20/20 Construction Vision
The Top-20 Starts, Completions Show Farsighted Industry

by Craig Barner

Successful construction and design executives are known for their
visionary skills and outlook.

With this issue, Midwest Construction presents its own effort, however modest, at being perceptive: the Top Projects of 2006.

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The selection is based on the top completions and starts by cost in Illinois, Indiana, eastern Missouri and Wisconsin. The top-20 completions are presented first followed by the top-20 starts.

Coverage includes an image and brief description of each Top Projects started or completed between summer 2005 and summer 2006.

They include major high-rise residential projects, such as the completion of the 57-story Heritage at Millennium Park in Chicago, and impressive offices, health-care facilities and entertainment facilities.

The major affect of airports on local economies is evident.

Chicago's O'Hare International Airport is undergoing a $6.6 billion project that is among the biggest in the nation. Only a year earlier, Indianapolis International Airport started a $1 billion expansion.

On the completion front, St. Louis' Lambert International Airport finished a $1.1 billion project that is reportedly the largest capital improvement project in the Gateway City's history. And, a renovation of Chicago's Midway Airport was completed in 2004 million.

Top Projects are ranked by start or completion date and the cost to build them. Cost figures are based on the best available information.

Size is only part of a successful construction project. As the following pages make clear, these projects tell a story of skill, dedication and hard work. The design, engineering and construction feats accomplished are extraordinary.

There might have been other projects that could have made Top Projects, but because of a lack of verifiable information, we could not include them.

We at Midwest Construction congratulate the teams that worked together to erect these and other major Midwest projects. And, we applaud the industry on an impressive body of work in 2006.

If you know of any projects that might qualify for Top Projects in 2007, I encourage you to call me, Craig Barner, at 312-233-7471. Have a great constructing year.

- C.B.
Editor
Midwest Construction

Top Projects Completed 1

Tunnel and Reservoir Plan (First Phase)

Cost: $2.3 Billion

The first phase of Chicago's Tunnel and Reservoir Plan is done with the completion of the $171 million Little Calumet Leg in south suburban South Holland.

TARP's first phase is made up of 109.4 mi. of tunnels under Cook County. Tunneling began in 1975, though the construction of prototypes goes back to 1967.

The project's three primary goals were to protect Lake Michigan-the region's drinking water supply-from backflows of raw sewage, alleviate pollution in the inland waterways and to reduce flooding from sewage backup in basements.

The project is providing pollution and flood control benefits for Chicago and 51 neighboring suburbs.

These communities are served by combined sewers, which carry raw sewage and storm water together in the same pipe.

TARP is designed to prevent combined sewer overflow pollution and flooding by capturing the excess flow from combined sewers and storing the rainwater and sewage mixture until it can be pumped to treatment plants, purified and released into waterways.

The project is divided into four systems: mainstream, Calumet, Des Plaines and O'Hare.

15.6 Billion Gallons of Storage

The first phase consisted of the collecting structures necessary to intercept the combined sewer flows prior to their discharging to local waterways.

These include vertical drop shafts used to convey flow to the tunnel systems, sluice gates, regulating structures and the actual tunnels themselves used to temporarily store and convey the flows to reservoirs for storage and subsequent transport to treatment plants.

In addition the tunnels, the project consists of more than 250 drop shafts, more than 600 surface connecting and flow control structures, three pumping stations and 15.6 billion gallons of storage in three reservoirs.

The reservoirs make up the project's second phase, which is formally known as the Chicagoland Underflow Plan.

The 350 million gallon O'Hare Reservoir was completed in 1998. The others under construction in southwest suburban McCook and south suburban Thornton will hold water in the billions of gallons.

The reservoirs-and therefore the TARP project as a whole-are expected to be complete in 2019.

TARP tunnels are improving the quality of area waterways, as evidenced by the increases of fish and the return of species of fish.

Top Projects Completed 2

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport

Cost: $1.1 Billion

The expansion of St. Louis-Lambert International Airport is reportedly the largest capital improvement project in the history of the Gateway City.

The goal was to increase airport capacity. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Lambert's capacity plummets 40 percent, one of the largest
decreases among America's largest airports, in inclement weather.

More than 1,500 acres of land have been acquired to increase the airport's size by more than 50 percent.

Seven major roads west and north of the airport have been adjusted or relocated.

Lindbergh Boulevard, a thoroughfare that carries 50,000 vehicles a day, passes beneath the new runway and is Missouri's first highway tunnel.

The Missouri Air National Guard facility has moved to the airport's north side, and a number of airport operations have moved into new facilities.

The expansion funded the design and construction of a new school in the nearby Pattonville School District.

The project, which started about five years ago, is so vast that 550 companies have worked on the project.

New Runway

Perhaps the most important project element is Runway 11-29 just west of the existing airport. It will allow for simultaneous landings in inclement weather and boost the airport's overall capacity around 50 percent.

The runway is so vast that the amount of concrete that the amount of concrete being poured would be enough to cover a football field with a solid block about seven stories tall.

The new runway is 9,000 ft. long and 150 ft. wide. It was built on a 455-acre platform that has been under construction onsite since 2001. Thirty feet below the platform, an underground drainage system was built.

The runway and taxiway pavement has three primary components.

After the underlying soil was leveled and compacted, a 10 in. layer of crushed rock was placed. Then, a 6-in. layer of drainable concrete was poured. Shallow trenches were cut to house electrical conduit, and in-pavement lighting fixtures were bored.

The final component was an 18-in. layer of concrete. Each section was 37.5 ft. wide and nearly a quarter-mile long, and more than 30 sections were installed.

More than 13.5 million cu. yds. of soil were part of the expansion-enough to fill Busch Stadium five times.

Top Projects Completed 3

Busch Stadium

Cost: $365 Million

The St. Louis Cardinals had outgrown their home in Busch Stadium of 39 years and wanted something appealing for fans.

In addition to housing the baseball club, the old stadium was the home of the football team with the same name that played in St. Louis until 1987. The layout and seating were far from high quality from the perspective of baseball fans.

The new stadium, which will also be called Busch, will rectify the situation in part through positioning.

The stadium site slopes down about 35 ft. from the north, where the previous Busch was, to the Interstate 64/40 on the project's south. Home plate will be located on the site's southwest corner, and the playing field will be lower than surrounding streets.

As a result, most fans will have a generous view of Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch, St. Louis' most famous landmark, as well as the downtown skyline. Because only a small portion of the upper deck will be beyond the outfield wall, views of the arch will in general be extensive.

Several elements were also incorporated to enhance the welcoming feel.

Most fans can get to their seats without circulating via a large number of stairs or ramps. Concourses are wide and have views of the playing field.

A patio area in the stadium's back allows standing room for about 2,000 people and contributes to the city-friendly atmosphere.

A mixed-use development, Ballpark Village, is be located where the existing stadium is and is to include multiunit housing, restaurants and officers.

Designed for Cardinal Fans

Elements were incorporated to ensure the stadium represents the Gateway City and tradition of Cardinals baseball.

For instance, brick and cornices dress the stadium and reflect the neighborhood where there are fine masonry warehouses and buildings, such as the Louis Sullivan-designed Wainwright Building.

Arches frame multiple entrances and calls to mind the gateway.

Steel trusses frame the stadium entrance near Spruce Street on the stadium's west and evoke the Eads Bridge, the famed Mississippi River crossing. About 900 steel pieces make up the element.

Once inside, fans see steel trusses framing the roof. The cast-iron seats with wood slats have a Cardinal on the armrest. The scoreboard features the logo, crown and clock but have modern amenities, such as a light-emitting-diode screen.

The Cardinals have provided the funding except for a loan from St. Louis County that must be repaid. The ballpark will be named Busch because brewer Anheuser-Busch agreed to a 20-year naming rights deal for an undisclosed amount.

Top Projects Completed 4

The Heritage at Millennium Park

Cost: $300 Million

The 57-story Heritage at Millennium Park condominium is reportedly the tallest residential building in the Chicago Loop.

The building's location near Michigan Avenue and Randolph Street will make it a part of the panorama when observers from the east look at the Loop's landmarked Michigan Avenue street wall.

The Heritage's east facade commands a wide vista of Millennium Park, the recreational area east of Michigan Avenue with high-end art and architecture.

Because of the high profile nature of its location, the Heritage's design is intended to generate interest.

For instance, the facade has concave and convex curves, and they related the structure to both the Lake Michigan shoreline and the semicircular peristyle in Millennium Park.

Colonnades integrated in the top of the 28-story low tower and the tall tower call to mind those on the nearby Chicago Cultural Center and Marshall Field's department store.

And, spandrel beams, which appear every three levels on the low tower and every six floors on the high tower, give the building horizontal interest.

The low tower forms the development's southern part, and its 295-ft. height mirrors the stature of nearby structures to the south, including the 262-ft.-tall Garland Building and the 277-ft.-tall Pittsfield Building.

The Heritage will hold 356 condominiums and seven penthouses, and units with one, two, three, four or five bedrooms are available.

The building holds 1.2 million sq. ft. of space, including the 18-ft.-deep basement.

About 100,000 sq. ft. of retail is located on three floors at the base.

A Grand Facade

The facades of four mid-rise structures previously on the site - the Burton, Couch, Peck and Porter buildings - were integrated into the Heritage's Wabash façade. The once-celebrated Blackhawk Lodge restaurant was located in the Couch.

The facades were deemed worth saving because each dates to immediately after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 or the early 20th Century.

A steel frame was built around the facades for support, and the building structures behind the facades were removed. Some steel members went through windows, and clamps secured the façade to the steel for lateral resistance.

The old foundations for the support of the faces were cut, and the new caissons were attached to the facades.

The facades' masonry, terra cotta and brick were restored to reflect how they looked in the 1920s.

Top Projects Completed 5

Camp John Paul Jones

Cost: $230 Million

The Great Lakes Naval Station is the only boot camp nationwide for training recruits in the U.S. Navy.

Despite the important function Great Lakes serves, most of the barracks for housing were built between the World War II era and the 1960s, said J.J. Tang, senior project designer for Chicago-based M+W Zander, the project designer.

"They've outlived their usefulness in terms of expandability, materials and environmental conditions," added Mike Betz, senior project manager with Zander. For instance, none of the existing barracks have air conditioning.

The project involved the construction of seven barracks and a water tower, and the complex was dubbed Camp John Paul Jones after the Revolutionary War hero.

The facility typically houses around 7,000 recruits a 1,000 recruits per building.

During surge conditions, which typically occurs after high school graduation when more recruits sign up, each building can be reconfigured to house an additional 400 recruits for a maximum of 10,600 recruits in the complex.

A time capsule was recently installed, and Navy officials remarked that when it is opened in 50 years, about 1 million recruits will have passed through Camp John Paul Jones.

Each barrack holds 18 berthing compartments, of which 12 are in continual use. Other facilities include four classrooms two used as regular classrooms and two for computer training and kitchen and dining facilities. The dining halls seat up to 352 recruits each.

The barracks are laid out in a rectangular fashion so that they resemble a university quadrangle, Tang said.

The original plans called for a pond to hold storm water, but it was eliminated because of the quadrangle.

Great Lakes Tradition

The design features red brick cladding the building and sloping roofs to honor the Great Lakes tradition. The Great Lakes facility dates to 1911 and many of the buildings feature the masonry cladding.

The designs evoke nautical themes based on the heritage of naval construction.

"If you look at a ship, the construction and connections are exposed," Tang said. As a result, the metal decks, concrete and concrete were exposed.

A project goal called for 65 percent of subcontractors to be small businesses, such as those owned by disadvantaged, women, veteran and disabled veteran individuals.

Betz said that near the end of the project, 70 percent of the contracts went to small businesses.

Top Projects Completed 6

1 S. Dearborn St.

Cost: $220 Million

Chicago Law firm Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP needed room to expand.

The firm with more than 500 lawyers had been looking at several properties as it mulled whether to retain its lease in the Bank One Plaza. Sidley Austin had rented space in Bank One for 30 years, in addition to another building.

A floor plate of about 25,000 sq. ft. was needed to accommodate future growth at the law firm.

The Dearborn Street property could accommodate the large floor plate if the building was a rectangle that extended from the property line on the north on Madison Street to the property line on the south on an alley, and the project was started.

Ground was broken in November 2003, and the project involved a 40-story, 830,000-sq.-ft. building.

Making Time

The timetable emerged as a key issue during construction partly because Sidley Austin's lease in the Bank One Plaza was due to expire.

For example, a team from Houston-based Hines Interests LP, the developer, produced a set of drawings early so that they were ready when the project was bid.

The nearly 6,500 tons of structural steel that frame the building was ordered well in advance of erection.

The parking with 160 spaces was put on levels three through six because removing previous obstructions below grade would have consumed a considerable amount of time.

The foundations of several previous buildings - including the Chicago Tribune and McVicker's Theatre - and other obstructions covered the site.

Obstructions included old caissons, bank vault and even a coal tunnel. As a result of these, six steel-reinforced concrete transfer beams were installed below grade, including one that is 60 ft. long.

Several aesthetic elements were incorporate into the building to give it some flair.

Context was taken into account. Architect C.F. Murphy's imposing 60-story Bank One Plaza is to the west, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLC's beautiful, 19-story Inland Steel Building to the south.

A 15,000-sq.-ft. plaza sets back 1 S. Dearborn from the Bank One Plaza and allow pedestrians to see the Inland Steel Building's north façade.

Backlit sky windows are seen on the 1 S. Dearborn's east and west facades near the towers' top and aligned with the main entry.

The curtain wall was extended straight up on these facades about 35 to 40 ft. above the highest occupied floor to screen the mechanical systems and provide the flair a flat top would not.

Top Projects Completed 7

Overture Center for the Arts

Cost: $205 Million

The Cesar Pelli-designed Overture Center for the Arts in Madison, Wis., is a multi-venue center for the performing and visual arts in downtown Madison.

The project's elements include the 2,250-seat Overture Hall, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, the Wisconsin Academy Gallery and Promenade Hall rehearsal and performance space.

Two facilities were renovated as part of the project and incorporated into the Overture Center.

The former Oscar Meyer Theater has been renamed the Capitol Theater, and the former Isthmus Theater has been renamed the Playhouse.

The project encompassed a city block in the middle of Madison's commercial district.

Unique features included a modern dome atop the restored facade of the Yost-Kessenich Building. The dome is visible from many points in the downtown area.

In the rotunda, light emitting diodes are mounted below each balcony and are positioned to send a glow of interior light toward the dome. Each light can produce as many as 20,000 different colors in various sequences for specific events of seasonal presentations.

Curtain wall frames the Overture Hall lobby, and each of the 91 19-ft.-high, 9-ft.-wide panels weighs nearly 2,400 lbs.

Green Building

Environmentally sustainable design and construction techniques were emphasized.

For instance, sycamore used in panels throughout Overture Hall comes mostly from two logs forested in Germany following sustainable methods.

Green concrete was also used. It is a mixture that uses less energy to produce.

Overture center was built on a fast-track schedule, which required construction to begin with uncoordinated, incomplete design development drawings.

Acoustical details were important because the building is housing a performing arts space.

Every conduit was isolated and acoustical joints were put between structural elements.

There is no back door to the facility because each street entrance was designed to be fairly lively.

For instance, the Mifflin Street entrance is stepped to keep the pedestrian perspective in sync with the rest of the street. But on Fairchild, where the cityscape is taller, height was not an issue.

Opening the building as soon as practicable was a goal, but this would impact the schedule.

Overture and its lobbies opened early, and the Oscar Meyer Theater and other spaces were then closed for renovation.

Top Projects Completed 8

Interdivisional Research Building

Cost: $180 Million

The location of the Interdivisional Research Laboratory impacted its design and construction on the University of Chicago campus.

The IRB houses laboratories for experiments in the natural sciences, and land is limited in the west-central area of the Hyde Park campus where science buildings are concentrated.

Design parameters called for paralleling the scale of nearby buildings, many of them academic and residential structures with a modest height. Yet the IRB needed to house a large number of laboratories due to the multiple research disciplines planned for the building.

A key decision was to put five floors above grade and two floors below so that the building would not exceed the neighborhood's height proportions. A slurry wall-based earth retention system was installed.

The 480,000-sq.-ft. building is the campus' biggest science building and the second largest structure overall after the Joseph Regenstein Library.

Other design elements ensure the IRB makes a good addition to the science area of Hyde Park.

For instance, most of the building is dressed in Indiana limestone, a prominent material on buildings in the area and throughout campus. The building also features some curtain wall and metal panel, elements that give it a progressive look.

Staying Competitive

The university hopes the IRB helps the school stay competitive in advanced research.

The university on the city's South Side boasts 39 Nobel Laureates in physics and chemistry, yet the quality of the research facilities was seen as needing improvement.

Since World War II, only two comparatively small laboratory facilites - a biological sciences center and biopsychology facility - have been built on the campus that is famous in part because of its devotion to research.

A goal that emerged during planning for the IRB was to encourage interdisciplinary research among scientists from traditionally separate academic backgrounds.

Laboratories and offices are located for the Physical Sciences Division, Biological Sciences Division, as well as other academic units, such as the James Franck Institute and Chemistry Department.

An atrium at the center of the three-wing facility was incorporated to encourage interaction among scientists. The IRB will house 100 primary researchers and be used by about 700 laboratory assistants and students.

The facility will be the cornerstone of a science quadrangle, running on the south side of 57th Street from Ellis to Drexel avenues.

Top Projects Completed 9

Blue Chip Casino Hotel

Cost: $170 Million

Five components made up the expansion of the Blue Chip Casino Hotel in Michigan City, Ind.

They comprised the sitework, parking garage, graving dock, boat and the expansion of a pavilion originally constructed in 1997, said Bob Marra, project director of the central region for Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming Corp., the owner.

An 18-in.-thick bed of stone, 450-ft.-long, 250-ft.-wide, 18-in.-thick graving dock and coffer cell were built before the 65,000-sq.-ft. boat could be constructed. The coffer cell would allow the boat to be constructed in dry space and the boat to be floated to its current position on Trail Creek when complete. The waterway leads to Lake Michigan.

About 20 million gallons of water were removed with pumps from the cell prior to the construction of the boat.

Because of the boat's size, the graving dock was to be big enough to accommodate the vessel. As a result, Marra said the dock was formed of 12,000 tons of concrete and 1,500 tons of steel.

Two years were needed to construct the boat, and after it was finished, the graving dock was flooded with water, Marra said. Water was pumped continuously into the cell for three days until the boat was level with the creek, and the coffer cell walls were withdrawn.

The boat was floated to its present location, which is about 200 yds. from the graving dock.

The vessel is 402 ft. long, 208 ft. wide and 85 ft. high and can carry 6,014 passengers and crew. It replaces the 42,000-sq.-ft. boat that has been in service since 1997.

Patrons' Comfort

A seamless transition for patrons was sought between the 102,000-sq.-ft. pavilion on land and the boat.

As a result, a 100-ft. opening was created on the boat, Marra said. "The No. 1 priority we were hoping to achieve was the comfort of our guests," he added.

The pavilion, which contains numerous restaurants, was expanded about 15,000 sq. ft. from the previous structure constructed in 1997, Marra said.

Adjoining it are the 184-room, eight-story hotel that opened in 2000 and the 950-space, four-story parking garage constructed as part of the current project. Surface parking was reconfigured as part of the project so that the complex has a total of 3,000 parking spaces.

A dewatering system was also built on the site and contains filters to prevent sand and other grit from going into the creek.


Top Projects Completed 10

Clarian North Medical Center

Cost: $136 Million

There were numerous goals for Clarian North Medical Center, a 620,000-sq.-ft., 170-bed hospital on a 60-acre campus in north suburban Carmel.

The design needed to be technology advanced. Some construction work was delayed to ensure the best and most recent technology was installed.

The project needed to be complete on schedule and within budget.

A safe work environment was targeted. Full-time safety officers were on site, a nurse was available and a safety audit identified unsafe conditions.

The project needed to enhance the community. Clarian Health Partners, the Indianapolis-based owner, set goals of 15 percent minority business participation, but the result was 19 percent MBE.

The planning resulted in a six-story, 440,000-sq.-ft. hospital with a glass atrium that connects to a five-story, 160,000-sq.-ft. medical office building.

Patient rooms are private, including eight pediatric intensive-care-unit rooms and 20 neonatal intensive-care-unit rooms - reportedly the only ones in Indiana.

There are 12 labor, delivery and recovery rooms with whirlpool rubs for labor and two C-section suites adjacent to the maternity suites. The 16 advanced surgical suites provide space for surgery, noninvasive and minimally invasive procedures, onsite diagnostics and imaging.

A healing garden was included to allow patients to see outside the extensive landscaping, including a rooftop garden, and extends inside with decorative grass sculptures at the head of each patient bed.

Clarian North is located at the southern end of Hamilton County. With a population of 216,826 as of mid-2003, the latest census figure available, the county has grown nearly 19 percent so far this decade, a rate that places it among the nation's 25 fastest-growing counties.

Carmel itself saw 49 percent population growth during the 1990s and has added another 14 percent since then for a current total of 43,083 residents.

Not Original Site

The facility with 1,544 parking spaces is located on 60 acres at 116th and Meridian streets, but the original site was elsewhere.

This was adjacent to Interstate 465 and Meridian Street, a couple miles south.

A traffic study revealed that due to the location and property size, this site would be difficult to access. The final site was selected, and pricing for the new location was secured in weeks.

Top Projects Completed 11

2111 W. Roosevelt Rd.

Cost: $132 Million

The 2111 W. Roosevelt Rd. office complex in Chicago was constructed to meet the needs of the FBI.

The bureau's Chicago facilities were previously in seven different locations in Chicago, but it wanted to be one site, said Ron Henry, project executive with Bovis Lend Lease Inc. in Chicago, the general contractor. In addition, a secure location was sought in this era of heightened security.

The structure is located in the Illinois Medical District, a district on Chicago's West Side that includes the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook and the University of Illinois Medical Center.

The 800,000-sq.-ft. complex on 11 acres comprises three structures laid out in a rectangle: a 10-story office building, an attached, one-story annex and a 2.5-story precast parking garage. There are also two levels of parking under the office for more than 800 parking spaces.

The Chicago-based developer, Higgins Development Partners LLC, owns the facility and will lease it to the General Services Administration in Washington, D.C., for 12 years with an option to buy it.

A Turnkey Project

The design-build project included constructing the core and shell, the interior fitout and campus development.

"We gave them a space that went from a hole in the ground to carpeting in place in 23 months," Henry said. "It was a pretty aggressive schedule."

The schedule was maintained by getting long lead items, overtime and good coordination among the principals on the project.

Buildings previously on the site were demolished, and three city blocks for the complex between Western and Damen avenues were consolidated into one L-shaped block partly for security, Henry said.

Because of the vacated blocks, utility lines were rerouted early in the project, Henry said.

Steel supports the office and forms the core, and a precast architectural skin dresses the building.

Though the FBI's work is sober by nature, the complex has flair. For instance, the office has a curve, and there is granite and other upgrades in the structure.

The complex features security enhancements and other security features, such as a perimeter fence. Because of the sensitive nature of the project, further details could not be released.

Top Projects Completed 12

Wisconsin State Highway 29

Cost: $130 Million

"Bloody 29" needs a new name.

Approximately 20 mi. of Wisconsin State Highway 29, the principle east-west route through north-central Wisconsin, was redesigned and constructed in this safety-inspired project.

The highway links Interstate Highway 94, and Minneapolis and Green Bay.

Paul Braun, marketing editor for the project's designer and builder, Eau Claire-based Ayers Associates, replacement of the entire highway has been an ongoing state project for about 20 years.

Steadily increasing traffic volumes on the existing road, including a large number of trucks, combined with numerous local and private access points, had created a high collision risk.

This particular portion of the ongoing project consisted of the design and creation of approximately 20 mi. of new four-lane roadway between I-94 and County Highway J, east of Chippewa Falls, including a southern bypass of Chippewa Falls.

The project included 20 mi. of new four-lane highway (SH 29) at a new location; 3 mi. of frontage roads; three diamond interchanges; one cloverleaf interchange; two partial cloverleaf interchanges; 13 over/underpasses; six signalized intersections; and 2 mi. of roadway each on US 12, US 53 and SH 40, as well as a half-mile of roadway on CH OO.

Public Involvement

A tremendous amount of public involvement was required to resolve several pivotal issues, a process compounded by the rapid commercial and industrial development going on in the area.

During construction, the project required nearly 1 million cu. yds. of borrow material that was hauled over an existing highway and railroad corridor.

The solution was found in leaving several bridges intact after they were officially taken out of service. The bridges served as an access route for trucks and other equipment.

When additional fill was needed, a source was found in the project's proverbial backyard.

"By working with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, we were able to use waste material from US 53 project as borrow material for SH 29 project," Braun said.

Taking fill from a neighboring project eliminated logistical complexities for both.

In addition to the SH 29 project, US 53 is also being rebuilt in the same area. Braun noted that SH 29 had to be designed with the intent of linking with the new US 53, when it is completed.

Top Projects Completed 13

Northwest Side Relief Sewer

Cost: $117 Million

The Northwest Side Relief Sewer is a 7.1-mi., 20-ft.-deep tunnel on Milwaukee's Northwest Side.

It will add 88 million gallons, or 22 percent of current capacity, to the city's 405-million-gallon deep tunnel system.

The project employed traditional drill-and-blast methods of tunneling and a tunnel boring machine.

Eleven shafts, which encompass drop shafts, access shafts and diversion structures, were required on the project, and seven were bored and the others were created through drill and blast.

Blasting in densely populated neighborhoods required communication with residents nearest the blasting operation and steps to ensure there was no damage on the surface.

There were only two blasts a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The shafts descended at a rate of about 8 ft. a day.

Using a TBM

The boring machine, which was 800 ft. long with trailing gear, was shipped to Milwaukee in pieces.

Above ground, it was assembled and given a test run. After it checked out, it was lowered into the ground and reassembled to begin work.

Once underground, the machine relied on a global positioning system to guide it, and geologists to predict what was ahead. Both water and uneven limestone lay in the machine's path.

Water was removed from the tunnel at a rate of 2,500 gallons a minute. Tunneling at a slight upgrade kept water flowing away from the operation.
Water was pumped from the tunnel, treated at a temporary treated facility and funneled into a nearby river.

The tunnel and some of the drop shafts were located close to a Moss-Superfund site and some on privately owned land. A lengthy process of letter writing got the project moving forward, but in some areas, the top 5 ft. of soil had to be removed before shaft work could begin.

Five muck trains were used, and they were the same used to do the Chunnel between the United Kingdom and France.

The muck was hauled to a shaft where it was transferred to the surface by a vertical belt and sent to a dump.

Top Projects Completed 14

Weston Regional Medical Center

Cost: $115 Million

Several elements make up the 650,000-sq.-ft. Weston Regional Medical Center on 56 acres near Wausau, Wis.

These include the 475,000-sq.-ft., 107-bed Saint Clare's Hospital, 85,000-sq.-ft. Ministry Medical Group-West office building with five primary care physicians and the 90,000-sq.-ft. Marshfield Clinic Weston Center whose 50 physicians offer comprehensive primary, specialty and surgical care.

The project was intended to offer a model for cutting costs while improving the quality of the patient care experience.

The project includes the Diagnostic & Treatment Center, a technology and equipment hub in the middle of the medical center that both parties share and within which inpatient and outpatient diagnostic imaging, therapeutic services and same-day surgery take place.

Other services were positioned around the core for access to equipment, including patient care, emergency, obstetrics, outpatient, cancer center and physician offices.

Seeking Efficiency

Some areas were placed in less costly grades of construction to maximize effectiveness.

For instance, the clinic, hospital administrative offices some outpatient services were
built in business-occupancy space, thereby generating a 15 percent cost savings compared with traditional hospital construction grade.

Mapping studies and nurse shadowing were conducted in other facilities to determine how much time and energy were spent in day-to-day activities of patient care. The inpatient unit was designed in the most optimal way for nurses

For instance, research revealed that in a traditional hospital, nursing assistants clock about 4 mi. a day acquiring supplies.

At Weston, that was cut in half by decentralizing the supply stations to one every four rooms a nurse has to go for routine items.

The inside design is intended to provide a healing environment.

Daylight penetrates the interior. Natural stone, wood, fabrics and fiber art are in the public spaces and open corridors. Gathering spaces with fireplaces and computer ports are inviting to family and friends and look out over gardens and courtyards.

In the hospital, the private rooms include built-ins that hide equipment. Sliding panels in the headwalls conceal medical gas and other equipment while providing easy access for staff.

The medical center is chartless, and physicians and nurses have instant access to patient records through a wireless computer tablets.

Top Projects Completed 15

The Shoreham

Cost: $113 Million

The 47-story Shoreham apartment in Chicago houses 548 rental units and 350 parking spaces in a garage.

The building, which is part of the enormous Lakeshore East development in Chicago's East Loop, is west of Lake Shore Drive, south of Wacker Drive and north of Randolph Street.

Apartments range in price from $1,000 to $1,200 for a 500- to 700-sq.-ft. studio; $1,500 to $1,700 for a 750- to 850-sq.-ft. one-bedroom unit; and $2,000 to $2,300 for a 1,050- to 1,100-sq.-ft. two-bedroom unit.

Design features include floor-to-ceiling windows, aluminum curtain wall and floor plates of 15,000 sq. ft. through the 16th floor, narrowing to 10,000 sq. ft. from floors 17 to the top.

Amenities include a swimming pool on the 16th floor terrace, free high-speed Internet access, furnished overnight guest suites and 24-hour door man. There also is access to the Shore Club, which includes fitness center, barbeque area, lounge, reading room, gaming tables and party suite.

Quick Turnaround

Four months needed to be shaved from the original construction schedule so that part of it would be ready for leasing.

The original schedule called for turning over the first completed space in August, but a long-standing Chicago tradition calls for leasing spaces in May. And, complicating matters was the fact that several days of construction were lost to winter weather.

But the schedule was accelerated so that floors three through 15 were ready by April 2005 while construction continued elsewhere in the building.

The concrete floors were poured every three to four days to move things along. In addition, subcontractors turned over two floors per week.

The site's history present some surprises because a century ago the site was not real estate at all, but rather part of Lake Michigan.

After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the area was filled with charred detritus from the conflagration. Added later were canal and harbor-mouth dredgings when the site was part of the expansion of the area east of Michigan Avenue.

Testing also revealed thorium traces, a stiffening agent in the production of mantels for gas lamps. The matter could be left alone as long as it remained undisturbed in the ground. Disturbed soil was sent to dump in Utah.

The Shoreham is the second building completed as part of Lakeshore East, a development that is slated to hold as many as 5,000 residential units and house more than 10,000 people by the time it is completed in the early to mid-2010s.

Top Projects Completed 16

550 W. Adams St

Cost: $112 Million

The 18-story 550 W. Adams St. office in Chicago houses building products firm and anchor tenant USG Corp. on floors 8 to 18, in addition to other tenants.

The building boasts about 479,000 rentable sq. ft. of space and is steel supported with lightweight concrete fill over metal decks.

Efficient Building Sought

The building is something of a model of energy and space efficiency.

Only about 12 ft. was excavated for the elevator pits and foundation, and the building sits on caissons that go down only about 95 ft. The drilling was done with a gas-powered mobile crane.

A cost-effective electric-powered tower crane was used on the rest of the project.

The steel core is diagonally braced, a positioning that reportedly maximizes the amount of rentable space about 27,700 sq. ft. per floor.

The floor plate allows for a low loss factor- the measure of how much common area is spread throughout the building. The single-tenant loss factor is only about 7.5 percent, and loss factors in similar city buildings are between 8 and 12 percent.

As a result, USG is able to take less space, 248,000 sq. ft., than at its current location at 125 S. Franklin St. and save millions of dollars on leasing costs.

Structural steel was used efficiently because the column-to-column span is 20 ft., rather than the more typical 30 ft.

Exterior walls are clad in high-energy-performing glass. Vertically striping the building at 5-ft. intervals from the second to 18th floors are 1-ft.-deep glass fins jutting from the building mullions.

The building also features architectural fins, and these serve an energy-efficiency purpose of reflecting a percentage of light and heat gain before it hits the facade.

Another efficiency is a green roof a popular feature in increasingly sustainability-oriented Chicago, including on city hall.

Glass is the building's second-most-important material in part to satisfy USG's demand for a sleek and airy structure.

Because of the project's tight quarters on the northeast corner of Adams and Clinton streets, there were partial street closures during the project.

The crown is set back about 5 ft. from the main building and is wrapped with a 20-ft.-tall band of backlighting to produce a sort of halo on the city skyline.

Top Projects Completed 17

Clay Terrace

Cost: $110 Million

Retail stores lining a small town's main street usually evolved over several decades.

Shoppers strolled past storefronts with facades ranging from glass to brick and stone to cast iron.

Clay Terrace, an upscale lifestyle center about 15 mi. north of downtown Indianapolis in suburban Carmel, tries to capture that small-town charm and architectural variety but without having to wait decades.

The project encompasses 17 buildings on a 70-acre site in affluent Hamilton County.

The mix and match of design motifs drew favorable reaction from retailers, and anchors include Dick's Sporting Goods, Wild Oats, Circuit City, Mitchell's Fish Market and DSW.

1920s Look, 2000s Materials

Facades include a detailed 1920s cast-iron similar to stores in New York's SoHo neighborhood and broad storefront windows surrounded by red brick and neutral cast stone representing the 1940s.

New-age building materials simulate the look and feel of the turn of the century.

For example, fiberglass and plaster glass were used to create the look of structural steel. GFRC, a lightweight concrete with smooth finish, was cast in molds, shipped to the site and painted forest green to replicate cast iron.

In addition to creating various facades, the center's buildings also vary in height from 28 to 44 ft. tall. Each building has a steel structural system with masonry block rear walls covered with brick.

Sides and storefronts are open for tenants to display product. Fabric awnings and signage support the old-fashioned look.

The upscale, mixed-use center at 146th and Meridian streets contains more than 500,000 sq. ft. of retail, including big box anchor stores, specialty retailers and restaurants.

Two buildings offer second-story office space totaling more than 70,000 sq. ft. Dick's is the only retailer open on two levels.

Because the trend nationwide is moving toward open-air facilities, the facility features shade trees, paving variations, street furniture, lush landscaping, water features, wall art and ambient music.

A village green provides space for art shows, outdoor concerts and picnics and contributes to the look and feel of an urban main street.

Nature did not help get construction off to a rousing start as record rainfalls made summer 2003 one of the wettest in Indiana history. Dewatering included cutting ditches and installing temporary drainages to help speed drying.

Top Projects Completed 18

Camp Randall Stadium

Cost: $109 Million

Camp Randall Stadium was originally built in 1917 and is reportedly the nation's fourth-oldest college football facility.

The renovation of the stadium on the campus of the University of Wisconsin will preserve the original bowl while a nine-story structure is added on the stadium's east side.

The project started with a comprehensive redo of the utilities, including new sewer, electrical, telecommunications and some caissons for the renovation.

Once the utilities were completed, the project was divided into two phases to accommodate the Badgers' football season. All work was started at the end of the football season in the late fall and ended in the late summer, when the new football season started.

New Concourse, Premium Seats

The first phase of work included the expansion of the third-level concourse and removal of third- and fourth-floor offices. A fifth-level concourse was constructed and included handicapped seating and restrooms.

The east side premium seating structure will hold 72 suites, 644 club seats, 300 premium seats and football offices.

The addition was complicated in part because a 36-ft. alley that serves as the stadium's fire lane runs between the east side of the seating bowl and two existing structures.

Although the fire lane was to remain usable for emergency vehicles, the alley was the only space available to locate two concourse levels complete with restrooms and concession areas, the football offices and additional seating.

The solution was to build over the fire lane, leaving it intact for use by emergency vehicles and placing the seating, concourses and offices above.

An office complex, including ticket office, was construction on the site's southeast corner. A video scoreboard, field lighting and sound system were also added.

The second phase comprised the expansion and renovation of the existing concourses, entry gates, restrooms and concessions, completion of the football offices and renovations of existing structures.

Some building elements reflect the original stadium's look, including wrought-iron fencing, sandstone-colored stone and historical arches. The nine-story addition on the east side reflects the character of an addition from the 1960s on the west side.

The stadium's capacity increased because of the project, from 76,000 seats to 81,000 seats.

Top Projects Completed 19

U.S. Highway 12

Cost: $101 Million

U.S. Highway 12 is a major east-west principal artery that integrates local traffic to the state and national highway system.

For years, the 18-mi. section between Sauk City and Middle ton was able to accommodate traffic, including an increasing amount of commuters from Sauk and Dane counties, in a reasonably safe manner.

More recently, the number of collisions on the segment has been high. Between 1985 and 1996, there were 2,010 crashes nearly one every two days. Tragically, 30 people lost their lives during this period.

Rear-end and off-road crashes combined accounted for about 60 percent of the collisions. With a current average daily traffic volume range of 14,000 to 25,000 vehicles per day, the corridor has more than double the average statewide volume for similar highways.

Four Lanes Sought

The purpose of the improvement was to address safety and capacity deficiencies, and three main goals were identified: