Newsletter - Vol. 2 issue 1

In an Adaptive-Reuse Project, You Have to Adapt

The first phase of residential construction is now wrapped up, and the second residential phase has begun at the Battle Creek Tower, a landmark rising 21 stories in downtown Battle Creek. The Hinman Company has transformed floors 14 through 17 into luxury residential suites and continues with Phase II; suites on floors 18 and 19. The Hinman Company converted the first 10 floors into magnificent class-A office and retail spaces earlier, and the building is attracting a host of tenants that already include high-profile national companies like Kellogg Company, Nationwide Insurance, Smith Barney, and Smurfit-Stone.

They’re called adaptive-reuse projects, but that term sometimes begs the question, “Is it the building, or is it us that must do the adapting?” Perhaps it’s a little of both. Converting plumbing mechanicals in the 75-year-old building poses both construction and logistical challenges and in some respects makes the project all the more interesting and challenging. Design-build pre-construction planning is essential to anticipate floor-to-floor variations and the integration of plumbing system components from floor to floor. Existing beams in the super structure and original construction materials created many challenging constraints, requiring design flexibility and adaptive solutions.  

Contractors Mechanical’s Field Manager Mike Burns says, “As you might expect in an adaptive-reuse project like Battle Creek Tower, you don’t always know exactly what you might run into until you’re into the renovation. You’re bound to encounter some unexpected challenges, so you have to have some flexibility and think creatively to find solutions.”

For example, hollow clay block ceilings, typical of the building’s original construction era, do not provide a lot of support for hanging systems. Contractors Mechanical explored several hanging systems options, and the option of demolishing clay block layers where necessary to attach to solid clay surfaces beneath. The solution included a smaller pin-anchor system to preserve the hollow clay block. As the project evolved, Contractors Mechanical also adapted the system to utilize some poured concrete joists uncovered during construction, while keeping the design synchronous with the frame. To gain space, sections of stormwater piping running parallel to the original system were removed, and bypassed sections of the original system were restored and put back into service. A hybrid of copper mains and pex tubing branches were designed to work around some of the building’s constraints.

“Communication with the developer and building owner is essential. We talk regularly with Ron Ludwa, Hinman’s Director of Facilities. And space constraints require a lot of coordination and cooperation with the other trades. We are working closely with heating, electric, framing, drywall, and fire protection crews to maximize the most efficient utilization of space,” says Burns.

Project logistics also present a number of interesting challenges. Working in a partially occupied building, you always have to be sensitive to tenants’ needs—planning and coordinating activities to minimize inconveniences and avoid disruption to utilities and services. Also, Battle Creek Tower does not have a freight elevator, so one of the existing passenger elevators was enlarged to handle 10-foot lengths of pipe and other building materials. And on-site storage is virtually non-existent, so tools, equipment, materials, and supplies are tightly scheduled for continuous delivery on an as-needed basis.