Design-Build Summit 2007

Related PDF Files  DB Registration 3

March 8–9, 2007
Kansas City Convention Center
Kansas City, Mo.

Sponsors
Presented by AIA Design-Build Knowledge Community
Prime Cosponsor: Associated Builders and Contractors
Shughart Thomson & Kilroy Law Firm
Lockton Companies
Skanska
Walton Construction
Myer Brothers Building Company
California Center for Construction Education
The Bannett Group Ltd. Design Builders

Agenda
Speaker Bios

To view the speakers' PowerPoint presentations that are available, click on the title of the corresponding conference session. In the case of multiple speakers, please click on the individual speaker's name.

All photos courtesy of G. William Quatman

Design-build can place architects and design excellence in the lead of construction projects.

The author of this conference report, Cindy Frewen Wuellner, FAIA, is with Frewen Architects, Kansas City, Mo., and is a University of Kansas doctoral candidate.

Overview

Will design-build transform the architecture profession? Further, will traditional design-bid-build lose its long-held dominance of the construction industry? Speakers at the Design-Build Summit said yes to both questions. An increasing number of projects use design-build project delivery and all but five states allow design-build on public projects in some way. (See AIArchitect article). Now architects have to evaluate how, not if, they want to approach design-build.

                                                                    Attendees enjoy some Kansas City barbecue

Perceived limitations for project types and team members’ roles are changing. “Many people thought that design-build was only appropriate for warehouses or parking garages. But its future is in its potential for all project types,” according to Bill Quatman, FAIA, chair of the AIA Design-Build Advisory Group. He cites the Chicago Public Library, Denver’s Downtown Aquarium, and Caltrans District 7 Headquarters in Los Angeles as design-build exemplars. Further, more architects are participating. Currently, more than 8,000 AIA members or approximately 10 percent of the membership belong to the Design-Build Knowledge Community. Extrapolated trends for design-build projects compared to design-bid-build projects indicate that by 2010 an equal number of projects will be completed by each. Beyond that point, design-build will dominate the construction delivery process.                                           

The Design-Build Summit, held at the Kansas City Convention Center, focused on architects’ best options within the realm of integrated practice. The organizers emphasized areas that many architects consider trouble spots, and that paradoxically offer the best opportunities, namely design excellence and architect-led projects. Several architects of award-winning design-build projects testified they regained design control owing to more meaningful interaction with construction specialists. A number of presenters offered their approaches for architect-led design-build projects. Architects leading design-build must reshape their practice to encompass construction services. Consequently, risk participation was a common theme. Brad Buchanan, FAIA, Buchanan Yonushewski Group LLC, an architect who has completed several design-build projects in Denver’s downtown revitalization boom, summarizes the new proactive position architects must take with their clients, “If you’re in the room, you’re in the deal.” He changed the way that he thought about design and construction by accepting greater risk and therefore gained greater rewards. His firm not only designs and builds, but helps arrange financing and assembles investors.

Advisory Group members Betsy Downs, AIA;
Bill Quatman, FAIA; and Barry Bannett

Many presenters see integrated practice as a transformational change for architects. Responsibilities are no longer defined as segregated service silos with distinct perspectives for professional designers and contractors. Instead, the project team members respect differences but develop alignments based on completing the best possible project for the client. Harold Adams, FAIA, chairman emeritus of RTKL Associates, goes one step further. “The current system is broken; 20 years ago, architects lost the pedestal as the owner’s trusted representative.” During construction, the contractor takes control of the process and has the client’s ear. Adams believes that architects can only regain credibility through integrated practice. Further, he recommends bringing the entire team together from start to finish. Mental shifts begin with education, according to Prof. Barbara Jackson, PhD, California Polytechnic State University. The program assembles integrated teams of architectural, engineering, and construction management students to jointly develop projects and learn side-by-side. Design-build represents a transformational change to the profession because it requires fundamentally different attitudes, responsibilities, and relationships.

Why should architects prefer design-build? “Design control,” according to Juan Moreno, AIA, Ghafari Associates. When design is a priority for the integrated design-build team, it regains status. Gary Lapera, AIA, Michael Graves and Associates, believes it is the most efficient way to deliver a building. Harold Adams says, “It gets us back to our traditional roles.” Three viable approaches emerged for firms. An architect can work as a subcontractor with a trusted general contractor or developer. An architect can assume a portion of risk as a financial partner. Or an architect can lead the process by expanding in-house services. Experts generally agreed that the architect could not lead when providing only architecture services.

Judging by comments from audience members, design-build remains an uncomfortable fit for some architects. However, a unified message resounded from the symposium’s leaders. Rather than confining design-build to marginalized project types, the industry will soon reach a tipping point. Each year, fewer projects will be available by the “traditional” method. Through participating in the evolution of design-build, architects can shape their role and uphold the value of design by leading the process.

Opening Remarks
Rebekah G. Gladson, AIA, DBIA, 2007 chair, The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), associate vice chancellor and campus architect, University of California, Irvine

Two trends are aligning that favor design-build, according to Rebekah Gladson. Over the next 20 years, 75 percent of buildings in the United States will need to be built or rebuilt. Simultaneously, members of the workforce who are older than 45 will be retiring; those younger than 45 is a smaller group, resulting in fewer people to produce a huge amount of design work. Gladson believes design-build responds to the demand for more efficient production. She urged architects to understand the differences between and alignments with owners and contractors. As problem solvers in a profession that strives for excellence, architects are positioned to be leaders in design-build.

Session 1. Doing Great Design When Working for a Contractor   (presentation not available)

Gary Lapera, AIA, Michael Graves & Associates, Princeton, NJ

Michael Graves and Associates learned the necessary skills for design-build by developing
industrial design products. Gary Lapera says buildings become a “massive customization, a kit of parts, a pattern for living.” Design-build enables a seamless process for design, build, and marketing. Simultaneously, boundaries between architects, developers, contractors, manufacturers, and technology partners diminish. Lapera suggests that when architects think of design-build, “Think of the ideas you have and how this process will allow you to bring this one idea to the market.”


Gary Lapera, AIA, explained how the design-build
process can produce great design

Design-build team members share common goals and experience similar struggles but have different methods, agendas, and belief systems. Rather than assume that design is everything and rules decisions, the architect’s concepts have to stand up to the rigors of others’ ideas during the building process. Based on his experiences on the Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport and the National Museum of Automobiles in The Hague, plus examples in Japan and the United States, Lapera made four recommendations. First, create strong strategic partnerships by selecting the right partners and work with them to build a synergetic relationship that “counts dollars from day one.” Second, establish a seamless, flexible communication process using frequent meetings and technological solutions for timely updates. Third, allow the design process to build momentum that remains compelling in later phases. Fourth, see the potential for design-build. Owners and users ultimately appreciate the final design, but the process is a barrier for them. Lapera says, “Understand the entire product development process. How you package it; how you create a sense of completeness. It all matters.”

Session 2. Why Architects Should Lead Design-Build   (presentation not available)

Harold Adams, FAIA, RIBA, JAI, RTKL Associates Inc., Baltimore

“The traditional design-bid-build system is broken,” according to Harold Adams. In the 1970s, lawsuits and risk-averse insurance companies convinced architects to step away from risk—a trend reflected in the AIA contract documents and established strictly segregated roles. Furthermore, architects do not know the cost of constructing their design solutions or exactly how to detail construction projects. Calling architects the “paper representatives,” and pointing out that contractors are the ones who actually have the client’s ear, Harold Adams says, “We have lost our credibility and our ability to manage costs.”

In design-build projects, the entire team works together from the beginning. Adversarial positions disappear and the risk of litigation is nearly eliminated while the client gets a faster delivery process, a single point of responsibility, and reduced change orders. However, a few problems exist. First, the upfront costs for architectural design are high, so the architect has to be compensated by the design-build partnership. Second, in contractor-led teams, the contractor selects the architect, not the owner. Finally, the architect loses contact with the client for project decisions. However, “good design adds value,” and therefore, the team’s “first responsibility is not to save money, but to bring a project with added value.”

Architects are the most qualified discipline to lead design-build teams but need to develop new skills. Besides organizational seminars and books, Adams suggests a few ways to get started.
1. Offer extended services to an existing client. Initially, RTKL did interiors fit-up projects.
2. Create a specialty—RTKL did so by taking on a major telecommunications project at the U.S. Capitol Building.
3. Learn from a contractor through a joint venture partnership.

Adams believes universities are too structured by discipline and would benefit by interdisciplinary project teams. Furthermore, he believes, “we are very shortchanged in our education.” Architects need to learn about finance, labor issues, subcontracting, and bonding. “We have been standing on the sidelines with clean hands, we thought, as we allowed others to take the lead.” Adams believes architects can only regain their position in the industry through a total integrated team approach.

Session 3. The Next Level: Taking the Lead in Design, Build, and Development 

Brad S. Buchanan, FAIA, Buchanan Yonushewski Group LLC, Denver

Brad Buchanan thinks that architects have the mindset and are the cultural leaders to lead design-build projects, but “need to learn all the pieces and parts. We need to know something about everything.” He has been in the center of Denver’s downtown Renaissance doing architect-led design-build including the Dakota Lofts, Denver Square, and the Broadway Brewery adaptive reuse. To lead design-build projects, Buchanan asks, “Are you entrepreneurial? How can you afford not to be?” His drawings are far simpler than traditionally bid projects but he spends more time on site.

How does an architect get started? Buchanan recommends that architects begin with “baby steps.” First, know several bankers personally and track their real estate-owned properties (REOs). In addition, be acquainted with real estate brokers, get involved in the community, and learn basic financial planning techniques. An HP business calculator provides an introduction to pro formas. The AIA and AGC Design-Build Checklist is a useful tool for teaming with contractors. Traditional relationships set up architects and contractors for conflict. Through architect-led design-build, the architect is the owner’s trusted advisor and gains a marketing advantage plus “serious cash flow” benefits.

Panel Question & Answer Session

Question: How often does bonding come up for architect-led design-build projects?

Brad Buchanan says, “Every single project, especially those over $10 million. It is a limiter to our firm’s growth and more of a limiter in the past five or six years because the market shifted dramatically after 9/11. It forced us to keep cash in our corporate entity.” Buchanan says he looks for ways to reduce the bonding requirements, such as breaking out portions such as interior work or areas that could be bonded by subcontractors. Work in progress reduces bonding capacity. He recommends developing a strong relationship with the bonding company so that they might increase the bonding capacity.

Angel Martinez, AIA, Martinez and Associates, a design-build firm, says that public projects are always bonded and the lender frequently requires private owners to get bonds. The owners see bonding as the safest way to protect themselves from problems. Rather than a blanket bond for the project, he recommends identifying specific areas of risk that require bonding. Bill Quatman says that dual obligee bonds were another option to investigate, where the contractor provides the bond, which runs for the benefit of the architect and the owner (the “obliges”).

Lunch Presentations

The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial
   Stephen Abend, FAIA, PGAV Architects, Westwood, KS

Kansas City Star Production Facility   (presentation not available)
  Juan Moreno, AIA, Ghafari Associates, Chicago


Session 4. The Caltrans District 7 Headquarters

Pavel Getov, Morphosis, Santa Monica, CA

The initial drawings for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7 Headquarters in Los Angeles were done on a few napkins, and completion was guaranteed in 30 months, according to Pavel Getov. Despite these extraordinary tactics, the LEED-certified building is recognized for its design excellence and technological complexities for energy controls. Getov likened the exterior skin to a European cuckoo clock where each façade opens and closes separately in response to environmental conditions. The design-build team was an association of Morphosis and Clark Construction Group Inc. called Main and First Design/Build Associates, Inc. A collaboration of architects, engineers, contractors and manufacturers developed a 3D model that merged design and shop drawings. Design was constantly negotiated to find the most efficient means of construction. In other words, the architect is involved in detailing means and methods that were previously controlled by others. Getov said, “This is not a constraint; it’s a tool for the architect.”

Rather than the large 30- to 100-member teams and 5 to 10 years required for similar landmark projects, the Caltrans team consisted of five to nine architects for 30 months. The design-build team was designing, drawing, estimating, and building simultaneously, with construction starting four months after project award. Getov recommends that architects “choose your bubble,” that is, be flexible and negotiate while maintaining design intent. For example, an unsightly large truss arrived on site but rather than reject it, they figured a way to conceal it. Other trade-offs aided the design, such as the operable exterior skin cost more but reduced heating and cooling systems. Since Caltrans moved into the building in 2004, the department was recognized as the most productive department in California. Getov notes, “At least we know the building is not distracting and may actually be stimulating the workers.” The 750,000-square-foot building with 400,000 square feet of parking has two 13-story towers instead of a single taller structure, houses 1,350 employees, and the construction cost $170 million.

Session 5. Bridging and the Architect’s Role as Owner’s Consultant

George Heery, FAIA, RIBA, Brookwood Program Management LLC, Atlanta

Handout 1
Handout 2

In the bridging process, the owner establishes two sets of architectural roles. Because some confusion exists about bridging, George Heery, its inventor, is very specific about the different responsibilities. The Owner’s Design Consultant (ODC) takes the design through design development, and these documents are the basis for a design-build competition. The bid documents are performance descriptions only and include preliminary engineering. The second architectural/engineering team performs code compliance and final design and engineering. The ODC continues through the construction phase, approves payment applications, and reviews drawings and construction for design compliance. The second architect is the architect-of-record and works for the contractor to supply the construction documents. Engineers may work for the architect or for the contractor. Heery estimates the fee split between the ODC and the architect-of-record is 65 percent versus 35 percent.

Through a bridging process, the owner gains a project design with a fixed price in less time and less money with five to fifteen percent savings. In addition, change orders are reduced. For the architect, Heery says, “Liability goes away. Most problems occur because the general contractor has a claim against the owner. Or if there is a design error–it goes away because the design-build team works it out.” General Services Administration used this process on federal courthouse projects in San Diego, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.

Heery created the bridging process because of serious flaws he perceived in design-bid-build and design-build. Traditional design-bid-build is predicated on a concept of perfect drawings, which he notes, is humanly impossible. Obtaining a firm price for a design takes too long. Plus design professionals do not have the best construction knowledge; contractors do. On the other hand, design-build integrates the team for single-point responsibility and construction know-how during design, but it also creates several disadvantages for the owner. The architect/contractor collaboration sets up a conflict of interest between the design-build team and the owner, the owner’s direct design input shrinks, and apples-to-apples comparisons between project proposals is difficult. Bridging solves these problems by directly connecting the owner with the design architect.

Session 6. Challenges of Design-Build in Sports Architecture

Joseph E. Spear, FAIA, HOK Sport + Venue + Event, Kansas City, MO

Joe Spear learned three major lessons from design-build projects. First, the contractor wants a scope set of documents, not a full set. “We could have done six sheets instead of 60.” Second, nuisance claims are virtually eliminated. Spear agreed with Mr. Heery that in design-build, most claims simply “go away” due to the collaborative process. While traditional projects may have 6,000 requests for information, RFIs are not even discussed in design-build because “there is no payday for the contractor.” Finally, the architect can ask a subcontractor for construction input rather than do unnecessary research. Partnering with the contractor simplifies these relationships. Spear cited three case studies they had completed using design-build: The Phoenix Cardinals Stadium (NFL), Busch Stadium in St. Louis (MLB), and Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. (MLB).

Spear’s recommendations for a successful design-build project involve relationships and communication. Project teams should have previous experience working together, gain commitment from each stakeholder, agree on objectives and expectations up front, create a simple organizational structure, and develop clear and open communication methods. Spear sees more onus clauses that mandate fixed schedules and budget and more owners asking about design-build, so HOK Sport is preparing for an increased number of design-build sports facilities.


Session 7. Educating Architects for Design-Build Delivery

Prof. Dan Rockhill, Studio 804, School of Architecture & Urban Design, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS

Prof. Barbara J. Jackson, PhD, DBIA, California Center for Construction Education, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

Two nationally recognized university programs offer very different approaches to teaching design-build. At the University of Kansas, Studio 804 architectural students design and construct a house in a semester. The California Center for Construction Education program blends cross-disciplinary teams of design and construction management students to develop design-build project plans.

Studio 804 led by Dan Rockhill combines student engagement with cutting-edge issues: design-build, prefabricated construction, community involvement, and sustainable practices. After discovering students’ enthusiasm for hands-on construction, a capstone design studio was converted to a design-build experience. Students make decisions democratically and complete design in January with occupancy before May graduation. Several houses were built in Lawrence, Kans., and the last three sites shifted to Kansas City, Kans. To minimize site commutes, the buildings are primarily constructed in a warehouse and moved in late April. Recycled materials such as a hardwood gym floor and a redwood cooling tower have been incorporated into the high-performance energy efficient structures. The national award winning houses have ranged from $75,000 to $155,000 in urban neighborhoods and have a buyers' waiting list.

Rockhill says part of the objective is to push the design envelope, despite occasional negative editorials. “If we don’t do it, who does?” The next direction is even greater socially responsible projects, such as a yearlong community project. “We live in a very pampered society; the students love the responsibility.” After graduating, many seek jobs with design-build firms. Although they could learn construction by working for a contractor, Studio 804 allows them to actually “realize a design idea” by building their own concept.

The construction management program directed by Barbara Jackson integrates architectural, architectural engineering, and construction management students into teams. She says, “Once the students cross disciplines in a collaborative, integrative process, they are spoiled.” In 10-week projects, the students learn interdisciplinary fluency and the impact of their decisions on other disciplines. They work in “War Rooms,” instead of classrooms—open office spaces with four-person cubicles shared by team members, somewhat like architecture studios.

The current Gen X students are well-suited to design-build, according to Jackson. “The students actually demand change,” she says. She characterizes the cohort group as inclusive, problem solvers that seek involvement and use text messaging more than face-to-face meetings. The students in this program “want their projects to be about something other than themselves.” A recent project was a Clean and Sober facility where they developed the design, estimate, schedule, management plan, and value engineering. During an intensive 16-hour competition, students created a design and management plan for an $84 million facility. Instead of focusing on individual efforts, Jackson says the students “come to the table to discover a solution.”


Professional Practice Breakout Sessions

1. Making the Transition from Designer to Design-Builder

Prof. Barbara J. Jackson, PhD, DBIA, California Center for Construction Education, Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

J. Angel Martinez, AIA, Past Chair, Design-Build Advisory Group, Martinez and Associates, Overland Park, KS

In Barbara Jackson’s mind, at a typical design-bid-build meeting, designers and builders have their antennas raised to detect, “How are you going to mess with my time, my cost, or my design.” In contrast, design-build teams focus on the project and solving problems. The “NO GAPS” team creates a fit between owner’s expectations and the delivered project. When a concern arises, the response is not blaming or denial. Instead, members say, “Okay, I got it; tell me more.” Problem solvers are forward focused, use non-confrontational questions, and have the ability to extract another person’s needs from the interaction. The question, not the answer, is central. Jackson says, “Great results begin with great questions.” Design-build team members are curious learners, not protective judgers. In sum, they value inquiry rather than knowing, flexibility, and both/and instead of either/or.

As an architect whose firm also builds, Angel Martinez takes a very practical view of architects becoming design-builders. “Why not be builders?” he asks rhetorically. If concerned about enough money or bonding capacity, Martinez reminds architects that builders also did not have money or bonding when they started. He believes that building makes architects better designers. The primary considerations are responsibility and control. “Architects think the contractor has the risk; the architect has no control. But the drawings are on site.” In other words, architects already have risk. He believes architects can better serve clients as design-builders. They need to acquire business skills plus knowledge of construction such as scheduling, coordinating, estimating, and job safety. Martinez recommends that architects keep the administration simple, offer excellent benefits to attract and retain quality employees, and carefully manage cash flow issues. He sees architects as the best leaders for design-build teams with three possible avenues: within a construction firm (employee), as a subconsultant to general contractors, or as an integrated designer-led contractor. To complete excellent design-build projects, he says, “You can make an architect a project manager, but not the other way around.”


2. Architect as Prime Design-Build Contractor

Martin E. Sell, AIA, Design-Build Advisory Group Member, Horizon Design-Build-Manage, Madison

Betsy Downs, AIA, DBIA, Design-Build Advisory Group Member, OWP&P, Chicago

Martin Sell warns architects, “If you want to survive, you are going to have to change. And if you don’t, you’re going to perish. It’s as simple as that.” He has tried a couple of models for design-build. During a 14-year contract with the Beaver Dam Unified School District in Wisconsin, his firm did the design and construction management, using subcontractors for construction. Design represented 40 percent of the work, construction 40 percent, and administrative overhead 20 percent. His second model was water park resort hotels, or “riches in the niches,” where he developed a strategic relationship with a specialty aquatic firm. The cost allocations shifted to 15 percent design, 15 percent development, and 60 percent construction and general conditions. His firm does not self-performed construction work and they will not do strictly architectural projects. They are licensed as a general contractor and as an architect in multiple states. Sell urges architects to use architectural design as a method for selling design-build projects.

Betsy Downs believes in working with trusted contractor partners to deliver integrated services rather than with subcontractors. To be able to respond quickly to design-build opportunities, her firm has teaming agreements with 19 general contractors. They work primarily with three of those firms. They use AGC forms and are licensed as a general contractor in four states. Their design-build projects are typically health care, education, or corporate commercial facilities.


3. What Contractors Want from their Architect-Teammate

Jim L. Whitaker, AIA, Skanska USA Building Inc., Charlotte

Jeff Turk, DBIA, Walton Construction, Kansas City, MO

Presenting from a contractor-led design-build perspective, Jeff Turk described the architect’s role in design-build projects as a “proverbial paradigm shift.” He says, “You are not the owner’s watchdog anymore.” Good design-build team members focus on project goals for quality, budget, and schedule, and act as “learners, not as knowers.” For optimal teams, architects and contractors should co-locate and begin with a brainstorming session to create common project objectives. Although Turk thinks that compensation should be similar to traditional architecture fees, he itemized a number of changes in services. Design-build projects need fewer drawings and specifications, and less architectural involvement during construction administration. Instead of written requests for information, e-mails and conversations resolve issues more quickly. If there are mistakes on the drawings, the architect needs to fix these without compensation. “Two hours of redrawing is cheaper than a jack hammer.” Financial rewards are only shared if the risk of any cost overruns is also shared.

Open communication and constructive conflict are essential between the contractor and the architect while other relationships are controlled through the contractor. Engineers may work for the mechanical or electrical contractor so the architect must consult with the contractor before committing to solutions. Similarly, creative staff cannot take “ideas directly to the owner without authorization.” Turk cautioned that certain damaging statements should be avoided. “Silence is a killer; ‘Not my job’ is a killer; ‘I could have told you that,’” represent the wrong approach. Problems should be addressed within the team, not with the owner, and mistakes should be acknowledged and remedied quickly. He says, “Blaming is a waste of time.” In sum, “Architects must understand that time is money.”

Other Breakout Sessions

1. Insurance and Bonding Demystified for Design-Build   
Handout
Brian Dooley, Lockton Companies
Barry Bannett, AIA, DBIA, Design-Build Advisory Group Member, The Bannett Group Ltd.

2. Educators Forum
Prof. William J. Carpenter, FAIA, PhD, Member, AIA Design-Build Advisory Group, Southern Polytechnic State University
Prof. Dan Rockhill, Studio 804, University of Kansas

3. Using Design-Build on K-12 Schools
Benjamin K. Wilking, AIA, DBIA, Past Chair, Design-Build Advisory Group, LBA Corporate Services
David Engdahl, AIA, DBIA, The Haskell Company

Facility Tours

The National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial Reception and Tour

Stephen Abend, FAIA, PGAV Architects, Westwood, KS

Located in Penn Valley Park overlooking Union Station and downtown Kansas City, the Liberty Memorial is a 1921 art deco monument designed by H. Van Buren Magonigle. According to Stephen Abend, FAIA, lead architect for the renovation and exhibit expansion, a visit to the Acropolis-like structure is an emotional experience. Past a pool and waterfall, through massive bronze entrance doors, a lobby skylight frames a view of the 217-foot tall limestone obelisk on the exterior deck above. Visitors walk over a clear glass bridge spanning a symbolic poppy field to access the exhibit, designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates. The renovation of the memorial was completed in 2002. The design-build expansion for museum exhibit, completed by ASAI Architects and Turner Construction, opened in December 2006.

Dr. A.A. "Manny" Sultan, architect with AAS Associates International
(Tokyo, Japan) and his wife Yasuko, with 2007 DBIA chair Rebekah Gladson,
AIA, DBIA, and Barry Bannett, DBIA, vice-chair of the AIA Design-Build Advisory Group 


Kansas City Star Production Facility Presentation and Tour

Juan Moreno, AIA, Ghafari Associates, Chicago

Juan Moreno, AIA, gave a tour of the Kansas City Star
production facility, a $200 million design-build project

Founded more than 100 years ago, The Austin Company was the first design-build firm, according to Juan Moreno, former lead designer at Austin. Moreno “turned the building inside out” so that passersby could watch the presses roll on the state-of-the-art color printing presses. A tilted glass curtain wall at the north end is anchored by horizontal bands of copper cladding, contrasting machine scale with human scale. The Kansas City Star was committed to a downtown location and selected a two-block Crossroads District site adjacent to their 1911 headquarters designed by Jarvis Hunt. A raised section near the center reflects the Italianate Renaissance-style tower of the original facility. Moreno worked with A. Zahner Sheet Metal to determine the most cost-effective copper panel size and to develop the unique green patina. The $200-million design-build project is 424,000 square feet, meets LEED Silver sustainable design requirements, and opened in June 2006.


A. Zahner Sheet Metal Tour

Robert Zahner, Tom Zahner, & Roger Reed, A. Zahner Sheet Metal, Kansas City, MO

Attendees tour A. Zahner Sheet Metal

A. Zahner is a fourth-generation sheet metal fabricator that shifted to building high-performance skins during the last two decades. Notable projects include Gehry’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion at the Millennium Park in Chicago and Erickson’s Museum of Glass in Tacoma. The tour followed the development of an exterior panel system for a Massachusetts store through design engineering, shop work, and to the yard where sections were being shipped. Zahner is using advanced 3D modeling programs such as Pro/Engineer, CATIA, and Rhino 3D to reshape architectural forms within allowable stress ranges. Sections out of compliance are color highlighted so the designers can play with the 3D form until it meets the material’s capacity. For particularly complex structures, design architects office at Zahner to work with in-house design professionals. In the shop, a new oversized flatbed waterjet cutter was slowly shaping a metal art piece. In the yard, along with the sections headed for the department store sat various parts from Libeskind’s Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, Gehry’s Ohr O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Miss., and Pelli’s Tulsa Arena. One architect wondered whether Zahner had built an edge that eliminated competition. Roger Reed says they are deeply grounded in the fundamentals of sheet metal sub-contracting, and through continual improvements over time, created a specialty. With a history of innovation (his father, Leo Zahner, is credited with creating the first SMACNA Manual), Zahner grew into an integrated practice, developing design, construction, and communication processes.