Commercial Construction Blog | Messer Construction

Space in high demand at University Station

Commercial and residential space at the University Station development near Xavier University are proving to be attractive draws, as demand for space continues to grow at the 315,000 square foot development. All available office space 46,000 square feet in the projects first phase, along with 86 percent of its available residential space, have now been leased. The names of those office tenants have not yet been released, however it is clear that the Xavier University Bookstore is among Phase 1s retail tenants. In addition to managing the construction of Phase 1, Messer has teamed with the Ackermann Group for its development. The $54 million, mixed-use development sits on 15 acres adjacent to Xaviers campus, and Phase 1 is expected to be complete by the start of this years fall classes. Read more (via Cincinnati Businesss Courier): http://bit.ly/1hJiX2d
Historic UT-Knoxville building getting a makeover

A two-year, $114 million renovation project started last week at the University of Tennessee’s 90-year-old Strong Hall, converting the women’s dormitory into a massive, state-of-the-art classroom and laboratory space. A portion of the existing building will remain, as Messer will work with its joint venture partner, Rentenbach Constructors, to transform the building into one of the largest instructional facilities on the University’s Knoxville campus. The new Strong Hall will feature over a dozen classrooms, including a 250-seat lecture hall, biology and chemistry class labs, along with student lounges and meeting spaces. Read more (via KnoxNews.com): http://bit.ly/1f5Oc59
Knoxville

Even the feeling of marvel gave way to holiday spirit in the wake of Knoxville’s first-annual “Holiday Canstruction,” presented by Messer. As the unique competition’s awe-inspiring structures were broken down, their remnants – canned food – were donated to Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee to help fight hunger over the holidays. More than 10,000 cans, which were used to construct the massive holiday-themed sculptures, were dispersed across 18 East Tennessee counties by Second Harvest, which targets the working poor – those who are employed but might not receive benefits or earn sufficient wages. According to Second Harvest, one in six East Tennesseans lives in poverty and has difficulty meeting basic needs. The competition, which was held Nov. 23 to Dec. 3 at the Knoxville Convention Center, featured teams of Knoxville-area engineers, architects, construction companies and student groups working to assemble the structures, which included everything from Santa Claus to a snowman. The event concluded with an awards reception, sponsored by Shoffner Kalthoff Mechanical Electrical Service, which featured nine judges representing media, arts organizations, nutritionists, tourism organizations and local food production companies. Qualifying structures from the Knoxville "Holiday Canstruction" event will be entered into the national "Canstruction” competition. Here are the award winners: Jurors’ Favorite: "Down the CAN-ney St. Nicholas came with a bound,” Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc. Structural Ingenuity: "Down the CAN-ney St. Nicholas came with a bound,” Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc. Best Use of Labels: "Down the CAN-ney St. Nicholas came with a bound,” Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc. Best Meal: "CANcracker," The University of Tennessee College of Engineering. Honorable Mention: "CANcracker," The University of Tennessee College of Engineering. People’s Choice: "CANcracker," The University of Tennessee College of Engineering. Read more (via KnoxNews.com): http://bit.ly/1jicD4P
Dayton officials dedicate new STEM School

A Dayton-area school recently dedicated its newly renovated building, proudly showing off a symbol of what figures to be a bright future. Local dignitaries, project partners, and students and faculty of the Dayton STEM School in Kettering attended a ceremony which outlined the dedication and teamwork used to execute the $4.3 renovation of their school. And that renovation process was quite a feat. Thanks to collaboration between the school, Messer and SHP Leading Design, the span of time from the first designs to closing out the build was only seven months, concluding just before the start of school in August. The school, which previously occupied a portion of a vacant department store, now includes a new 4,500-square foot fitness room, engineering laboratories, science laboratories, a wind tunnel and a three-dimensional printer. Lean Construction tools were used during the renovation to ensure the completion date was met. The school’s S.T.E.M. acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the four focal points of the school’s curriculum. The Dayton STEM School includes a junior high and high school and features a unique, open learning environment – most classrooms are separated only by partitions, and do not include ceilings or doors. A study by the U.S. Department of Commerce shows that from 2000 to 2010, growth in STEM jobs was three times as fast as growth in non-STEM jobs. The study also showed that in 2010, about one in every 18 jobs in the U.S. was in a STEM field. Additionally, STEM workers earned about 26 percent more than their non-STEM counterparts.
Columbus renovation project lands Messer Build Ohio award

Messer Construction Co. has won the 2013 AGC Build Ohio Award in the “Renovation” category for its 77 North Front Street project in downtown Columbus. The leadership team of Lance Schneider, Matt Thompson and Wade Hutchison completed the renovation project, which sits across Gay Street from City Hall. Messer managed the complex transformation of the 84-year old building – the city’s former police headquarters, complete with a jail – into state of the art office space. The $32 million project, which used Building Information Modeling (BIM), included a 130,000-square foot interior renovation and five-story exterior glass curtain wall addition. The renovation of the historic building, which had been abandoned for nearly 20 years, is one of the first steps in Columbus’ master plan for a downtown civil services campus. It was completed last March within the original budget, and with no lost-time accidents or missed milestone dates. Additionally, all work was done without interruption of the surrounding downtown neighborhood and businesses. And during key downtown events nearby that saw more than 125,000 people flood the area close to the active construction site, the project remained ongoing and produced no safety or logistical issues. “Messer did an outstanding job of ensuring public safety,” said David Bush, Columbus’ Assistant Director of the Department of Finance & Management. “Furthermore, they maintained a clean professional and organized project which resulted in zero lost-time accidents for this project.” Connecting 77 North Front Street to City Hall is a new 120-foot pedestrian tunnel that sits 20 feet under West Gay Street. To alleviate logistical and operational concerns at City Hall, construction of the tunnel was expedited to be completed in a six-week time window in which city council was not in session. “We could not ask for better customer service, leadership, follow up and follow through,” said Rick Brewer, City-wide Occupational Safety & Health Manager for the City of Columbus. Brewer added his feeling that that Messer went “above and beyond with [its] help and assistance and always placing safety first.” Messer vice president and Columbus region leader Rob Verst said his company is proud to have worked on an historic part of downtown. “Downtown is an integral part of the allure and charm of Columbus,” Verst said. “The opportunity to further-enhance those elements by renovating an historic part of the area is something we took extreme pride in doing. This community is very important to us, and we hope that the renovation of 77 North Front Street will serve as a downtown staple for years to come.”
Cincinnati organization receives $25K grant from Messer

The Hearing Speech and Deaf Center of Greater Cincinnati (HSDC) is using a $25,000 grant from the Messer Construction Co. Foundation to help fulfill its mission of supporting individuals and families in overcoming obstacles in communication. The Center has used the funds to purchase occupational therapy gym equipment as well as furnishings for therapy rooms in a therapeutic office called Katie’s House, which is being constructed to resemble a home-like environment in an effort to ease the anxiety children feel when visiting a clinical facility. Steve Eder, vice president and GM at Messer, praised the HSDC’s effectiveness and local impact. “The HSDC has had a strong, positive impact on those in Cincinnati who struggle with communication barriers,” he said. “Their impact is felt particularly in their work with children. “We at Messer are proud to have assisted them in the effort to enhance their resources. This grant will go a long way in allowing them to further aid children and their families in their battles with communication obstacles.” The HSDC turns away no one, giving a yearly total of approximately $500,000 in discounted or free services to low-income clients. Its aim is to strengthen the Cincinnati community through advocacy, and by supporting individuals and families to overcome communication obstacles, regardless of their ability to pay. Approximately 95 percent of the Center’s speech clients are under the age of six, and about 70 percent of the children who come to the center seeking speech therapy services come from disadvantaged homes. If not treated early, these children will develop reading difficulties and broader academic achievement problems, such as autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, attention deficit disorders or apraxia of speech. The cause hits home for one Messer employee, Company Foreman Dan Grote, Jr., whose son, Landen, was diagnosed as a toddler with apraxia of speech and receives speech therapy services through the HSDC. Landen Grote will be one of the first clients of Katie’s House. “The HSDC has been tremendous to our family,” Dan Grote, Jr. said. “We’re very grateful for the outstanding work they’ve done with Landen. “We’re excited to be involved on both sides of this process, because we know what it means to the Center and how much it can expand its impact.”
Anticipation heightening for Columbus Zoo’s Heart of Africa exhibit

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium this week welcomed a few new, rather tall residents. Three-year-old giraffes Conner and Dasher arrived at the Zoo on Monday and are currently in quarantine, awaiting the completion of their new home, the Heart of Africa exhibit, which is being built by Messer. The $30.4 million, 43-acre exhibit is slated to open this summer and will feature about 100 animals, including giraffes, zebras, monkeys and African lions. Up close and personal experiences with the animals – hand feeding giraffes and zip-lining across the savannah, for example – make the exhibit unique and will set it apart the standard. As renowned zookeeper and the Columbus Zoo’s director emeritus Jack Hannah put it, the exhibit is “something that’s not been done before.” The arrival of Conner and Dasher marks the first time since 2005 that the Zoo has housed giraffes. The two were previously at the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Knoxville Canstruction aims to can holiday hunger

A popular and unique building competition is returning to Knoxville, with the goal of fighting area hunger over the holiday season. Later this month, Messer Construction Co. will present Knoxville’s first Holiday Canstruction competition, which will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center from Nov. 23-Dec. 3. Canstruction is a globally recognized charitable competition where teams of builders use full canned goods to assemble giant sculptures, before displaying them for public viewing. After the competition, the sculptures are broken down and donated to a local charity, which this year is the Second Harvest Food Bank of East Tennessee. The art scuptures will be on display on the third floor of the Convention Center along the Henley & Cumberland Concourses, from Nov. 23-Dec. 3. The exhibition is free and open to the public. The sculptures will be judged on Nov. 25 and evaluated for several categories: jurors’ favorite, structural ingenuity, best use of labels and best meal. A “People’s Choice” award will be selected by attendees’ votes by liking photos of the sculptures on Knoxville Canstruction’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/knoxcan. Winners will be announced at the close of the exhibition. On Nov. 22, teams will kick off the competition by gathering for a 12-hour build of their structures. The build is also open to the public. To tap into the holiday spirit, the sculptures will all feature holiday themes, such as a Christmas fireplace mantle, sleigh, Santa Claus, nutcracker or snowman. Participating teams include Messer and the Lewis Group Architects; the University of Tennessee Department of Civil Engineering; Massey Group; Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, Inc.; and Johnson Architecture, Partners Development and Moxley Carmichael. Each Canstruction structure typically includes between 900 and 3,500 cans, with only one-quarter inch plywood or Plexiglas between the rows of cans and one-quarter inch cardboard tubing for support. The color of the structures is determined by the colors of the cans themselves. It is anticipated that Second Harvest will receive more than 8,000 canned food items from the sculptures to distribute through the holidays.
New book profiles Messer-built Cincinnati

A new book has hit stores profiling the design, build and historical significance of Downtown Cincinnati’s Terrace Plaza Hotel, which was built by Messer in the late 1940s. The book, Cincinnati's Terrace Plaza Hotel: An Icon of American Modernism, was written by University of Cincinnati DAAP graduate Shawn Patrick Tubb – also a Milford High School graduate – and published by Cincinnati Book Publishing. A book signing – limited to book purchasers only – will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9, from noon-2 p.m. at The Booksellers on Fountain Square (505 Vine St.), followed by an external tour of the Terrace Plaza Hotel. The building, which now sits vacant, stands as a symbol of the Modernist art and architecture movement in the U.S. following World War II. Messer joined teams of young designers and artists to produce what was then a new concept: a mixed-use complex. Today, mixed-use complexes are virtually everywhere, including recent Messer projects at UC and Xavier University. Read More: (Cincinnati Enquirer): http://cin.ci/175uhPj
Louisville Boys & Girls Club gets boost from grant donation

A Louisville Boys & Girls Club has been enhancing its facility lately with a few much-needed improvements. The Newburg Club, part of the Boys & Girls Club of Kentuckiana (BGCK), was named the beneficiary of a $25,000 grant from the Messer Construction Co. Foundation, and it hasn’t wasted much time getting to work. The Club has used the funding for several capital improvements around the building, aiming to provide a safe and hospitable environment for its members. Among the improvements are new flooring throughout the facility (not including the gymnasium), internal and external security cameras, partitions in the restrooms, a new grease trap for the kitchen and new door hardware and locks. Jennifer Hegelson, BGCK’s president and CEO, added her appreciation for the grant. “BGCK greatly appreciates the Messer Construction Co. Foundation’s generous support,” she said. “This grant will make a substantial impact on our Newburg Club and the youth we serve there each and every day.” On hand in October for the check presentation was Messer vice president John Megibben, who, along with other Messer Employees in attendance, got to interact with the members and staff who are directly affected by the funding. “The first thing that was apparent upon walking into the Newburg Club was the tremendous job the staff there is doing,” Megibben said. “The kids were all having fun, they were productive, they were active, they were all smiling. The BGCK and Newburg Club staff clearly have a great deal of pride in each and every one of those kids. “We at Messer are very proud to have those types of people in our community, and we certainly are happy that we could assist them with the grant so that they can attend to some of their needs.” Also on hand was Messer project executive Will Fishback, who is actively involved with BGCK and was Messer’s sponsor for the grant. “We were all very impressed with the kids and staff there,” Fishback said. “It was great to help serve the kids dinner and play games with them, and it’s nice knowing that some of these improvements will enhance their experience and help keep them safe.” The Newburg Club serves 100-120 youth per day, all between the ages of six and 18. It is one of five BGCK locations throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana. Each club is open every day after school, during school breaks and during the summer. Club members are asked to pay a minimal membership fee of $15, but the fee is waived for any member unable to pay.
Columbus-area school gets even cooler after grant

Perhaps the only thing that can cool down the up-and-coming Columbus Collegiate Academy (CCA) – a highly structured, highly disciplined, tuition-free charter middle school in East Columbus – is the purchase it is making with a $25,000 grant from the Messer Construction Co. Foundation. A 12-ton air conditioning unit, along with ductwork, will be installed at the school, thermally controlling four sixth-grade classrooms and completing air conditioning for the entire east wing of the school. Andy Boy, founder and executive director of the CCA, said the grant will positively impact the students’ learning environment. “Overcoming obstacles is part of this process, and this grant from Messer will remove one of the many obstacles our staff and students face – extreme heat,” he said. “For five months of the year, the portion of the building that serves our most challenged grade-band was a difficult environment to learn and teach in.” Founded in 2008, the school has already become nationally recognized for its education model. In the 2010-11 school year, the CCA was one of four schools nationally to be named an EPIC Gold Gain School, a program by the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Incentive Fund used to identify, study and share what’s working in some of the country’s highest-gaining urban schools. The following school year, the CCA received an “Excellent” rating from the Ohio Department of Education – the only stand-alone middle school in Franklin County to do so. That year, seventh and eighth grade students scored above the state of Ohio average in all tested subjects of the Ohio Achievement Assessments standardized test. Robert Verst, vice president and GM of Messer, expressed his company’s admiration and support for the CCA. “We are pleased to present the Columbus Collegiate Academy with this grant and further their efforts to advance young students both in and out of the classroom,” he said. “Their philosophy and approach to education and development during the vital middle-school years has proven very effective, and Messer is excited to support those efforts.” Criteria for grants from Messer include the expected return on investment to the community, the positive change expected from the Foundation’s investment, and Messer employee engagement and individual support for the organization. The installation of the AC unit is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2014, if not sooner.