A look at CAREER ACADEMY

When considering their new school on the Bismarck State College campus, near the existing Career & Technical Education Center, it was clear there was one building product that would provide the magnitude this space should portray. Bismarck Public Schools has a history of working with precast; the decision was easy particularly given the need for speed through construction.

The center has enrollment of nearly 800 students annually from nine different public and private high schools.  The academy offers hands-on coursework in aviation, horticulture/botany (complete with a greenhouse), pre-engineering/technology education, medical-related careers, electronics, graphic design/digital design and a resource room. 

Owner:                           Bismarck Public Schools

Architect:                        Tvenge Architects and Planners

Engineer:                      CW Structural

General Contractor:    Northwest Contracting

Description

The site this building was constructed on presented some challenges through design as the building was set into a hillside. Additionally, the inherent time crunch prevalent in school construction, made a natural fit for precast as speed of construction offers a compelling advantage. 

Finally, precast offered the durability and minimal maintenance a public school warrants. This building was produced in Wells Concrete’s Grand Forks plant and shipped to the site where Northwest Contracting installed the product.  The design offered an aesthetically pleasing mix of precast, metal panels, and mirrored glass that really make this building stand out on the Bismarck State College campus.

A look at SAMARITAN BETHANY:  As the leadership team at Samaritan Bethany shifted their model of living for their residents many design and construction factors came to light. From a construction standpoint building code requires a fire rated structure, precast provided the ideal solution and solved some associated inherent design issues, and offered considerable energy efficiency with its natural thermal mass.

Description

This design build senior housing project allowed Samaritan Bethany to consolidate their living options in one location with a six story addition. With the usual budget constraints a project can present, a total precast structure quickly became the preferred building system for many reasons. This project presented a very quick construction schedule and a tight site with a tie-in to an existing facility at the top of the list.

To expedite this complex project Wells Concrete teamed with Ericksen Roed & Associates Structural Engineers for precast engineering services. In the pre-construction phase Wells was heavily involved in considerable preliminary pricing and value engineering requiring various solutions, and extensive sample coordination with varying color and finish options to keep the project on budget. It was in this phase that the Wells team proposed a vertical and horizontal panel orientation to aide in the anesthetic, consistency and window configuration the owner desired while maximizing the budget.