansing
(continued)
THE GARDEN THEATER

Owner: Woodward SA-PK, LLC, Detroit
Architect: Quinn Evans Architects, Ann Arbor
Design Architect: McIntosh Poris Associates, Birmingham
General Contractor: Construction Logistics (Monahan
Company/Means Group Joint Venture), Detroit
Civil Engineers: Giffels-Webster, Detroit
Mechanical and Electrical Engineers: Strategic Energy
Solutions, Berkley
Structural Engineers: AR Decker Associates, Rochester Hills
Subcontractors:
Abatement - Environmental Maintenance Engineers, Inkster
Acoustic Paneling - PCI Industries, Oak Park
Carpet and Resilient - Vocheck Flooring Services, LLC,
Sterling Heights
Ceramic Tile - Empire Tile & Marble, Eastpointe
Concrete - RMG Global Services, LLC, Detroit
Demolition - Blue Star Demolition, Warren
Doors, Frames, and Hardware - Tupper Door & Hardware,
Farmington Hills
Drywall/Acoustic - City Renovation & Trim, Auburn Hills
Electrical - Edgewood Electric, Detroit
Elevator - KONE Elevator, Livonia
Excavation - Sharp Contractors, Detroit
Fire Protection - Detroit Automatic Sprinkler, Warren
HVAC
Covenant
Environmental,
Howell
Glass and Glazing - Crystal Glass, Wixom

Masonry
DAloisio
Masonry
&
Construction,
Farmington Hills
Masonry - Mason Factor, Holly
Masonry Restoration - Grunwell Cashero, Detroit
Millwork - Aria Custom Cabinetry, Rochester Hills
Miscellaneous Steel - Delta Iron Works, Detroit
Ornamental Fencing - Ideal Wrought Iron, Detroit
Overhead Doors - KVM Door Systems, Clinton Twp.
Painting - Eugenio Painting, Grosse Pointe Woods
Plaster and Fireproofing - Russell Plastering, Ferndale
Plumbing - Ben Washington & Sons, Detroit
Replacement Wood Windows - Midwest Door & Window,
Livonia
Roofing and Sheet Metal - Esko Roofing & Sheet Metal,
Shelby Twp.
Signage - Embree Sign Company, Saint Clair Shores
Site Utilities - Joy Construction & Leasing, Detroit
Skylight - Crystal Structures, Wichita, KS
Stone Tops - Hard Rock Stone Works, Sterling Heights
Structural Steel - B & A Steel Company, Chesterfield
Toilet Accessories - A & C Builders Hardware, Warren
Waterproofing/Sealants - D. C. Byers, Detroit
Wood Framing/Wood Floors - Orion Building Company,
Lake Orion
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Jet Grouting
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Fabric Form Grout Bags
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Building Electrical - Feyen-Zylstra, Grand Rapids

Building and Site Concrete - Custom Concrete, Inc., Holland
Commercial Kitchen Appliances - Stafford Smith, Inc., Lansing
Custom Millwork - Albin Hengesbach Carpentry & Custom
Cabinets, Westphalia
Data Cabling - Parkway Electric & Communications, Holland
Doors, Frames and Hardware - Metal Frames, Inc., Lansing
Elevator - Schindler Elevator Corporation, Livonia
EPDM and Live Roof - Great Lakes Systems, Inc., Jenison
Excavation and Utilities - Miller Brothers Excavating, St. Johns
Fencing - Simmons Fence Company, Lennon
Final Cleaning - Clean Investment, Inc., Lansing
Fire Suppression System - Total Fire Protection, Inc., Grand
Rapids
Flooring and Tiling - Lansing Tile & Mosaic, Inc., Lansing
Folding Partitions - Partition Systems, Cedar Springs
Geothermal - Geothermal Loop Pros LLC, Jenison
Glue Laminated Construction - United Church Structures, Davison
HVAC - Progressive Heating Cooling & Refrigeration, Inc.,
Lowell
Joint Sealants - Premier Caulking, Grand Rapids
Lab Equipment - R.D. Landstra, Lansing
Landscaping - Instant Shade, Inc., Bath
Masonry - TL Masonry, Ionia
Materials Testing - AAA Lead Inspections, Inc., Grand Rapids;
Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc., Lansing
Overhead Doors - Overhead Door Co. of Lansing, Inc., East
Lansing
Painting and Wall Covering - Ritter Painting Contractors, LLC,
DeWitt
Parking Lot Striping - Parallel Contracting, Williamston
Plumbing - SE Kalchik Mechanical, Northville
Polished Concrete - Applied Flooring, Inc., Mason
Rough Carpentry, Rain Screen, Acoustical Ceilings - Rajala &
Sons Finishes, Webberville
Security Alarm - Central Security Alarm, Inc., East Lansing
Site Electrical and Fire Alarm - JC Electric, LLC, St. Johns
K&G
Architect: MBH Architect, Alameda, CA
MEP Designer: Dunham, Minneapolis, MN
Marshalls
Loading Dock Equipment: Frommelt Dock and Door, Inc.,
North Reading, MA
Overhead Door: Metro Door Inc., Lewisburg, TN
Meijer Store
Designer: FTC&H, Grand Rapids
General Contractor: Rockford Construction, Grand Rapids
Owner Representative: Meijer, Grand Rapids
Petco
Loading Dock Equipment: Star Equipment, Inc., Blanine, MN
Architect: FRCH Design Worldwide, Cincinnati, OH
Subcontractors:
Asphalt Paving - Nagle Paving Co., Novi
Awnings - Marygrove Awning Company, Livonia
Building Electrical - Edgewood Electric, LLC, Detroit
Bus Shelter - Brasco International, Madison Heights
Carpentry - Conquest Inc. Commercial Carpentry, Livonia
Doors, Frames, and Hardware - Commercial Door & Hardware
of Detroit, Waterford
Fencing - Future Fence Co., Warren
Fire Protection - Professional Sprinkler, Wixom
Footings and Foundations - E.L.S. Construction, Inc., Orion
Township
Landscaping - KLM Landscape, Armada
Masonry - Leidal & Hart Mason Contractors, Livonia
Mechanical - Alliance Air Conditioning and Heating, Oak Park
Membrane & Metal Roofing - Royal Roofing Co., Inc., Orion
Plumbing - Hale Contracting-Oakland Plumbing JV, Detroit
Pylon Sign - MSL Signs, Chesterfield Twp.
Site Concrete and Flatwork - Albanelli Cement, Farmington
Hills
Site Electrical - Bailey Labelle, Detroit
Site Work - Teris Excavating, Potterville
Specialties - Payne Rosso Company, Lansing
Standing Seam Metal Roof, Metal Panel, Glass and Glazing -
Site Security - Advanced Security and Investigation
Solutions, Inc., Redford

Sitework and Underground Utilities - Site Development Inc.,
Madison Heights
Storefront and Aluminum Framing - Calvin & Company, Flint
Structural and Misc. Steel - Dumas Concepts in Building,
Architectural Glass & Metals, Kalamazoo

Steel Supply and Erection - Builders Iron, Inc., Sparta
Topographical Survey - LSG Engineers & Surveyors, Inc., Lansing
Warehouse Framing - Sommer Building Co., Charlotte
Well Testing - Peerless Midwest, Inc., Ionia
Window Cleaning - Liberty Window Cleaning, LLC, Holt
Window Treatments - Creative Windows, Ann Arbor
Northville
Structural Steel - B & A Steel Co., Inc., Chesterfield Twp.
Surveying - Nederveld Inc., Ann Arbor
Traffic Signal and PLD Lighting - Motor City Electric Co., Detroit
Toilet Partitions & Accessories - Rayhaven Equipment Co.,

Inc., Southfield
PILES
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(586) 826-8811
6250 Sims
Sterling Heights, MI 48313
GATEWAY MARKETPLACE
Owner: DGPOM, Detroit
Owner Representative: REDICO, Southfield
Construction Manager: Dailey-Jenkins Joint Venture, Detroit
Architect: Rogvoy Architects, PC, Bingham Farms
Engineering, Inspection
Civil Engineer: Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick, Inc., Shelby
Township
Inspection Agency: Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc. (SME),
Plymouth
Landscape Architect: Allen Design, Northville
Site Electrical Designer: USA Power Design, Troy
Traffic Signal Designer: Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., Detroit
THE Z PARKING STRUCTURE

Owner: Bedrock Real Estate Services, Detroit
Architect: Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield
Contractors: Colasanti/Sachse Joint Venture, Detroit
Civil Engineers: Giffels-Webster Engineers, Inc., Detroit
Electrical, Mechanical and Plumbing Engineers: Strategic
Energy Solutions, Berkley
Structural Engineers: Rich and Associates, Inc., Farmington Hills
Subcontractors:
Aluminum Framing - Edward Glass Company, Livonia
Barricades - State Barricade, Warren
Carpentry/Gypsum/Metal Stud - Brinker Team, Detroit
Concrete Foundations/Paving - Colasanti Specialty Services,
Inc., Macomb Twp.
Concrete Staining & Polishing - Michigan Specialty Coatings,
St. Clair
Construction Fencing - Industrial Fence & Landscaping, Detroit
Drilled Piers/Caissons - Rohrscheib Sons Caissons, Inc., New
Hudson
Earthwork - Blaze Contracting, Inc., Detroit
Electrical - Motor City Electric Company, Detroit
Electronic Security - GSI, Inc., Troy
Elevator - KONE Elevator, Livonia
Fabric - Fathead, LLC, Detroit
Fire Protection SimplexGrinnell, Detroit
Geotechnical Consultants - G2 Consulting Group, LLC, Troy
Hard Tile - Boston Tile and Terrazzo Company, Detroit
Interior Signage - Spectrum Neon, Detroit
Landscaping - W. H. Cannon Company, Romulus
Masonry - Dixon Masonry Construction, Detroit
Mechanical - Great Lakes Mechanical, Dearborn
Ornamental Fencing - Future Fence, Warren
Overhead Doors/Rolling Grilles - Security Door Systems (SDS),
Macomb
Parking Control Equipment - Traffic & Safety Control Systems
Inc., Wixom
Parking Deck Consultant - Rich and Associates, Inc.,
Farmington Hills
Painting - Future Maintenance, Inc., Livonia
Plumbing - Western Mechanical Contractors, Inc. Clinton Twp.
Precast Concrete - Kerkstra Precast, Grandville
Resilient Flooring - Brinker Team, Detroit

Roofing - Christen Detroit, Detroit
Sealant/Deck Coatings - RAM Construction Services, Livonia
Selective Demolition - Blaze Contracting, Inc., Detroit
Structural Steel - Nelson Iron Works, Detroit
Testing - PSI Engineering, Consulting & Testing, Troy
DELTA COLLEGE HEALTH

& WELLNESS, F-WING
RENOVATIONS, UNIVERSITY
CENTER
Owner: Delta College, University Center
Architect: Wigen Tincknell Associates Architects (WTA),
Saginaw
Construction Manager: Spence Brothers, Saginaw
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: MacMillan Associates, Inc.,
Bay City
Trade Contractors:
Concrete, Carpentry & General Trades Spence Brothers,
Saginaw
Dental Casework and equipment Patterson Dental, Auburn
Hills
Drywall, Acoustical & Insulation Tri-City Acoustical
Company, Saginaw
Electrical Great Lakes Power & Lighting, Inc., Casco
Elevator Otis Elevator Company, Inc., Grand Rapids
Excavation and Site Utilities Fisher Contracting Company,
Midland
Fire Protection Dynamic Piping Company, Hemlock
Flooring, Hard Tile Fabris Pearce Tile and Terrazzo, Inc.,
Burton
Flooring, Soft Tile A.T. Frank Company, Inc., Saginaw
Glass & Aluminum Architectural Glazing Systems, Mt.
Morris
IT (By Owner) I.Comm, Wixom
Laboratory Casework Architectural Systems Group, LLC,
Holland
Landscaping Bell Landscaping, Saginaw
Masonry Pumford Construction, Inc., Saginaw
Mechanical William E. Walter, Inc., Saginaw
Network Cabling (By Owner) SPI Innovations, Freeland
Painting Detail Painting, Mt. Morris
Roofing Mid-Michigan Roofing, LLC, Saginaw
Selective Demolition Graham Construction Corporation,
Saginaw
Structural & Miscellaneous Steel Howard Structural Steel,
Inc., Saginaw
Temporary Fencing Sullivan Fence Company, Saginaw
SEFA APPROVED AMERICAN MADE SCIENTIFIC CASEWORK & FUME HOODS

WE OFFER TOTAL LABORATORY SOLUTIONS, INNOVATIVE DESIGNS & TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERTISE
BRINGING SCIENCE TO LIFE
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SINCE 1937, DELIVERING THE HIGHEST QUALITY
2950 Todd Rd, Troy MI 48084 +1 248 643 8890

w w w . f a r n e l l - e q u i p m e n t . c o m PRODUCTS WITH PROFESSIONAL RESULTS.
DETROIT PUBLIC SAFETY

HEADQUARTERS BUILDING
Copper
Cold Rolled Copper Sheet and Coil in 12oz-.125
Lead Coat, 16 & 20oz
Freedom Gray Z-T Alloy Coated Copper, 16 & 20oz
Revere Continental Bronze
Copper Bar
Aluminum
Mill Finish .025-.125
Anodized Aluminum .032-.125
Kynar 500/Hylar 5000 Pre-Finished Sheets .032-.063
Stainless Steel
10ga-28ga Sheets 2B & #4 Finishes
Kynar 500/Hylar 5000 Pre-Finished

Galvanized Steel Sheets
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Steel Sheets
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Lead Sheets
Gutter Systems
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Pre-Finished Steel & Aluminum
Custom Fabricated Brake Metal

Andek Roofing & Wall Coatings
Additional Stock Items
Snow Guards
Solder-Flux-Irons
Copper & Stainless Steel Nails - Driven & Collated
CONTACT US TODAY
FOR ALL YOUR METAL NEEDS!
WWW.OAKLANDMETALSALES.COM
Phone: (248) 377-8847
Fax: (248) 377-4196
Email: info@oaklandmetalsales.com
Owner: City of Detroit, Detroit Building Authority

Architect/Engineers: SmithGroupJJR, Detroit
Construction Manager: Turner Construction CompanyWhite Construction Company Joint Venture, Detroit
Subcontractors:
Carpentry - Pontiac Ceiling and Partition, Pontiac
Carpentry - Turner Brooks, Inc., Madison Heights
Consulting and Testing - TEC Testing Engineers, Troy
Construction Services Manager - Professional Service
Industries, Inc. (PSI), Plymouth
Curtain Wall Design - Curtain Wall Design Consulting,
Inc., Hartville, OH
Damp Proofing and Waterproofing - RAM Construction
Services, Livonia
Demolition-Structures - Blue Star, Inc., Warren
Electrical - Shaw Electric Company, Southfield
Excavation and Earthwork - Blaze Contracting, Detroit
Fences and Gates - Industrial Fence, Detroit
Fire Protection - Detroit Automatic Sprinkler LLC, Warren
Flooring - Continental Interiors, Troy
Glazing - Universal Glass & Metals, Detroit
Gypsum Board - Denn-Co Construction, Inc., Detroit
Insulated Metal Panel System and Sheet Metal - CEI Michigan LLC, Howell
Masonry - Dixon Incorporated, Detroit
Masonry Restoration - Royal Restoration & Waterproofing, LLC, Livonia
Mechanical - Limbach Company, Pontiac
Millwork - Trend Millwork, Lincoln Park
Painting - Madias Brothers, Detroit
RESOURCE AND CRISIS

CENTER
Owner: Oakland County Community Mental Health
Authority, Auburn Hills
Architect: DiClemente Siegel Design, Inc., Southfield
General Contractor: George W. Auch Company, Pontiac
Carpentry - Wally Kosorski & Company, Clinton Twp.
Cast in Place Concrete - Gemelli Concrete, LLC, Romeo
Demolition - Adamo Group, Inc., Detroit

Drywall and Acoustic - Diversified Construction
Specialists, Inc., Rochester Hills
Electrical - Munro Electric Co. Inc., Wixom
Fire Suppression - Progressive Mechanical, Inc.,
Ferndale
Glass FRP and Aluminum - Hewett Co., Inc., Pontiac
HM, WD Doors & Hardware - FBH Architectural Security,
Inc., Flint
HVAC - Conti Corporation, Sterling Heights
Masonry - Baker Construction Co., Inc., Whitmore Lake
Operable Partitions - Urbans Partition & Remodeling Co., Northville
Overhead Doors - Overhead Door of Whitmore, Whitmore Lake
Paint and Finish - Future Maintenance, Inc., Livonia
Paving and Sitework - Nagle Paving Company, Novi
Plastic Locker - Steel Equipment Company, Pontiac
Plumbing - J. M. & Sons Plumbing Company, Brighton
Prefabricated Building - Brasco International, Madison Heights
Resilient Flooring & Carpet - Master Craft Carpet Service, Redford
Roofing - JD Candler Roofing, Inc., Livonia
Structural Steel - B & A Structural Steel, LLC, Chesterfield
Tile - Artisan Tile, Inc., Brighton
Toilet Compartments - Building Accessories Corp., West Bloomfield
Family Owned & Operated Since 1984

GRAND VALLEY STATE

UNIVERSITY MARY IDEMA PEW
LIBRARY, LEARNING AND
INFORMATION COMMONS,
ALLENDALE
Owner: Grand Valley State University, Allendale
Architect: SHW/Stantec, Berkley
Construction Manager: Pioneer Construction, Grand Rapids
Consultants:
Acoustical Consultant - Acoustics By Design, Belleville
Civil Engineering Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc.,
Grand Rapids
Code Consultant FP&C Consultants, Inc., Kansas, MO
Furniture Steelcase , Grand Rapids
Landscape Architects - Hamilton Anderson Associates,
Detroit
Technology Consultant - The Sextant Group, Pittsburgh, PA
Insight, Oversight and Foresight

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An internationally recognized, top 100 U.S. firm, Doeren Mayhew provides
construction companies with insight into their businesses, oversight to ensure
best practices and foresight for whats ahead. We invite you to see how we can
help you capitalize on the opportunities and navigate the challenges specific to
the construction industry. Visit doerenmayhewconstruction.com today.
248.244.3000 | doeren.com
Insight. Oversight. Foresight.SM
Trade Contractors:
Automatic Book Retrieval System Dematic, Grand Rapids
Building Flatwork Concrete VanLaan Concrete, Dutton
Building Management Controls Siemens, Wyoming

Caulking and Sealants CJs Coatings & Sealants, Jenison
CW, Storefronts and Copper Interior Storefront and Glazing
Architectural Glass & Metals, Byron Center
Dock Leveler Beuschel Sales, Inc., Sparta
Earth Retention Systems Hardman Construction,

Ludington
Electrical Systems Town and Country Electric, Zeeland
Elevators Otis Elevator, Farmington Hills
Excavation and Site Work Dykema, Grand Rapids
Exterior Signage Universal Sign Systems, Grand Rapids
Fall Arrest System Spider Systems, Seattle, WA
Fire Protection Brigade Fire Protection, Belmont
Floor Covering Sobie Company, Caledonia
Foundation and Structural Concrete; Site Concrete
Jelsema Concrete, Grand Rapids
Foundation and Tunnel Waterproofing RAM Construction,
Grand Rapids, Livonia
General Trades, Carpentry, Doors Pioneer Construction,
Grand Rapids
T Cabling and Termination Western Tel-Com, Livonia
Landscaping and Irrigation MeadowGreen Landscapes,
Grand Rapids
Masonry Burgrabbe Masonry, Belding
Mechanical HVAC Riteway Plumbing and Heating, Grand
Rapids
Mechanical Insulation Insulation and Environmental
Services, Grand Rapids
Mechanical Plumbing River City Mechanical, Comstock
Park
Metal Stud, Drywall, Finish, Acoustic Bouma Corporation,
Grand Rapids
Metal Wall Panels Architectural Metals, Inc., Portland, MI
Misc. and Ornamental Metals VanDam Iron Works,
Wyoming
Painting and Wall Covering Koster and DeVries, Grand
Rapids
(continued)
Precast Concrete and Erection Kerkstra/Pioneer, Grandville

Quality Air Service Aircuity, Newton, MA
Raised Floor Systems G3 Technologies, Byron Center
Security and Access Control DA Central, Oak Park
Single-Ply and Green Roofs Modern Roofing, Dorr
Structural Steel and Erection Van Dellen Steel, Dutton
3M RFID Gates 3M, St. Paul, MN
U/G Phone Infrastructure Allied Electric, Grand Rapids
Window Washing Equipment Peek-A-Boo Systems, Vancouver, WA
DMC HARPER UNIVERSITY

HOSPITAL SURGICAL
RENOVATION
Subcontractors:
Aluminum Windows, Entrance, Glass & Glazing - B & B Glass, Rochester Hills
Carpentry & General Roofing - New Carpentry, Inc., Detroit
Carpet & Resilient Flooring - Cohns Commercial Floor Coverings, Wixom
Concrete Foundations & Flatwork - McCarthy Construction Co., Commerce
Electrical - RCI Electric, Farmington Hills
Fire Protection - Elite Fire Safety, Southfield
Hard Tile - Musante Tile, Macomb
Owner: Detroit Medical Center, Detroit

Owners Representative: Plante Moran CRESA, Southfield
Architect: HKS Architects, PC, Northville
Associate Architect: Hamilton Anderson Associates, Detroit
Construction Manager: Roncelli MPS, Joint Venture, Sterling Heights
Engineer: Peter Basso Associates, Troy
Structural Engineer: Desai Nasr Consulting Engineers, West Bloomfield
Medical Equipment: Melcher Associates, Ann Arbor
Subcontractors:
Asbestos Remediation - Environmental Specialty Services, Inc., Detroit
Demolition - Blue Star Demolition, Warren
Demolition - Detroit Dismantling Corporation, Detroit
Electrical - Center Line Electric, Inc., Center Line
Environmental Testing - EKS Services, Inc., Detroit
Fire Protection - Ace Sprinkler Company, Melvindale
Flooring - Continental Interior, Inc., Troy
HVAC - Bumler Mechanical, Inc., Sterling Heights
Laboratory & Metal Casework - Farnell Equipment Company, Troy
Masonry - Dixon Masonry Construction, Detroit
Paint and Finish - Detroit Spectrum Painters, Inc., Warren
OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHURCH

Owner: Our Lady of Victory Church, Northville
Construction Manager: McCarthy & Smith, Inc., Farmington Hills
Architect: Merritt Cieslak Design, PLC, Northville
HVAC - Long Mechanical, Northville
Masonry - Silverado Construction, Warren
Pneumatic Tube Systems - Swisslog Healthcare Solutions, Denver, CO
Metal Studs/Drywall & Acoustical Treatment - Jasman Construction, Plymouth
Roofing - LaDuke Roofing & Sheet Metal, Oak Park
Plumbing - Bill James Plumbing & Heating, Inc., Madison Heights
Painting - GM Painting, Livonia
Rough & Finish Carpentry - Denn-Co Construction, Inc., Detroit
Plumbing - Mills Mechanical, Ortonville
Rough & Finish Carpentry - S & N Drywall, Inc., Casco
Roofing & Metal Wall Panels - ESKO Roofing, Shelby Township
Structural Steel - Vertex Steel, Inc., Milford
Selective Demolition - Blue Star Demolition, Warren
Tile - B & B Ceramic Tile & Marble Co., Ira
Steel - Cass Erectors & Fabricators, Livonia
Tile - Boston Tile & Terrazzo Co., Detroit
ADVERTISERS INDEX
ARC/Dunn Blue ................................................................41
Detroit Carpentry JATC .....................................................15
McCoig Materials ............................................................100
Ace Cutting Equipment .......................................................9
Detroit Dismantling .............................................................9
Michielutti Brothers ...........................................................21
Aluminum Supply Company/Marshall Sales .......................49
Detroit Spectrum Painters .................................................97
Michigan Holiday Lighting .................................................71
Amalio Corporation ...........................................................36
DiHydro Services ..............................................................83
Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters ............................5
Aoun & Company .............................................................65
Doeren Mayhew..............................................................105
Next Generation Services..................................................97
Arisco Contracting Group, Inc. .........................................17
Environmental Maintenance Engineers ..............................27
North American Dismantling Corp .....................................59
Auch Company, George W................................................71
Executive Vehicle Sales, Inc. .............................................58
Oakland Companies .........................................................91
Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union Local #2 ...........91
Farnell Equipment Company ...........................................103
Oakland Metal Sales, Inc.................................................104
CAM Affinity .....................................................................81
Ferndale Electric..............................................................IFC
Operating Engineers Local 324-JATF ..................................7
CAM Comp ....................................................................101
Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc. ...........................79
Plante Moran ....................................................................95
CAM ECPN ......................................................................96
G2 Consulting Group ........................................................47
R.L. Deppmann Co. .........................................................90
CAM Jobsite Posters ......................................................IBC
GenPower Products, Inc. ..................................................47
R.S. Dale Co.....................................................................67
CAM Tradeshow ...............................................................55
Glazing Contractors Association .......................................37
SMRCA ............................................................................35
C.A.S.S. ...........................................................................89
Grunwell Cashero .............................................................29
Sani-Vac...........................................................................21
C.E.I. ................................................................................63
Hartland Insurance Group, Inc. .........................................43
Spartan Specialties .........................................................102
C.F.C.U. ...........................................................................77
J.J. Curran Crane .............................................................99
Sullivan, Ward, Asher & Patton, P.C...................................99
Cochrane Supply & Engineering ........................................23
Jackson Associates, Inc. ....................................................9
Testing Engineers & Consultants, Inc. ...............................65

Trend Millwork..................................................................BC
Connelly Crane Rental Corp. .............................................17
Jeffers Crane Service, Inc. ................................................55
Creative Surfaces..............................................................79
Kem-Tec.........................................................................105
Valenti Trobec Chandler Inc/Griffin Smalley & Wilkerson .......3
D.J. Conley.................................................................41, 98
Lawrence Technological University ....................................59
Wieland-Davco Corporation ........................................50, 51
Demolition Man.................................................................79
Limbach Company, LLC....................................................63
Woods Contruction, Inc. ...................................................58
Desai/NASR .....................................................................97
MasonPro, Inc. .................................................................87
Zervos Group ...................................................................71
ARE YOUR
JOBSITE
POSTERS
COMPLIANT WITH FEDERAL

AND STATE LAW?
GET THE REVISED 2014 UPDATED POSTER

FROM
AT AN UNBEATABLE PRICE!
Jobsite Posters: CAM publishes a plastic-laminated, 30"x 50" jobsite poster that contains the five
Federal and seven Michigan posters required on all jobsites. The cost is $45 ($35 for CAM Members).
The 12 posters contained in the all-in-one poster are:
REQUIRED FEDERAL POSTERS
REQUIRED STATE OF MICHIGAN POSTERS
Equal Opportunity is the Law

Employee Polygraph Protection Act (revised 2012)
Employee Rights and Responsibilities under the
Family Medical Leave Act (revised 2013)
Employee Rights Under the Fair Labor
Standards Act
Your Rights Under USERRA
Michigan Employment Security Agency

Michigan Law Prohibits Discrimination (revised 2011)
Michigan Minimum Wage (revised 2014)
Michigan Right to Know SDS
Hazardous Chemicals (revised 2013)
Michigan Right to Know SDS Location (revised 2013)
Michigan Safety and Health on the Job
Michigan Whistleblowers' Protection Act
For additional information or to order posters, contact

Jim Oleksinski at 248.972.1117 or visit cam-online.com.
PUBLIC SAFETY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

THAT'S WHY WE AIM TO BE SAFE, BE SMART & BE SEEN
MILLWORK SUPPLIER TO THE CAM AWARD WINNING

DETROIT PUBLIC SAFETY HEADQUARTERS
Detroit, Michigan / Lincoln Park, Michigan

AWI-QCP, FSC & LEED CERTIFIED MANUFACTURERS
www.trendmillwork.com

CAM Magazine October 2014

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OCTOBER 2014

Vol. 35 No. 10 $4.00

THE VOICE OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

GRIFFIN, SMALLEY & WILKERSON, INC.

10 Lowe Campbell Ewald Headquarters

18 Belle Isle Nature Zoo

24 The Garden Theater

30 Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers Headquarters

4 CAM MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2014

Voice Of The Construction Industry

52 Delta College Health & Wellness

60 Detroit Public Safety Headquarters Building

White Construction Co.

68 Resource & Crisis Center

74 Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and

84 Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church

92 Detroit Medical Center Harper University

FROM THE EDITOR

Contractor: Roncelli MPS Joint Venture

100 PROJECT SUBCONTRACTOR LISTS

Voice Of The Construction Industry

ABOUT THE AUTHORS...

Larry S. Brinker, Jr.

The Brinker Group

Giuseppe (Joe) S. Palazzolo

CAM MAGAZINE EDITORIAL

William L. Borch, Jr.

Caitlin Wunderlich currently works in the

Peter Basso and Associates, Inc.

Sanford (Sandy) Sulkes

Interior Demolition SpecialistS

GOOD KARMA: OPEN SPACE, OPEN MIND

The interior contains

Imagine a corporate headquarters without a

LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD

This 42 x 18-foot LED screen wall is found in no

LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD

out-of-plumb columns and other irregular details,

ThE BEST anD BrighTEST

Palmer. We looked at virtually every possibility

selection of both Neumann/Smith and Turner, as

Voice Of The Construction Industry

LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD

before completion of final design details. It took

TOp OF ThE LinE

Visit us online at www.cammagazineonline.com

on site, popping by for walk-throughs and

LiMiTED accESS, LiMiTED TiME

raw anD high TEch

Can plywood be even remotely compelling? You

EMBracE ThE UgLy

LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD

Neumann/Smith applied a light hand in its

satisfaction, this advanced technology lab allows

narrow bands and then stacked.

LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD

go for a jog around the stadium concourse.

wide meetings were held in the parking lot of the

ottomans create another flexible, mobile work

ThE BUiLDing in crOSS SEcTiOn

ThE cOMpany in crOSS SEcTiOn

Visit us online at www.cammagazineonline.com

Jack Russell, Secretary

LOWE CAMPBELL EWALD