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By KERRY SMITH, EDITOR, ST. LOUIS CONSTUCTION NEWS AND REVIEW MAGAZINE

Developer Jassen Johnson says progress continues in 2021 on phase two of the Jefferson Connector, an ambitious long-range development plan for revitalizing a multi-block stretch of Olive Street/Locust Street/Washington Avenue to connect the district with downtown west and midtown St. Louis.

Phase one, which included a complete rehab of an old automotive warehouse at 2200 Washington Ave., is now home to Twain Financial Partners. Also completed as part of phase one is the headquarters of Renaissance Development Associates, Johnson’s firm, is The Martin – the 52,000-square-foot former site of the Mendenhall Building, once a Ford dealership a century ago. The Martin features high-tech office suites.

Phase two, Johnson says, is under construction now, with two projects completed and work on the remaining six projects projected to finish in 2021. Phase two construction and rehab includes The Malone – an edifice named after Annie Malone, the first African American female millionaire and a successful businesswoman and philanthropist. The 100,000-square-foot development, located at 2650 Locust and long known as the Beaumont Telephone Exchange building, features 75 apartments and 25 office spaces.

“The Malone will be the 60^th building we’ve rehabbed in this neighborhood since 2004,” said Johnson.

Also part of phase two is Midtown Eliot, a 5-story 1939 former warehouse building that will house a restaurant on floor one and high-end loft apartments on floors two through five. Johnson says the Midtown Alley buildings’ new names reflect St. Louis’ rich history of bright minds. The Eliot’s name, he adds, comes from the site’s adjacency to the birthplace of playwright T. S. Eliot.

“We’re finishing six of these phase two projects between March and Summer 2021,” he said, “totaling approximately $31 million. “The goal of the Jefferson Connector is to connect the stretch from downtown to midtown, and to continue revitalizing and rebranding this corridor as a district for creative innovators and start-ups while gaining synergy with nearby emerging developments such as the new NGA headquarters. Over the past two decades, we’ve gained a real propensity to fully develop the strip from the Gateway Arch to Forest Park.”

Key partners in the Jefferson Connector development are design-build/construction management firm Altman Charter Co. and Kaemmerlen Solutions.

Dedication to Quality, Understanding Client Needs Highlight TDK Growth and Innovation

TDK Technologies, the St. Louis Information Technology consulting firm that has received national and regional recognition for growth and innovation, marks 15 years serving the technology and management services needs of St. Louis area customers. TDK opened for business April 4, 2001 and was recently named by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the largest IT consulting firms in region for the fifth consecutive year. The company name is taken from the first initials of founders Terry Tucker,David Kocs and Kristin Tucker.

“We deliver high quality software on time and on budget. Our customers get exactly what they want, when they want it. And our process supports that,” said TDK Principal David Kocs. “Customers really enjoy working with our people and our process because the combination delivers success over and over again.”

“Our focus areas have not shifted a lot in the last 15 years. We stick to the areas where we can provide value,” said TDK Managing Principal Kristin Tucker. “It’s Java, .Net, project management, analysis, QA, UI/UX, and mobile development. The most recent skill set we’ve added is in the Big Data space.”

As one of the few IT consulting companies owned and managed by IT professionals, TDK’s business-first approach to solving problems has repeatedly earned recognition, including being named to Entrepreneur magazine’s ‘Hot 500’ list of Fastest Growing Businesses along with two appearances on the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America. TDK client projects received Gateway to Innovation Business Innovation awards in 2009 and 2013.

“The track record is pretty crazy after 15 years. There have been ups and downs certainly; everybody has them. But we are unbelievably proud of what our team has been able to accomplish over those 15 years,” Tucker said.

Hear more about the TDK approach to IT staffing and project solutions in this short video:

https://vimeo.com/159712822/1b665d55f0

TDK Technologies, LLC is a Woman-owned Business Enterprise (WBE), established in 2001, with more than 100 team members located in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Etegra Tackles Seismic Retrofit of the Robert A. Young Federal Building

In 2014, the President Obama Administration emphasized the importance of the work and workers housed in the Robert A. Young Federal Building (RAY FB) with the following statement, “It is critical for the General Services Administration (GSA) to fund the seismic renovations [of the Robert A. Young Federal Building] at this time to provide shelter [and] a safer exit from the building following a seismic event. Structural failure would not only cause catastrophic loss of life for those in and around the building, but it would impede the ability of first responders in the central business district [of the City of St. Louis] to carry out their mission in the event of disaster.”

The RAY FB demands the intensive study of solutions and analysis of the project to develop a best value approach that considers many factors including; safety, efficiency, tenant health and comfort, reliability and accuracy, as well as cost.

The General Contractor for this retrofit is McCarthy Building Companies in collaboration with the Design/Build team composed of Gensler, Etegra, Thornton Tomasetti and William Tao & Associates. As part of the Design Team, Etegra, Inc. will design any occupied space based on the intense collaboration between the client, the building users and the Design-Build Team with constant attention to the life safety and operational needs of the building occupants. The coordination efforts are made even more complicated by the variety of governmental agencies, departments and offices that occupy the RAY FB with their diverse missions, operational practices, daily schedules, security requirements, and number of personnel.

The design process and the construction approach required to place concrete shear walls and steel framed seismic dampening devices in the fully occupied RAY FB will require collaboration between GSA project management, representatives of the tenant agencies and Design-Build Team of architects, engineers and builders. The issues, challenges and effects discovered throughout the construction process will require the patience, imagination and determination of all project stakeholders to implement the project successfully.

Etegra is a full service architect-engineer (A-E) firm. Services include architecture, engineering, construction management and environmental consulting.

You’re Only As Good As The Roof Over Your Head

Etegra, Inc. is taking part in the in the Army Reserve’s National Roofing Program. The U.S. Army Reserve began this initiative in 2005 and it has now entered into a full-fledged program to prolong the life of their numerous facilities. The program based on the assertion that consistent design, quality materials, and expert application could strengthen service life and reduce excessive roof maintenance and repair costs over time.

The Army Corps of Engineers has tasked Etegra to provide Registered Roof Observer (RRO) Services, requiring 100% surveillance during re-roofing construction projects. Etegra will perform these services for numerous roofs located at Army Reserve facilities across the United States. Additionally, Etegra is tasked with updating the asset management database upon completion of the roof.

Etegra’s RRO staff are considered experts in roof construction. To become certified as an RRO, an individual must have several years of roofing construction or roofing QA inspection experience, numerous hours of roofing continuing education, and pass the RRO exam

These are valuable qualities to have, given that the government has passed a mandate for all assets (roofs, buildings, railways…etc.) to be quantified into a database by 2016.

Federal Real Property Council, Guidance for Improved Asset Management (2004, December 22),

• “Guiding Principles: The Guiding Principles serve as the [Federal Real Property Council’s] FRPC’s strategic objectives for real property management improvement. Agencies must ensure that all real property initiatives are carried out consistent with these principles.
• Asset Management Plan: Each agency will draft an Asset Management Plan (AMP) that addresses, at a minimum, the FRPC Guiding Principles and the AMP required components. AMPs are subject to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review and approval. The FRPC guidance includes a “shelf document” that agencies are encouraged to use as a template for drafting the AMP.
• Property Inventory Data Elements and Performance Measures: The FRPC has identified and defined 23 mandatory data elements that will be captured and reported by all agencies. These data elements support the goals of the executive order, as well as the requirements of the Performance Measures Committee. Of the 23 data elements, four of the elements are also considered to be “First Tier” Performance Measures. In addition to these “First Tier” Performance Measures, agencies may choose to capture data on additional agency-specific performance measures. The FRPC’s intent is that agencies will report data at the constructed asset level; however, it is recognized that Agencies may initially report on a facility or other “building block””

Etegra is a full service architect-engineer (A-E) firm. Services include architecture, engineering, construction management and environmental consulting.

High-performance and passive design practices are being applied to projects of all types, scales and budgets. 

In order to examine how the architectural community is evolving in regards to sustainable design practices, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment (COTE) undertook an in-depth study of nearly 200 COTE Top Ten Award winning projects encompassing almost 20 years.

The findings have been complied in a report, Lessons from the Leading Edge, that reviewed a variety of performance measures, including energy efficiency, water conservation, and indoor environmental quality to evaluate how these exemplary projects demonstrate COTE’s mission to “enhance both the design quality and environmental performance of the built environment.” The research represents the most comprehensive study of the COTE Top Ten program to date.

“Top Ten winners are an extraordinary group of case studies from the leading edge of sustainable design over the past two decades,” said Lance Hosey, FAIA, lead author of the report and a member of the COTE Advisory Group. “The projects have been studied and published widely as individual projects, but never as a group—until now. What we found is that Top Ten winners are outpacing the industry by virtually every standard of performance, but they also exemplify the integration of design excellence and sustainable performance.”

Key takeaways from report:

• Many project examples show extraordinary performance at very low or average costs, dispelling the misperception that higher building performance requires higher costs.
• Projects range in size from small houses under 1,000 square feet to community master plans at millions of square feet.
• The average energy savings for these projects is 54% better than industry standards.  In the past five years, the average energy savings has improved to 65%, exceeding AIA 2030 Commitment targets.
• The average water reduction is 52% better than industry standards.

• The majority of projects are in urban locations, while less than one fifth are found in rural areas. One third of all Top Ten winners are located on the West Coast of North America.

COTE founding chairman, Bob Berkebile, FAIA, added, “We have seen a significant transformation in how these project examples have evolved and advanced.  Initially, the design teams were acutely focused on efficiencies within an individual building and in recent years they are also looking at more horizontal and far-reaching economic, ecological, social equity, public health and resilient outcomes.”

Recommendations for architecture and design industry:

• Embrace design before technology to improve both performance and quality
• Study best practices for higher performance at lower costs
• Pursue post-occupancy evaluations as standard practice to understand better how actual performance aligns with design intent
• Promote more ambitious adaptive reuse projects to preserve existing building stock and conserve resources more extensively
• Drive greater awareness of the health impact of building materials and need for better indoor air quality

Lessons from the Leading Edge is being released in advance of the 2016 Top Ten Green Project awards, to be announced on Earth Day, April 22^nd. A special session on the report will occur at the national AIA convention in Philadelphia on Saturday, May 26.

About The American Institute of Architects
Founded in 1857, the American Institute of Architects consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities.

The world’s most traveled airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, is embarking on a $6 billion, 20-year expansion and modernization program. As part of the capital improvement program, HOK is leading the joint venture team designing a $200 million improvement to the airport’s domestic passenger terminal. Construction will begin later in 2016 and include the addition of two large canopies over curbside pick-up and drop-off areas and a redesigned central atrium space.

In 2015, the 207-gate Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport became the world’s first airport to handle more than 100 million passengers in a year, reaching a high of 101.5 million. The design of the terminal modernization will improve the passenger experience as the airport prepares to serve even more travelers in the coming decades.

“The airport’s vision is to demystify traveling through the airport and create an exceptional experience for all its guests,” said Ripley Rasmus, AIA, an HOK senior design principal and lead designer for the project. “The flexibility of our team’s design accommodates both the focused, curb-to-gate weekly business travelers and the more leisurely, casual visitors who may stop to patronize retailers and other airport amenities.”

The passenger terminal improvements begin with the creation of a curbside drop-off protected by arched canopies composed of translucent ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) panels supported by a contemporary steel frame. The 864-foot-long canopies are designed to redefine the character of the building as a 21^st-century air terminal. Additionally, the canopies provide shading to reduce heat gain and shelter travelers from the elements. New building facades will feature fritted glass panels that depict the forested character of Atlanta’s regional landscape with images of its city parks.

Inside, expansive windows flood check-in areas with natural light. The design of the 15,000-square-foot atrium presents a lush, park-like setting brightened by a circular skylight where passengers will enjoy increased seating options with easy access to power and data connections. A pavilion backdrop will serve as a bandstand for performances and airport events and will incorporate elements of the steel frame from the exterior canopies. The atrium will host several retailers and large pieces of artwork that strengthen the connection of the green space to the sky.

“The design converts the atrium from a processing space to an engaging civic area that connects visitors and travelers to Atlanta, reinforcing the airport as an ambassador for the region,” said Rasmus.

The high-performance design features energy-efficient cladding and building systems. Ceilings will be altered to improve the harvesting of natural light and to optimize interior lighting systems, which include LED lighting.

Improved circulation and signage systems will make wayfinding intuitive. A clearly marked airport security screening zone leads passengers from the atrium to concourses and gates. Improvements to the baggage claim area include highly visible digital monitors and new speaker systems.

The HOK-led joint venture for the terminal modernization includes Stanley, Love-Stanley, P.C., and Chasm Architecture, L.L.C., both headquartered in Atlanta.

The airport’s $6 billion modernization will also include improvements to concourses, hospitality and retail services, runways, cargo, parking and support facilities.

HOK’s Aviation + Transportation group designs high-performance passenger terminals, stations, intermodal facilities, automatic people mover systems, light rail systems and other transportation amenities. The firm creates exceptional passenger experiences while increasing value for owners and tenants by boosting revenue streams, improving operational efficiencies and minimizing the impact on the environment. Current and recent projects include design of LaGuardia Airport’s New Terminal B Project in New York City; Salt Lake City International Airport’s Terminal Redevelopment in Salt Lake City, Utah; the Hamad International Airport Passenger Terminal Complex in Doha, Qatar; Will Rogers World Airport’s Terminal Expansion in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Tampa International Airport’s Main Terminal and Concessions Redevelopment in Tampa, Florida; Astana International Airport’s Terminal Development in Kazakhstan; and the London Gatwick Airport Capital Investment Program.

HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm. Through a network of 24 offices worldwide, HOK provides design excellence and innovation to create places that enrich people’s lives and help clients succeed. Design Intelligence consistently ranks HOK as a leader in sustainable, high-performance design and technology innovation.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch has announced that the National Geo-spatial Agency is recommending north St. Louis as the site of its future headquarters. This will preserve more than 3,000 jobs in the area and make them a part of a $1.75 billion development project northwest of downtown St. Louis.

Link to Post Dispatch article

2016 National Safety Stand-Down May 2-6, 2016 

Whether you fall 20 stories or 20 feet, a workplace fall can change your life in seconds. It can be debilitating, causing you to lose your livelihood – or even your life. Even the most experienced of workers can fall without the proper safety measures in place.

In 2014 alone, 337 workers died from falls on construction sites. Falls also remain the leading cause of death in the construction industry and lack of proper fall protection remains the most frequently cited violation by OSHA.

Each year across the country, employers, workers, safety associations and OSHA dedicate time to spreading the word that stopping falls can save lives.

Last year marked the second annual National Safety Stand-Down for fall prevention in construction, a combined effort from OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training. During the stand-down, employers and workers paused their workday to focus on preventing falls through talks, demonstrations and trainings.

The Stand-Down has been a tremendous success the last two years.  Nearly 1 million workers received certificates during the first stand-down and 2.5 million last year. Stand-Downs were reported in all 50 states and internationally. Over the past two years, small businesses, large corporations, and some of the country’s biggest construction companies have stopped their work to dedicate time to fall safety.

Though most of the stand-downs took place in the commercial construction, participation was not limited to the construction industry. Nearly 15% of Stand-Down participants were non-construction employers. In fact, the largest single participant in 2015 was the United States Air Force, reaching approximately 1.5 million active duty, civilian and reserve service men and women.

In the shadow of the historic U.S. Capitol Dome restoration project, on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, hundreds of construction workers stopped work and gathered in a park near the U.S. Capitol building to focus on their safety. The event was hosted by Turner Construction with support from the Architect of the Capitol, and the U.S. Department of Labor. DOL Deputy Secretary Chris Lu challenged those gathered to “keep talking about fall hazards, keep educating and training your workers, and keep dedicating yourselves to preventing falls at your worksites. “This year, our goal is to have over 5 million workers participate from May 2 to 6, 2016.  As the economy continues to grow and the full construction season beings, we hope the Stand-Down will remind employers and workers that fall prevention is an important part of every workplace safety plan.

“Falls continue to effect workers in all kinds of jobs across the country; it’s a broad problem that has a terrible impact on workers and their families,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “It’s clear that this is an important issue to a great number of people across this nation. Through innovative and collaborative efforts like the National Safety Stand-Down, we are able to reach countless workers and employers and emphasis the importance of preventing falls on the jobsite.”

Employers and workers all over the nation are encouraged to pause in their workday to talk about fall prevention in construction, and dedicate themselves yet again to the safety of this nation’s most valuable resource: workers.

To learn how to partner with OSHA during the Stand-Down, get information on how to conduct a successful event, resources for employees and workers, receive a certificate of participation, and the latest news, visit www.osha.gov/StopFallsStandDown.