This Prestigious Award is for the innovation and utilization of productivity enhancing construction methods in the conversion of the historic 1939 Ottawa Street Power Station into the world class headquarters for Accident Fund Insurance in Lansing, Michigan.
The new ten-story steel framed office building was built inside an existing masonry structure while preserving and supporting the historic shell. More than 1,000 tons of existing steel framing had to be removed before the new steel configuration could be installed.
In the conceptual stage of the project, Douglas Steel joined forces with the developer, The Christman Company, to develop a strategy, budget and schedule. ARUP, the structural engineer of record, created a REVIT model of the new structure. Most of the existing columns, perimeter beams and some interior beams were retained while adding new primary column to column beams, infill beams and bracing.
Throughout the development of the new framing plan, Douglas Steel provided ongoing value engineering suggestions to help minimize construction cost.
Douglas Steel hired Ruby + Associates to develop a safe method to stabilize the building during both demolition of the interior structural steel and reconstruction of the new building components. After surveying the existing structure, Douglas Steel designed adjustable connections between new and existing members to accommodate field variances. In numerous cases, existing riveted connections had to be reconfigured for the new members.
Douglas Steel developed innovative erection techniques that enabled the erection of the internal structure without disturbing the fragile masonry exterior. 1,632 tons of new steel was hoisted in the blind through two temporary roof hatches, down through stair and elevator shafts, then hand transported horizontally and lifted into final position. Erection progressed from the bottom up in order to create a working platform under each new floor.
Douglas Steel performed the entire construction process under its Cost Management Program. This required committing to a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) early in the design phase and tracking costs through the construction process. As we worked through the project, we achieved significant savings. This allowed for the addition of optional features to the project while maintaining the project budget.
The team's collaborative solution was much like building a ship in a bottle. On March 29, 2011, Accident Fund proudly opened their doors to their award winning new corporate headquarters.
"...Christman selected Douglas Steel because of our long-standing, trusted relationship and their proven expertise in challenging erection planning and connection design. Douglas provided the assurances we needed for planning and budgeting, and then followed up with an outstanding field effort to execute the steelwork expeditiously and under budget. "
John Holmstrom, Senior Vice President, Christman Construction.
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AISC Modern Steel Construction
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