Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

The project required over 300 of Grahams SR6700 windows in 12 different sizes.

The Mirro Aluminum Company was once the worlds largest manufacturer of aluminum cookware, and for years Mirro Plant #3, built in 1929, was a center of Mirro manufacturing in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.

Production ceased in the building in the early 60s, and more recently the structure seemed to be dying a slow death, with only the first floor occupied.

Now, though, Mirro Plant #3 has been reborn as Artist Lofts, a 40-unit, 2- and 3-bedroom apartment building. Windows from Graham Architectural Products (GAP) overcame a key challenge in helping to bring about the transformation.

Mark Knapp, AIA, principal architect at Quorum Architects Inc., explained, saying. Old steel sash warehouse windows require a very specialized replacement window due to the very narrow sightlines of the frame, sashes and muntins. Additionally, the original single-pane steel warehouse windows at the ground floor parking garage were being maintained for historical reasons and the new windows would be seen in a side-by-side comparison to the originals.

Grahams SR6700 a steel replica window that brings modern performance to the classic look of windows commonly installed in mills and factories throughout much of the 20th century proved to be the ideal solution.

Dave Rhoda, senior project manager for Catalyst Construction was impressed, saying, During the project, when the window replacement started to occur, you could stand across the street and look at the windows on the first floor which were [being retained], and the windows on the floor above which were being replaced, and it was a great match. You couldnt really tell the difference between the existing and the new. That is exactly what were trying to do in a preservation type project.

All told, the project required over 300 of Grahams SR6700 windows in 12 different sizes.

Rhoda also credited Graham Rep Mark Henry and the GAP team for its help on the front end with details and making sure that everything would meet National Park Service and State Historical Preservation Office (SHPO) requirements for the window replacement.

In addition, Graham created a custom interior three-dimensional muntin, as well as a custom subsill that simplified the installation process and ensured weather-tight performance.

Rhoda added, From their ability to match the existing design and from a customization standpoint, I think Graham did a great job. They were fantastic. They were great to work with all the way from pre-construction through construction.

Kristine Giornalista, vice president, real estate development, for Impact Seven, Inc., which developed the project along with Wisconsin Redevelopment, LLC, said, It was super important for us to get these windows made by Graham to meet the SHPOs expectations. I think its important to say that the windows were a critical piece to us getting the federal and state historic tax credits.

In the end, Artist Lofts received over $3 million in federal and state historic tax credits. Those credits are paying off. According to Impact Seven, its the highest-rated energy efficient multi-family green development in the history of the Wisconsin Green Built Home program.

It also won a Neighborhood Development Award from Progress Lakeshore, a regional economic development organization, and is now listed in the National and Wisconsin Registers of Historic Places.

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Graham Windows Play Pivotal Role in Wisconsin Renovation Project - Glass on Web

Clive McFarlane Telegram & Gazette Staff @CliveMcFarlane

There are some kinds of charlatan that you dont have to be, even to be a fading political operative.

Those of you who have read "All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren know that I could have been more pointed with my opening remarks.

Nevertheless, the meaning of those words requires no historical elucidation when applied to former mayor and School Committee member Raymond Mariano, who lately has been on a reckless rant over the issue of possible PCB contamination in two of the citys school buildings.

In his pontification on the issue, Mr. Mariano has pulled no punches in impugning the character and integrity of Mayor Joseph Petty, Superintendent Maureen Binienda and School Committee members in what he views as their seeming lack of empathy for students and staff who may be exposed to PCBs in the schools.

He is pretty much accusing them of collusion in poisoning students and staff members.

How can they be proud when they hid the fact that there were potentially serious health risks in their buildings (from) students and staff for years, he wrote in the Worcester Sun.

Even when they were removing poisons in some other buildings, they never told anyone.

Lets be clear. PCB exposure has been a health concern nationwide. Most buildings built in the '50s through the '70s were constructed with PCB materials.

As such, Mr. Marianos current interest suggests he is coming at it from strictly a personal and emotional angle. (His wife works at Burncoat.) Otherwise, he would have done something about it during the almost 25 years he spent in political office in the city, including eight years as mayor and at least eight years as chairman of the School Committee.The science around PCBs is the same now as it was during his tenure in office.

That changed after he left.The city has tackled the issue, and appears to have followed EPA best practices in managing potential exposure in the schools.

The city, for example, has spent some $54 million replacing windows and light ballasts over the last several years in the schools. It has been, on EPAguidelines, encapsulating windows with cracking and peeling paint.

To put the PCB issue in context, here are some questions and answers posted by the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services.

Q. Are health concerns associated with PCB exposure opportunities?

A. Although the epidemiological evidence is sometimes conflicting, most health agencies have concluded that PCBs may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen, i.e., to cause cancer.

Q. If PCBs are present in caulking material, does that mean exposure and health impacts are likely?

A. No. MDPH/(Bureau of Environmental)review of available data suggests that if caulking is intact, no appreciable exposures to PCBs are likely and hence health effects would not be expected.

Q. Does MDPH recommend testing of caulking in buildings built during the 1950s -1980?

A. Caulking that is intact should not be disturbed.

Among EPA best practices are the recommendation to remove PCB caulking and other materials during planned renovations and repairs, and to consider encapsulation to reduce PCB exposure.

Jack Foley and Brian OConnell, two of the longest serving members of the School Committee, told me Wednesday that few other communities in New England have done more than they have done or are doing to deal with PCBs in the schools.

To suggest, as Mr. Mariano has done, that they have been derelict in their duties is grossly unfair.

It is an inaccurate assessment of the facts, Mr. OConnell said.

It flies in the face of facts and the actions we have taken over the past several years.

Both committee members spoke about light ballast removal, encapsulation and other remediation efforts at Burncoat and Doherty high schools. Since both schools are priorities for renovation and replacement, substantial window replacement would reduce the likelihood of school building assistance from the state, they noted.

Interestingly, Doherty and Burncoat are the only two schools Mr. Mariano seems concerned about.

He explains this bysaying the School Committee has done a good job dealing with the issue in the other schools. How does he know this? Because the school administration told him so, he said. Yet, he suggests the administration is lying, or, in his words, not being forthright, when it says it is also following best practices at Burncoat and Doherty.

Mr. Mariano claims he has anecdotal evidence to the contrary, that the administration has been lax in cleaning and maintaining the ventilation system at the two schools, and that the administration was able to get away with it because it never told staff what the best practices were for dealing with PCBs.

This seems rather odd, since it was ateachers union member, as part of his dissertation, who first raised concerns about PCBs at these two schools. It is difficult to understand how the union then didnt share best PCB remedial practices with its members.

Here is the bottom line. If Mr. Mariano was saying the city has done its due diligence in dealing with the PCB issues, but that there are ways in which it can improve those efforts, that would be one thing.

But his characterization of the issue as a seemingly dereliction of duty by the city, and his suggestion that this supposed inattention might be linked to staff members at those schools being diagnosed with cancer, is shameful and reckless.

The rest is here:
Clive McFarlane: Mariano's criticism is a disservice to school officials - Worcester Telegram

Top 150 2017: No. 44 Marcone Supply St. Louis Business Journal The company sells parts for property maintenance, cooling and heating, installation and appliances. Featured vendors for the firm include KitchenAid, Whirlpool and Maytag. In addition, Marcone exports parts to clients in 120 countries around the globe.

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Top 150 2017: No. 44 Marcone Supply - St. Louis Business Journal

Today, we will set an example for the world: with boldness, with confidence and relentless optimism. In accordance with the companys guidelines, the Indian car manufacturer, Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, is maintaining its sustainable strategy for production facilities. This is the reason Mahindra has contracted the German plant manufacturer, Durr, to install an innovative and environmentally-friendly painting line in Pune, India. After the first year of production the rsum now is: the expectations have been met. The new line includes the first time installation of Durrs EcoDry X cardboard filter box system which ensures cost and energy efficient overspray separation.

Following the start of production in November 2015, the plant was ramped up to its maximum annual capacity of 91,000 units. The scope of supply consisted of a painting line including spray booth, air handling equipment, oven and conveyor. In order to meet Mahindras goals of simplicity, reduction of resources and energy consumption, as well as the reduction of the companys water footprint and paint sludge, Mahindra set a new standard for the top coat line. This was done by choosing the latest Drr Eco+Paintshop products such as Eco+Layout, EcoSmart AC and EcoDry X.

With the Eco+Layout it was possible to create a simplified and more compact building design by placing the spray booth air recirculation unit which is operator-friendly on the ground floor. The add-on of the EcoSmart AC to the regular air conditioning control system in the spray booth air handling units optimizes energy consumption during production, especially in start-up times and extreme weather conditions. The improved control of the process window leads to major energy savings in cooling and heating, including a reduction of CO2 emissions.

With the selection of the cardboard filter box system EcoDry X from the Drr dry separation family, Mahindra avoids all coagulation chemicals and water in overspray separation and resulting paint sludge. EcoDry X is a semi-automatic filter system consisting of a filter trolley equipped with six filter boxes. The disposable cardboard filter boxes can be swiftly replaced with minimum effort using the filter trolleys even during production, if necessary. The system is simple and robust and can be easily operated.

With more than one year in operation, the performance of the cardboard filter boxes during their first application has exceeded customer expectations when it comes to handling and filter box consumption. The filter boxes of the EcoDry X set a benchmark in paint separation capacity and filter costs. This efficiency is based on the principle of the technology: No impact separation, but filtering is the order of the day. Further highlights are the EcoClean and the top coat heat exchanger. EcoClean is a feather duster unit at the start of the top coat line for the improvement of the exterior surface cleaning quality. The installed air-to-air heat exchanger at the exhaust duct of the top coat oven preheats, depending demand, the recirculated air to the air supply unit.

As provision for future sustainable technology, Mahindra designed the roof of the building for the installation of a solar-thermal oven pre-heating system. This will help the customer to reduce the heating energy and CO2 emission even further.

Due to the good and energy optimized performance of the new TC-Line, Mahindra has contracted Drr to increase the capacity of the line to up to 120,000 units per year.

The Drr Group is one of the worlds leading mechanical and plant engineering firms with outstanding automation expertise. Products, systems and services offered by the Group enable highly efficient manufacturing processes in different industries. Drr supplies not only the automotive industry but also other sectors such as the mechanical engineering, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, and since the takeover of HOMAG Group AG in October 2014 the woodworking industry. Drr has 92 business locations in 28 countries. With 15,200 employees, the Group generated sales revenues of 3.57 billion in 2016. The Group operates in the market via five divisions:

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First time installation of Durr's EcoDry X technology worldwide - Automotive World (press release)

Heavy equipment and fencing is now on full display on the PCM Middle School/Prairie City Elementary campus, as a nearly year-long construction project began Tuesday on the exterior of the two buildings.

Crews began removing trees, brush, shrubs and concrete to clear the path for primary construction, slated to start after students leave for summer break in May. The work is all part of PCMs three-year, $20 million facilities renovation project.

At Monday nights monthly school board meeting in Monroe, PCM Superintendent Brad Jermeland updated board members on construction progress, including interior renovations to PCM Middle Schools auditorium, which began during last weeks spring break.

Asbestos removal from the auditorium and gym was completed Thursday. Construction crews have removed the existing seats and carpet in the auditorium to prep for expanding seating, making stage improvements and other upgrades.

But the most noticeable changes are outside the school, where the former parking lot and bus lane between the schools has been fenced in and transformed into a work zone. By the end of next school year, the area will hold an enclosed breezeway linking the two buildings.

The districts new pick-up and drop-off policy for students and parents was implemented Monday, and PCE Principal Stephanie Ver Helst said it went off without a hitch.

American Fence Company came out and put the fencing up on the property to define different zones for construction. I think that really helped out (Monday). It gave a clear picture of where people could travel and not travel, Jermeland said.

As trees were marked for removal, district officials found at least one was donated and dedicated by a Prairie City family. Jermeland said hes reaching out to any family or individual who donated a tree and will extend the opportunity to replant the variety of their choosing after construction is complete.

This is just the beginning of site work, which Jermeland said will consist of establishing staging areas for the construction companies, tree/bush removal, sidewalk/parking lot removal and dirt work for the Link addition that will be built to connect the two buildings.

The district announced its construction timeline for its Prairie City campus earlier this month.

Late site work in Prairie City will consist of final site grading and installation of new sidewalks to the entrances and adjacent areas. The middle school/PCE parking lot will be completed summer 2018.

Interior construction at PCM Middle School will last through September 2017. Work for the building addition is expected to start in early May and last throughout the 2017-18 school year.

The middle school media center will be renovated this summer, scheduled to begin at the end of May with a tentative finish date in the end of August. The current office area will be renovated this summer into classroom space and will be completed by fall.

Monroe Elementary

Project contractors also began putting the finishing touches on Monroe Elementary School during spring break. Two large cranes were brought to the facility last week to install the rooftop condensers and heating/cooling units.

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Under Construction - Newton Daily News

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Pre-Assembled Kitchen Cabinets - The RTA Store

Dive Brief:

Architects have reported an increase in demand for outdoor kitchens, according to the American Institute of Architects' Home Design Trends Survey for the fourth quarter of 2016.

The survey of architecture firms found that the most popular kitchen features were a computer area or charging station (42% of firms reporting such work in 2016 compared to 49% in 2015), under-counter appliances (38% in 2016 and 33% in 2015), larger pantry space (34% in 2016 and 2015) and high-end appliances (31% in 2016 and 39% in 2015).

Additions and alterations were the most popular construction activities last year (54% in 2016 and 61% in 2015), followed by kitchen and bath remodels (51% in 2016 and 54% in 2015).

Home renovations remain a popular choice as rising home prices and persisting inventory shortages dissuade prospective buyers from entering the market or trading up. While homeowners are indeed more optimistic about selling with 69% in the first quarter saying it was a good time to do so, according to the National Association of Realtors not enough owners are putting their properties on the market to provide the supply needed to meet demand at these typically lower price points.

Instead, many homeowners are finding new ways to add value to their existing homes. According to AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, this trend is apparent in the rise in popularity of outdoor kitchens. With interior kitchens functioning as the hub of the home, Baker said, homeowners are trying to replicate that space outdoors and bring some of the related activity with it.

The AIA study comes on the heels of a January report by Houzz that found U.S. kitchens are getting bigger and more modern in style, with more than one-third of respondents saying they were increasing their kitchen's footprint. In another recent report, Remodeling magazine found that general home remodeling will return of 64.3% of a homeowner's initial investment upon resale, with a major mid-range kitchen remodel recovering 65.3%.

For more housing news, sign up for our daily residential construction newsletter.

Continued here:
Survey: Demand for outdoor kitchens heats up - Construction Dive

If youre looking to remodel or update your home, you might want to attend the Novi Home and Garden Show this weekend for tips and services.

This years show, Friday through Sunday in Novi, focuses on how to grow a backyard food garden.

Since 2008, theres been a 40 percent increase in Americans growing their own vegetables, according to a National Gardening Association report. To help us become better backyard gardeners, the Novi Home and Garden Show and Great Lakes Ace Hardware, have created the Garden Healthy, Eat Healthy, Be Healthy giveaway. Attendees can enter to win a prize package of a cedar raised garden bed, Whitney Farms organic raised bed soil mix, gardening tools, assorted vegetable seeds and more.

Exhibitors specializing in outdoor spaces will show landscape designs, ponds, outdoor lighting, gardening supplies, patios, outdoor kitchens, garages, hot tubs and more. There also will be hundreds of home improvement booths for indoor spaces including carpentry, closet designs, home additions, fireplaces, backsplash designs, kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, plumbing fixtures and cabinets.

One featured vendor is Ann Arbor-based Motawi Tilework. For 25 years the company has been creating decorative art tiles and will have some on display at the show. Design experts from Motawi will be available for consultation at the show. In addition, the Plant Michigan Green Theater will feature members from the Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association speaking about landscaping, hardscaping and related info throughout the show.

Helping gardeners and homeowners maintain or improve their property is the goal of the Novi Home and Garden Show. It is designed to inspire and educate people on indoor and outdoor home projects. Its also an opportunity to connect with product and service experts in the area.

The Novi Home & Garden Show is March 31-April 2 at Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave. in Novi. Hours are 2-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10, seniors $9, children 12 and younger free. Parking is extra. Coupons for $1-off admission at Metro Detroit Dunkin Donuts locations, Great Lakes Ace Hardware or downloaded at novihomeshow.com. For more info, call 248-737-4477.

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Get a jump on spring projects at Novi Home & Garden Show - Southgate News Herald

The tower, designed by CBT Architects, will feature double the traditional amount of vision glass in an elliptical, bevel-edged frame.

BostonSkanska USAs bid to build the most sustainable block in Boston moves closer toward realization with the development and construction services companys topping out the office tower at 121 Seaport. Skanska is on track to complete the 400,000-square-foot building, located in the citys Seaport District in 2018.

The Seaport District is an old industrial area, close to CBD downtown. Its on the way to be developed from something that was really on the outside, not really used, into something that is really hot, both for residential development, but also specially for commercial development, Johan Karlstrom, CEO of Skanska AB, Stockholm-based parent company of Skanska USA, said during the companys first quarter 2016 earnings conference call on May 12, 2016.

Reaching the top-out point at 121 Seaport, which also encompasses approximately 50,000 square feet of retail space, was no simple task. Skanska didnt take the easy route, utilizing the unconventional up-down construction method, which calls for building the foundation and frame concurrently. Additionally, with a construction team of roughly 200 professionals, the company installed 3,400 tons of steel, put in place 63,000 fasteners and set four 76-foot-long plate girders to support the high-rises position above the Silver Line Tunnel. There were certain issues at one point, when excavation at the site uncovered remains of a wooden cargo ship that had succumbed to the sea in the 1800s. Skanska temporarily halted the project for an official archaeological investigation, and later resumed activity toward the topping out milestone.

The tower, designed by CBT Architects, will feature double the traditional amount of vision glass in an elliptical, bevel-edged frame not seen anywhere else in the area. The building will be a model of sustainability as well. From the get-go, we set out to create a building that will stand out from the rest, and 121 Seaport is as striking as it is efficient, Charley Leatherbee, head of Skanskas development operations in Boston, said in a prepared statement. In line to achieve LEED Platinum status, the highest level of LEED certification, 121 Seaport will utilize a rain reclamation system for filtering and reusing rainwater, and a chilled beam mechanical system to decrease energy consumption. Ample natural light and water-efficient plumbing fixtures will also be on the buildings list of green attributes.

121 Seaport will join two existing developments to finish Skanskas creation of Bostons most sustainable block. 101 Seaport, which Skanska sold for nearly a half-billion dollars in 2016, is part of the trifecta. The 440,000-square-foot office building is home to Skanska and counts the North American headquarters of accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers as its anchor. The green block also includes Watermark Seaport, a 300,000-square-foot residential tower. All three projects help Boston maintain its high ranking on the list of the greenest cities in North America. According to the sustainable cities index produced by Arcadis, a top global design and consulting firm, Boston holds fifth place, coming in just ahead of San Francisco, the greenest city on the West Coast.

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Skanska Tops Out on Green Office Building in Boston - Commercial Property Executive

Max Sullivan msullivan@seacoastonline.com @MaxSullivanLive

HAMPTON Construction for a new Marriott hotel and office building will soon be in the works on Exeter Road, as the Planning Board approved the projects site plan and wetlands permit.

The Planning Board made the approval at its March 15 meeting. The hotel, a SpringHill Suites Marriott, and the office building are slated to be built at 287 and 299 Exeter Road, which is next to CRs Restaurant. The project is being put forth by AG Hampton Hospitality.

The Marriott will have four stories, 104 rooms and approximately 150 parking spaces with an internal driveway connection to CRs, according to Planning Board meeting minutes. The office building, which does not yet have a tenant secured, will be 40,000 square feet with three stories and 204 parking spaces.

Units in the hotel will each have a living room and a bedroom as well as refrigerators and microwaves, and exterior patio areas will be available for guests. The hotel itself will not contain a bar or restaurant. The building will feature pitched roofs, clapboard siding and other bandings to give it a New England colonial look.

The Planning Board voted unanimously to approve the wetlands permit for the site, then voted 6-1 to approve the site plan. Chairman Brendan McNamara voted against passing the site plan because he believed the board should have waited until its next meeting to make a decision. He said that would have given board members more time to consider the project and allow the newest member of the board to participate.

The projects construction is contingent on the finalization of a sewer association, which would be responsible for a private sewer system used by businesses on or near Liberty Lane. Plans for the hotel and the future site of a neighboring assisted living facility were put on hold last year when the town and stakeholders could not come to terms on who would be responsible for the sewer.

In February, selectmen and stakeholders approved documents for a sewer association proposed by stakeholders and vetted by the town attorney, allowing construction of the assisted living facility to move forward. Selectman Jim Waddell, his boards representative to the Planning Board, asked if representatives from AG Hampton Hospitality had seen the sewer association documents and were prepared to be part of the association.

Attorney Chris Mulligan, representing AG Hampton Hospitality, replied his client is on board with the sewer association. He said the applicants part in the association is still a work in progress, but he said there appears to be an end in sight.

We certainly anticipate that a condition of approval would be (that) everything is done to the towns satisfaction with regard to the Liberty Lane sewer association and the easements that need to be in place, said Mulligan.

AG Hampton Hospitality will have five years to complete the project under the conditions of the Planning Boards approval, the five-year clock starting when the sewer association is finalized. Board members said that would prevent the company from losing time to work in the event the sewer associations formation is delayed by several months.

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New Marriott hotel gains approval - Seacoastonline.com