Gold Medal of Construction
Olympic Effort Needed To Erect Mega-Projects

by Craig Barner

If Chicago lands the Olympics in 2016, the city will see a level of construction worthy of a Greco-Roman wrestler.

With this issue, Midwest Construction presents its own effort of grappling with a enormous task: the Top Projects Started of 2007.

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Top Projects Started 1

Chicago Spire*

Cost: $1.2 billion**

It will be the tallest building in North America, the tallest residential building in the world and bear the design flourishes of Santiago Calatrava.

The Chicago Spire residential tower will rise 2,000 ft., hold 3 million sq ft of space and total 150 floors, says Kim Metcalfe, senior vice president of Weber Shandwick Worldwide in Chicago and spokesperson for Shelbourne Development Group Inc., the Dublin-based developer.

The project features a twirling appearance sometimes compared to a plume of smoke, drill bit or swirling cloak. The project itself has undergone a number of twists.
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The project proposal was initiated in 2005 by local developer The Fordham Co. Fordham had originally commissioned Calatrava and had the option to buy the 2.2-acre property near the intersection of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

But Fordham fell short on financing, and Ireland's Garrett Kelleher stepped in to keep the project going. Kelleher had previously worked as a painting contractor and developer in Chicago, working here between 1986 and 1996, when he returned to Ireland.

Detailing the Spire

The project details have changed numerous times, but several facts have been confirmed.

The building will hold 1,200 condominiums that range in size from 600 to 8,000 sq ft, Metcalfe says. Hotel rooms, which had previously been announced, have been taken out from plans.

The building will feature a composite structure - steel and concrete - with a 360-degree rotation.

More than 1,300 parking spaces will be below ground in a six-and-a-half story hole.

Despite the name, the tower will not be topped with a spire, Metcalfe says.

The top will be illuminated.

The building's base will hold a four-story, transparent lobby with five stories of amenity space for the residents, including spa, fitness area and brasserie. The condo units start on the 10th floor.

Access to the spire will come from ramps built on Lake Shore Drive, Metcalfe says. Traffic will exit on a ramp, go underneath the drive to Lower Lake Shore and arrive at the spire entrance.

Plans call for the building to attain LEED Gold Certification, Metcalfe says.

Rainwater will be recycled for car washes, river water will be used for cooling and "ornithologically correct glass" will be incorporated in the building to help spare the birds who fly through the area.

*The Chicago Spire was approved by the Chicago Plan Commission in mid-April when the June issue of Midwest Construction was closing. Financing is still a question mark. The magazine decided to include the project in Top Projects based on discussions with the developer's spokespeople, who said construction would proceed in spring 2007.

**The cost given in 2006. The developer has declined to confirm the cost estimate.

Top Projects Started 2

Mandarin Oriental Hotel

Cost: $750 Million

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Chicago's East Loop will achieve lofty height of 62 stories.
Before that loftiness can be erected, the site for the mixed-use residential property has to be prepared.

For instance, a tunnel carrying water from the Chicago River to the Prudential Building is being moved, says Tim Harder, senior vice president of Bovis Lend Lease, the contractor. The water is used to provide cooling, rather than chillers.

In mid-April, the tunnel was being relocated so that it does not conflict with the belled caissons to be laid.

A freight tunnel with a bulkhead is located on a corner of the site, and it will need to be avoided during caisson and sheeting work.

Lower Stetson Avenue will be lowered 4 ft so the proper head clearance for trucks delivering materials can be attained.

"There is quite of bit of finesse work to get around the obstructions," Harder adds.

Above ground, a number of deep beams will be used to provide the wide spans for the ballroom.

Boulevard Towers to the west will have to be accommodated.

Normally, tenants access Boulevard from Lower South Water Street, which will be unavailable during construction, Harder says. As a result, a concrete tunnel from Middle Stetson Avenue will be constructed to provide access.

More than 500 Units

The mixed-use residential building will hold 252 hotel rooms, 103 hotel-residences and 162 condominiums. Overall it will hold 1.4 million sq ft of space.

In addition to the ball room, amenities include the Mandarin's world-renowned spa and fitness center.

The building will feature a number of aesthetic design features. These include the horizontally oriented bustle at the building base; a 70-ft-tall lantern at the top illuminated at night; and an indentation sometimes referred to as the "zipper" along the building's north facade.

The concrete-supported building will be framed in aluminum curtain wall, Harder says.

The project for which constructed started in March is expected to last through 2010.

Top Projects Started 3

Interstate 64 Reconstruction

Cost: $535 Million

A 10.5-mi.-long segment of Interstate 64 in St. Louis will be reconstructed, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced.

I-64 is the first design-build project that the legislature in Jefferson City has authorized in transportation. Because of the project's complexity, Missouri officials sought the best design ideas to maximize funding.

As a result, Missouri highway specifications were not required in proposals.

Standards from other state agencies could be proposed provided they had previously received the approval of the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials or the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, both based in Washington, D.C.

The Gateway proposal calls for a concrete pavement with 45-year design life that is expected to need a single maintenance application in 25 years.

An Aging Highway

The project on the east-west thoroughfare covers I-64 between Kingshighway Boulevard on the east in the city and Spoede Road in St. Louis County on the west.

Construction started in spring 2007, and lanes are expected to reopen on Dec. 31, 2009, though contract completion is anticipated on July 31, 2010.

In addition to the rebuilt pavement, bridges and each of the 12 interchanges will be reconstructed. One lane will be added in each direction.

Reconstruction is necessary because I-64, which was originally built piecemeal as U.S. Route 40 between the 1930s and 1960s, can no longer handle today's traffic volume without significant delay. The segment, which handles an average of 170,000 vehicles daily, was designed for a maximum speed of only 45 mph.

Motorist safety is also a concern due in part to the tight clover-leaf ramps from previous design eras. Some ramps are signed as low as 15 mph.

Twenty-four existing bridges will be rebuilt because they are deteriorating. In addition, five new ramps at the I-64/Interstate 170 interchange will also be constructed.

The segment from project's western end to its midway point will be shut completely in 2008. The following year, the segment from midway point to the eastern end will be closed in full.

Plans have been made to accommodate motorists. For example, lanes have been narrowed to 11 ft. from 12 ft. and shoulder space reduced on Interstate 70 on the north and Interstate 44 on the south.

Top Projects Started 4

Aqua

Cost: $474 Million

A distinctive aesthetic design feature of 86-story Aqua mixed-use residential tower in Chicago will be the building's undulating waves of concrete.

The appearance of ripples will be achieved via the edge of every balcony, says Steve Wiley, chief estimator of Chicago-based James McHugh Construction Co., the contractor.

"Each edge or perimeter of every balcony is unique and different from the one above or below it," he says. "It will look like there was a fire in the building that randomly burned the patterns going up the face of the building."

Designers are working with glass and reflectivity to accentuate the appearance of wave shapes.

Given the unorthodox design feature, the typical issues of construction are being carefully thought through.

For instance, finding the best location and connecting the hoist will be challenging because of the varying geometry of the balcony edges.

The undulating design feature, however, will not have a bearing on the structure.

"It's a simple, rectangular structure, and the only thing 'moving' are the balcony edges themselves," Wiley says.

One Big Building

The 2.2 million-sq-ft building on Columbus Drive will hold 968 housing units-474 rental apartments, 264 condominiums, 225 hotel rooms and nine park houses.

Because of its size, Wiley says the building will require 31 rock caissons-footings socketed about 6 ft into the bedroom beneath Chicago. The project also calls for 223 traditional belled caissons.

In addition, the structure will rest on a 6-ft-thick concrete mat slab.

Due to the complexity of the project, elements that include the structure, mechanical system, electrical system and fire protection are being done design-build, Wiley says.

A podium will hold 1,300 parking spaces. The podium's lid will hold many of the building's amenities-running track, walking path, fire pits, whirlpools, lap pool and volleyball court. The building will hold two ballrooms.

Construction activity started in February and is expected to last until February 2010, Wiley says.

Top Projects Started 5

Block 37

Cost: $450 million

Block 37 is the 2.75-acre plot in Chicago's Loop between the Richard J. Daley Center and the former Marshall Field's, now Macy's.

The spot has been vacant since the 1989, when it was razed for redevelopment. A number of development plans were put together but fell through. Indeed, Maryland's Mills Corp. was the original developer of the existing project, but its plans were purchased by Palatine's Joseph Freed & Associates LLC and Chicago's Golub & Co.

Plans call for stores, offices, restaurants, apartments and an underground Chicago Transit Authority station.

The CTA station will provide express trains to O'Hare International Airport and Midway Airport.

A unique element is that passengers for upcoming flights from the two airports might be able to check their bags at Block 37. Trains will reportedly have luggage racks and wider seats than standard trains, but tickets could be $10, rather than the $2 regular fare.

Retail and Entertainment

The base will hold retail and entertainment at the base, including the on-air station for local CBS affiliate WBBM-TV Channel 2.

Channel 2 is expected to move in a 100,000-sq-ft space at the corner of Washington and Dearborn streets in 2008 near the city's famed Pablo Picasso sculpture. The station will operate an on-air studio and have electronic billboards displaying 24-hour news headlines.

Some retail tenants have been announced: Banana Republic, Gibson's Steakhouse and Lucky Strike Lanes bowling alley.

Morningstar, an investment research firm, will anchor the 16-story, 440,000-sq-ft. office portion of the project.

Plans also call for two residential towers, one holding 365 condominiums and the other holding 420 apartments.

Top Projects Started 6

353 N. Clark St.

Cost: $440 Million

Demand for upscale, Class-A office space in Chicago is resulting in the 353 N. Clark St. project in the River North area.

In mid-April, the 46-story tower was 66% pre-leased, says Rux Currin, senior vice president of Chicago-based Mesirow Financial, the developer.

Mesirow will also be a tenant and depart its long-time home across the street at 350 North.

Another major tenant is Jenner & Block LLP, a Chicago-based law firm.

Other office and retail tenants are being pursued.

The 1.2-million-sq-ft building will hold offices, retail and 220 parking spaces in two below-grade levels, Currin says. The office entrance will be on Upper Carroll Court and the retail entrance on Kinzie Street - appropriately so because of the increasing amount of retail on Kinzie.

"The site slopes 12 to 13 ft, so it gives us an opportunity to separate the entrances for office and retail," Currin says.

The steel-framed building will be dressed in curtain wall.
Construction began in November, and occupancies will start at the end of 2009. Mesirow will move in 2010.

Top Projects Started 7

Nestle USA

Cost: $359 Million

A Nestle beverage plant was just what the Indiana city of Anderson needed to help it deal with some 2,000 job cuts promised at two longtime automotive employers.

The Nestle USA beverage division, based in California, announced in July 2006 its plans to build the facility that will employ more than 300 people making an average of nearly $20 an hour.

Nestle cited growing demand for Nesquik Ready-to-Drink and Coffee-Mate Liquid, which the new facility is to manufacture and distribute. The products have been made by Nestle suppliers, but their in-house manufacturer was lured to Anderson by nearly $8 million in state incentives plus local tax abatements, bonds and incentives valued at approximately $46 million.

Ground was broken Aug. 15, said Rob Sparks, Anderson deputy mayor and chairman of the city's Board of Works.

Nearly 1 Million Sq Ft

The 880,000-sq-ft facility-located on a 190-acre site along Interstate 69-will include a sterile manufacturing environment along with onsite computerized warehousing. Manufacturing dry runs could happen in the fourth quarter of 2007, with plant startup set for the first quarter of 2008.

Using tax-increment financing, the city has arranged site preparation including a new electric substation, a rail spur, upgraded sewer capacity and improved site drainage.

"We were fortunate enough to land it and get them in a position to turn dirt in a short amount of time," Sparks says.

Though the site is on the edge of an existing business park, "it incorporates additional acreage that had not been developed," he says. "We're cutting a new drainage ditch, and it'll help open up several hundred more acres for development."

The Stellar Group, based in Jacksonville, Fla., is the project's general contractor. The company is providing design-build services for the liquid-processing facility, including site evaluation, architecture, engineering and construction management. Stellar has previously worked with Nestle on several facilities elsewhere.

Top Projects Started 8

Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center at Edison Lakes

Cost: $355 Million

In early March, the foundation was poured for the Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center at Edison Lakes in Mishawaka, Ind.

Preparing the 93-acre site began in October 2006. The 633,000-sq-ft hospital is slated to open in fall 2009. It will provide 254 private inpatient rooms and baths with hotel-style ambiance in two towers that are anchored by a diagnostic and treatment platform. Multiple-story medical office buildings will also connect to the hospital.

The new hospital replaces an aging facility in downtown South Bend as well as St. Joseph's Mishawaka facilities.

"It will serve all of our patients in our regional market," says Sarah Hoshaw, strategic project manager for Saint Joseph. "We were handling more than 1 million sq ft of old, inefficient space. Now we're going down to a 633,000-sq-ft facility that's more efficient. We'll be able to service as many or more patients."

The efficient design includes a two-story diagnostic and treatment center that will include the emergency department, imaging, diagnostics, surgery, catheterization lab and interventional cardiology and conferencing areas.

Seeking Adjacencies

The adjacency of the medical departments improves the flow of care for patients, their physicians and all caregivers, Hoshaw says.

Patient comfort and satisfaction was also a driver of the design.

"All storm water is retained in onsite retention ponds that are placed around the site to provide a natural healing atmosphere," Hoshaw says.

Half of the patients will have a view of these ponds and the other half will overlook a grassy meadow area. Walking paths also weave through outdoor area.

"The design was centered first and foremost on the patient and secondly on the service atmosphere," Hoshaw says.

A business center as well as a concierge service will be available for patients and visiting family members. "Any visitor will be able to use laptops to provide a more comfortable atmosphere than typical," Hoshaw says.

Also, families of neonatal infants or pediatric patients will be able to stay overnight in designated visitor rooms.

The project's community participation plan is to achieve 6% minority business enterprise participation and 6% women business enterprise participation.

About 375,000 cu yds of soil was excavated and 24,000 cu yds of concrete was poured for the foundation. The project will use 5,000 tons of structural steel, 13 acres of tile, carpeting and resilient floor coverings, 2 acres of glass, 2.3 million sq ft of drywall and 1.1 million lbs. of duct work.

Top Projects Started 9

Sherman Hospital Replacement Campus

Cost: $310 Million

An onsite 15-acre geothermal lake could save the new Sherman Hospital Replacement Campus in Elgin, Ill., up to 30% in energy costs annually.

Designed on a rolling farmland site, the single-patient rooms also overlook this man-made lake providing a healing environment amid the nature setting.

"It's a sustainable form of energy," says Peter Schlossman, senior associate principal, Loebl Schlossman & Hackl. "We're reducing the need to use fossil fuels to heat and cool the building."

This geothermal technology is a first for an Illinois hospital and one of the largest in the world. Sherman was awarded a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation for Environmental Leadership.

255-Bed Hospital

The project includes building a 255-bed, 650,000-sq.-ft. facility and a 100,000-sq.-ft. medical office building. Construction began in summer 2006 and the estimated completion is November 2009.

The campus relocates Sherman Hospital to this 154-acre greenfield site on the west side of Elgin on Randall Road just off the expressway, which also improves access and visibility.

"This new hospital gives them all the updated equipment and layout needs that are in demand in Elgin," Schlossman says. "The existing hospital has been an assemblage of different wings added on over the years and it's landlocked and there's no more real estate to purchase in that area."

Horizontal bands of brick and glass curtain wall form the exterior façade of the seven-story hospital. Registration and waiting areas will be on the first-floor of a circular glass atrium. Visitor conference rooms, the kitchen and dining facility as well as an outdoor patio are at lake level. A six-floor in-patient bed tower will rise above this dining area.

A four-story medical office building will also be wedged between the in-patient tower and the emergency department.

An adjacent single-story building will house the cancer center and administration.

The integrated design allows each component of the hospital-bed units, diagnostic and treatment space, medical offices, and parking-to expand individually over time to provide maximum flexibility.

Top Projects Started 10

Blue Cross Blue Shield Illinois

Cost: $270 Million

The headquarters building of Blue Cross Blue Shield Illinois in Chicago is sprouting an extension.

The 32-story building in the city's East Loop is getting an additional 25 stories, according to Chicago-based Goettsch Partners, the architect on the project.

The extension is needed because of growing space needs at Blue Cross.

Completing Original Plans

The office tower was started in 1995 and completed in 1997 with plans for expanding vertically. With the initial building nearing capacity, the decision was made to move forward with the second phase.

Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp., which operates the Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance plans in Illinois, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, realized in the early 1990s that growth had forced it to relocate from leased space four times in a 25-year period.

As a result, the company set out to build a facility that would accommodate immediate space requirements and expectations for continued growth.

When finished in 2010, the 57-story, 2.3 million-sq.-ft. building will accommodate 8,000 workers, up from 4,200 currently.

The expansion will increase the size of the tower to 2.2 million sq ft, up from the 1.4-million-sq-ft existing tower.

HCSC will not occupy all 57 floors. About half of the new space will be leased to other tenants.

Top Projects Started 11

Potawatomi Bingo Casino

Cost: $240 Million

A three-pronged, $240 million expansion project at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino expansion is Milwaukee's Menomonee River Valley is more than doubling the casino itself, creating a additional parking structure and connecting the existing parking structure to the city's James E. Groppi Unity Bridge (still known locally at the 16th Street Viaduct) via a connecting bridge.

The three-story casino portion of the project broke ground in August 2006, adding more than 500,000 sq ft to the existing 256,000 sq ft casino. It will house gaming space in a Native American theme, restaurants, entertainment spaces and back-of-house space. The lower level will hold valet parking for about 350 cars.

Dealing with Water

Water issues on the valley floor have presented challenges from the project's start.

"The lower level of the expansion, the valet parking, is about 10 ft below grade," says Wayne Groeschel, project manager in the Milwaukee office of the Providence, R.I.-based construction manager, Gilbane Building Co. "The river is about two blocks over and the water table is about five or six feet down."

Groeschel says the water issues required a perimeter of sheet piling and a dewatering system during construction. In addition, 1,800 pipe piles were driven before any foundation work could begin due to soil he says is, "not very conducive to holding up a building."

The high water table also impacted the building's foundation, requiring a suspenders-and-a-belt approach to waterproofing. A waterproof membrane was installed to protect the lower level, and a waterproofing compound was added to the foundation's concrete mixture.

A precast parking garage, sized to accommodate approximately 1,800 cars, got under way in October 2006. It is schedule for completion in December 2007.

The project's connecting bridge project broke ground in September 2006 and will be completed in June 2007.

Top Projects Started 12

300 N. LaSalle St.

Cost: $230 Million

The 300 N. LaSalle St. office tower will be located on the north bank of the Main Branch of the Chicago River.

The office tower will stretch 60 floors and encompass 1.3 million gross sq. ft. of space, says Brad Johnson, project executive in Chicago with Bethesda, Md.-based Clark Construction Group, the contractor.

The anchor tenant is Chicago-based law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP, in addition to other tenants. Other uses will include three levels of below-grade parking, retail and restaurants.

Tenants will have access to the river's edge and a public garden. The space will feature landscaped terraces, seating and a cafe.

Inside the building, steel with concrete core will support the structure, Johnson says. Unitized aluminum curtain wall cladding with stainless steel accents will dress the structure.

Construction activity started in July, and the project is expected to be complete in December 2008.

Project Issues

The team is facing a number of issues early on the project, including earth retention and closeness to the river. Steel sheeting with a core retention system of H-piles and lagging was used for the earth retention.

Because of the waterfront site, there is limited access. "However, we're trying to turn it into a posstive by investigating using barges for some of the materials we're bring to the site," Johnson adds.

Restrictions due to nearby residential is limit the number of hours work can be done between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The floors will be repetitious from a structural standpoint, so"you can get into a groove like a marathon runner," Johnson says.

The building is designed to achieve LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Top Projects Started 13

SSM St. Chare Health Center

Cost: $224 Million

As St. Louis grows, so grows the SSM St. Clare Health Center in Kirkwood.

A new hospital, located on a former golf course about 4 mi from the existing, 1940s facility, will meet the needs of a one-bedroom community that has become part of the suburban St. Louis area in recent years.

The new facility broke ground in June 2006 and is slated for completion in early 2009. According to Tom Miller, communications manager for SSM Health Care St. Louis, it will create a healing environment that accommodates the latest in medical technology.

"From the very onset of design, we have been focused on some innovative design principles," Miller says. "We have used design learning labs to engage employees to come in and design the patient rooms-the functionality of those rooms."

Inviting for Patients, Family

Subtle details will include carpeted hallways to reduce noise and create a warm, hotel-like environment; patient controls for lights and temperature in rooms; and ample, inviting space for family members and other visitors.

The hospital's design reflects SSM's move away from a traditional, institutional facility.

The hospital will be divided into four distinct zones: inpatient, emergency, outpatient and surgical/specialty services. Each of the zones will be marked by an exterior architectural feature that will serve as a guide to the entrance for that particular zone. Each of the four zones will be organized around a "town square" of dining, retail and other amenities.

Within the inpatient zone, the concept of "acute adaptability" is being employed to make each room adaptable for the varying care needs that might arise during a patient's stay. This eliminates the need to shift a patient from unit to unit within the hospital.

The hospital will also feature such cutting-edge details as bedside registration, all digital electronics and wireless access to images, X-rays and scanner and electronic ID bracelets.

The idea of creating a hotel-like, noninstitutional environment extends to the facility's food service as well. Patients will be able to determine the time their meals are delivered and will be able to order home-style meals that will be delivered within a half-hour of ordering.

"This hospital will unique from anything we have seen in this region," Miller says.

Top Projects Started 14

Pointe Blue

Cost: $220 Million

Racine, Wis., is reaching for the skies with a three-tower condo project on the Lake Michigan waterfront, dubbed Pointe Blue.

The project will create 320 condo units in high- and mid-rise towers, along with 125 low-rise units mixing waterfront villas and townhouses. First occupancy is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2008, with final completion in May 2012.

In addition to the 445 condominium units, ranging in price from $220,000 to $970,000, 100 apartment units are also planned.

Scott Fergus, president of developer KeyBridge Development Group of Waukesha, says site preparation began in February 2007.

According to Fergus, putting up 1.5 million sq. ft. of buildings requires overlapping construction phases and employment of two construction management firms. Tri-North Builders of Madison will manage the low-rise units, and KBS Construction will manage the towers.

Rejuvenating the Soil

Remediation will likely be the project's biggest issue, Fergus says. The 20-acre site housed several businesses in its history, including a manufacturing company.

"There is benzene in the soil, petroleum and a variety of chemicals," he says.

The remediation plan for the site has been approved by the Wisconsin Department of Natural resources.

"We will cap the site with a geo membrane, and three feet of clay and sand," Fergus says. "From there we will bring in top soil and build."

Many of the structures will be slab-on-grade construction due to the water table issues presented by the project's close proximity to Lake Michigan and the Root River.

Pointe Blue will be a mixed-use, lifestyle development, featuring 125,000 sq ft of retail for specialty grocers, coffee shops, a video store and other retailers.

Fifty boating slips will also be including in the development as will pedestrian and bike paths and renovation of several historic structures.

In April 30 percent of the condo units had been reserved.

Top Projects Started 15

Greater Lafayette Health Services Hospital

Cost: $192 Million

Excavation and site clearing began late last year to make way for the Greater Lafayette Health Services Hospital on the east side of Lafayette, Ind. It will replace two older facilities, Home Hospital and St. Elizabeth Medical Center, and is scheduled to be complete in April 2009.

The consolidation will improve efficiency and staff productivity, and will cost less than updating the two existing hospitals, according to Terry Wilson, president and CEO of GLHS.

Built on a 103-acre site, the hospital has 150 private patient rooms with 16 observation rooms, including acute care and women's health and neonatal intensive care unit. Also included are nine operating rooms, 27 emergency room beds, two catheterization labs and radiology rooms. The imaging area includes two rooms each for general radiology, radio fluoroscopy rooms, CT and nuclear medicine. It also includes one MRI and one interventional radiology room.

The 430,000-sq.-ft. campus includes three 75,000-sq.-ft. medical office buildings, one of which is for hospital functions.

Embrace the Patient

The key design theme was "embracing the patient," says Rob Schoeck, principal of Indianapolis-based BSA LifeStructures, the architect.

"The owner, Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, wanted to emphasize the Catholic tradition in an understated way, with a strong focus on the patient," Schoeck says. "From the word 'embrace,' the design perspective was to create a low-rise facility organized around a central interior courtyard where the chapel is located."

The hospital's towers rise only three floors, and the campus is spread out across 54 acres.

"The courtyard is very valuable in terms of intuitively finding your way," Schoeck says. "Consistent views to the outside are one of the best ways to get patients and visitors oriented."

The exterior facade of the steel-framed buildings is brick veneer and EIFS.

While the building materials reflect simplicity, there is a stronger emphasis on color and texture at the entrances and in the courtyard. In these areas, wood veneer is used.

"It's a welcoming wood product that shows up at the visitors' entry and is restated in the courtyard," says Rich Engelhardt, associate principal of BSA.

"A large curved curtain wall at the main entrance unifies the two towers and gives an overall low-scale harmonious impression, not an aggressive or highly modern expression of architecture. It's low key and gentle."

Top Projects Started 16

Interstate 70 Reconstruction

Cost: $175 Million

You know a highway project is big when it gets its own name and logo.

The Interstate 70 reconstruction east of downtown Indianapolis has been dubbed "Super 70" and identified on promotional materials with a winged highway sign.

The project hit full stride in late February with the demolition of 6 mi of the interstate's westbound lanes.

"It will be a brand-new road, with 16 in. of new concrete and 28 new bridge decks," says Andy Dietrick, communications director for the Indiana Department of Transportation.

While crews from Chicago-based Walsh Construction Co., the general contractor, are rebuilding the westbound lanes, both directions of traffic are using the eastbound side. Five traffic lanes are open: three inbound and two outbound during the morning rush hour, then three outbound and two inbound for the evening rush.

A special concrete barrier down the middle is moved twice a day, at about 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., Dietrick says.

Once the westbound lanes are completed - a milestone set for early July - traffic will shift to the new pavement while the eastbound lanes are demolished and rebuilt. Completion is set for Thanksgiving.

Originally constructed in 1971, this section of I-70 is the busiest in Indiana, carrying 180,000 vehicles daily. No lanes are being added, but the project will yield benefits beyond the smoother pavement.

"The biggest thing from a safety perspective is that the inside shoulder, which now averages 7 ft and in places is a lot less, will be 14 ft," Dietrick says.

The other significant change affects a section some have dubbed the "cattle chute," where the highway dips under two bridges carrying Sherman Drive and the CSX railroad, causing low clearance, poor visibility and, at times, flooded lanes. The reconstruction project will raise the interstate above the road and railroad.

InDot has cut the speed limit, banned 18-wheelers and closed interchanges throughout the work zone.

Top Projects Started 17

Clarian Arnett Hospital

Cost: $170 Million

Steel topped out in March on the Clarian Arnett Hospital in Lafayette, Ind. As of that date, 2,618 tons of structural steel had been erected. This 440,000-sq-ft project includes a seven-story hospital and a two-story central energy plant.

Construction began on the 152-bed hospital in June 2006, and substantial completion is slated for Aug. 1, 2008.

Indianapolis-based Clarian Health Partners and Lafayette-based Arnett Health System are partnering to develop the new hospital, which features private patient rooms and five operating rooms with expansion capabilities.

"This partnership will increase the momentum in the development of the Life Sciences Corridor from Lafayette to Indianapolis," says Daniel Evans Jr., Clarian president and CEO. "Clarian and Indiana University are primary forces behind the life sciences, and the partnership in Lafayette will augment the strong collaborations and collegiality that already exist."

IU, Clarian Partnership

The partnership between Clarian and the Arnett physicians allows for seamless transition in care between office visits and inpatient stays.

"Bringing additional resources to Lafayette will further enhance research and educational collaborations between Clarian, Arnett and the IU School of Medicine which partners with Purdue University to provide the first two years of medical education to some of our students on the West Lafayette campus," says Dr. D. Craig Brater, dean of the IU School of Medicine and vice president of Life Sciences.

The joint venture hospital will split ownership, with the majority owned by Clarian and a minority owned by Arnett physicians-similar to the Clarian North and Clarian West ownership models. The existing Arnett sites will also become owned by the new joint venture.

"This hospital is new to the community," says Larry Roan, vice president of business development for F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. Inc., the contractor.

"The exterior has a red brick base with some sandstone and glass."

Wilhelm has exceeded the goals of 15% MBE and 5% WBE participation on the project, Roan added.

In January, Purdue University's Construction Management program received a live Web-based field trip of the project. A camera mounted on a hardhat with two-way headsets was live-linked to a Purdue classroom allowing the students and tour guide to dialogue.

Top Projects Started 18

Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center Expansion

Cost: $145 Million

An eight-story, 199-bed addition is under way at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill.

The project began in August 2006 and is scheduled for completion in March 2009. The 243,000-sq-ft, cast-in-place concrete addition will provide private patient rooms and will levelly connect to every floor of the existing 475-bed hospital.

Growing Population

The project is in response to the large population growth in Will and Grundy counties and to Provena's desire to provide private patient rooms. The existing hospital's patient rooms will also be converted to private rooms.

The bed tower has a new entry canopy, conference center, retail and winter garden. The new lobby also connects to an 875-car parking garage. The lower level includes a new loading dock, materials management, environmental services and laboratory.

"The new tower has a curved façade and it's a little richer in color and design elements," says Mike Doiel, senior vice president of Chicago-based HDR Architecture. "The plan is to go back and enhance the existing hospital by staining the brick to update the image."

The bench curve configuration of the addition "affords different views internally and externally on every floor," Doiel says. "A straight corridor is monotonousness."

The design of the bed tower also supports the hospital's move to electronic medical records.

"Nursing stations are decentralized," Doiel says. "They're little miniature work stations between every two rooms."

The design considered ease of use and access for staff and patients. To line up the floors with the existing hospital, Doiel says the new tower needed to be cast-in-place concrete using flat plate technology instead of a steel frame.

"Most new bed towers need higher floor to floor ratios because of the requirements on mechanicals and higher ceiling heights," Doiel says.

While a concrete structure is more expensive, takes longer and is more laborious than a steel frame, it provides a thinner profile to levelly match up floors and allow enough floor-to-floor space for mechanicals, Doiel says.

Otherwise, a steel-framed building would have required ramps on each floor to connect the hospital to the new tower and would make moving equipment, beds and patients more difficult.

Patient rooms are also the same size and are stacked vertically, giving flexibility for floor changes that may be necessary in the future.

Top Projects Started 19

Key Lime Cove Waterpark Resort

Cost: $125 Million

Key West is coming to Gurnee, Ill., in the form of the Key Lime Cove Waterpark Resort.

Located on a 30-acre across the highway from the Gurnee Mills Mall and
beside Six Flags Great America, the project broke ground on November 2006 and is slated for completion in March 2008.

According to Joe Schuchardt, senior project manager with architect and builder Planning Design Build of Madison, Wis., the facility will include a four-story, 424-room hotel and a 50,000 sq. ft., indoor water park. It will encompass 425,000 gross sq. ft.

The facility will include restaurants, 6,000-sq-ft arcade and entertainment center, Kids Kamp children's arts and craft center and 12,000-sq-ft "celebratory facility" designed to accommodate weddings, parties and meetings. The hotel's largest guest suites will accommodate up to 12 people.

"The two-story lobby will feature a streetscape to mimic the Key West location," Schuchardt says.

Winter Construction

Construction had to get out of the ground during the bitterly cold days of February, and space is an ongoing issue on the site.

"It's a 30-acre site, but the lobby and the water park are pretty tight spaces," he says.

There are several vessels and four slides planned for the water park, which will be connected by a "lazy river." All of this requires a large amount of underground utility work.

"Coordination is the issue," Schuchardt says. "We have people working on a ton of underground utilities for the water park, while other people are working on the slides above them," he says.

The water park is sized to accommodate a planned expansion of the hotel and the addition of a convention center as well as the creation of an outdoor water park facility.

Top Projects Started 20

Calumet Water Reclamation Plant Improvements

Cost: $121 Million

A wastewater pumping station and related facilities are under construction at Chicago's sewage treatment plant on 130th Street.

The project involves a new pumping station to handle 600 million gallons of wastewater a day, says Peter Nielsen, project manager of Elgin-based IHC Construction Cos. Inc., a member of the IHC/FHP Tectonics Joint Venture serving as the contractor. The new structure will replace the existing pumping station originally built in the 1930s.

"The old facility handles 600 million gallons a day, too, but the new one will do that much more efficiently," he adds.

The Pump Building will contain six raw sewage pumps, each equipped with 1,500-horsepower motors, and 64-in. and 96-in. discharge piping and valves.

Also included in the contract is a Screen Building that "will take the big stuff out of the flow," Nielsen says. It will hold five 10-ft-wide screen channels, mechanically cleaned screens and three conveyor belts.

Also part of the project is a 96-in. pump discharge line that will connect to a grit tank to be constructed at a later date. Clarifier tanks are also to be constructed at a future date.

Making Connections

The biggest issue the team expects to facing is constructing three flow-diversion chambers to connect to the existing 9-ft-diameter sewer lines.

"They can only be shut for 48 hours at a time," Nielsen says of the sewers.

A plan is being developed and possibly might involve constructing bypass pumping and fluming.

The contract also includes demolition of an existing two-story brick building and abandoned underground conduits and channels.

Mechanical systems are part of the contract and include steam-heated air handling units and ventilation systems. The electrical system involves medium- and low-voltage electrical power and a 500-kilowatt emergency generator.

Roads, walkways and site grading will also be constructed as part of the contract.

Construction activity started in December. In mid-April, a 60-ft-deep excavation had been completed.

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