Posts Tagged ‘interclad’

Finance & Commerce – 2016 Top Projects

Tuesday, August 15th, 2017

Every year, Finance & Commerce recognizes the top construction projects in Minnesota. Congratulations to all of the teams who are recognized – we’re honored to partner with you and help create these impressive buildings.

Minnesota Senate Building

“The group had 20 months to design and build a structure that would house all 67 Minnesota senators, support public participation in the legislative process, and serve the public for a century. The building was completed on time in January 2016 and was to accommodate that year’s legislative session.”

Egan services provided: curtainwall, glass/glazing, sunshades, and metal panels

Read more about this Top Project

 

T3

“Billed as the largest modern mass timber commercial office building in the country, T3 stands for Timber, Transit and Technology.  With a North Loop location next to the Cedar Lake Trail and Target Field Station, the moniker fits the bill.”

Egan services provided: curtainwall, glass/glazing, aluminum entrances, aluminum window system, and storefront

Read more about this Top Project

 

University of Minnesota Bee and Pollinator Lab

“Bees and researchers doing groundbreaking work to protect bee health are all abuzz at the University of Minnesota’s new state-of-the-art Bee and Pollinator Research Lab.”

Egan services provided: HVAC and plumbing

Read more about this Top Project

 

U.S. Bank Stadium

“U.S. Bank Stadium, the Minnesota Vikings’ billion-dollar baby, debuted last summer as the largest – and perhaps the most debated — construction project in Minnesota history. The goal for all stakeholders was the same: to build the best multipurpose stadium in the U.S.”

Egan services provided: curtainwall, glass/glazing, and communication and electrical systems for electronic video displays

Read more about this Top Project

 

Wells Fargo Downtown East Corporate Campus 

“The regional headquarters facility has two 17-story towers offering 1.2 million square feet of office space. More than 5,000 Wells Fargo employees work in a space meant to encourage team collaboration and communication. To top off the project and create an inviting atmosphere, Ryan proposed a new 4.2-acre urban park adjacent to the campus, which the city and Wells Fargo both welcomed.”

Egan’s services provided: building automation, lighting control, sound masking, and extensive building analytics, and intelligent building network

Read more about this Top Project

Minnesota Senate Building Gains National Recognition

Friday, August 4th, 2017

The Minnesota Senate Building in St. Paul, Minn. was awarded a 2017 National Award of Merit by the Design-Build Institute of America for its exemplary application of the Design/Build project delivery method.

In partnership with Mortenson Construction, Egan Company’s InterClad team provided exterior and interior scopes for this new facility for the State of Minnesota, including curtainwall, aluminum entrances, metal panels, sunshades, glass handrails, glass panels, and stainless steel column covers.

InterClad Recognized as Top Contract Glazier

Thursday, February 2nd, 2017

#34 in the country – Egan’s InterClad team was recognized by USGlass Magazine as one of the Nation’s Top 50 Contract Glaziers! InterClad had $21 million in sales and a 100% increase in backlog for 2016.

Read the full article here

Lending to a New Library Experience

Monday, January 30th, 2017

The Ramsey County Library system just opened its newest renovated branch in Shoreview, Minn. This new 38,000-square-foot building increases space from the previous location by 10,000 square feet, and gives library-goers a new experience with interactive displays, 3D printers, and additional computers and seating.

Egan’s InterClad team installed 5,300 square feet of curtainwall and 300 square feet of aluminum panels on the exterior of the building. Interior glass, sliding glass doors, mirrors, and one all-glass interior wall add to the overall modern-feel of the Library. Sound performance glass was also installed between the children and adult areas for sound control. 

Interestingly from our perspective, InterClad installed the curtainwall before the bricks were laid which is not standard due to some risks associated with installing before. However, we successfully installed out of sequence.

Find out more about the new library on its website.

Seamless Views, Growing Partnerships

Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

Construction projects involve great collaboration. Engineers, designers, general contractors, specialty contractors, suppliers – all must work together. But it’s not often that these relationships evolve from vendor to customer.

When Viracon, a national manufacturer of architectural glass for the commercial building market, announced they were expanding their flagship manufacturing facility in Owatonna, Minn., Egan Company’s Southern Minnesota team jumped at the chance to bid the project. With this project, Egan’s partnership with Viracon developed from major supplier to customer.

“Viracon has been one of our major vendors since InterClad was established in 1998,” said Egan Company Senior Vice President Tim Woolworth. “They are the leading innovative producer of glass coatings and products. In addition, their culture and values align closely with ours. They have been a great partner.”

Viracon has provided glass for numerous InterClad projects, including U.S. Bank Stadium, Target North Campus, Stonebridge Lofts, and Hennepin County Medical Center. With four plants spanning the U.S. and into Brazil, it is relied upon by over 2,500 architects and designers to provide glass fabrication.

“Viracon is investing in the expansion of its Owatonna facility to meet growing demand from architects for larger expanses of glass in exterior façades,” said Garret Henson, Viracon Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “By adding larger size capabilities to our comprehensive portfolio of architectural glass products, we are able to offer InterClad the full spectrum of product solutions that support the unique design requirements of their customers.”

The new expansion to their Owatonna facility adds over 360,000 square feet to the existing 1.2 million square feet facility. Egan’s Southern Minnesota team is providing electrical services to this new space, including general lighting and power.

Although this is new construction, the project is being treated more like a retrofit because power needs to be attached to the existing facility to get power out to the expansion. The work is all being completed while glass manufacturing is still happening, requiring creative scheduling.

In total, Egan will install more than 1,000 LED lights, including 4,000 feet of cable tray, 60,000 feet of conduit, and 250,000 feet of wire. The expansion was completed in January 2017.

The new facility will house the latest glass manufacturing technology and fabrication equipment to increase Viracon’s maximum finished product size capability and provide higher levels of automation for increased efficiencies.

This expansion is a very significant project, it is the next step in a long range program to ensure we remain at the forefront of architectural glass technology and continue to be a valued partner on distinctive buildings, large or small.

Kelly Schuller, Viracon President

Upon completion, Viracon will increase its maximum fabrication size from 13 feet 9 inches per plate of glass to 16 feet per plate of glass. The larger the plate of glass, the more visually appealing as there are fewer seams once installed. It offers bigger, unobstructed views with better daylight and energy management.

Egan’s InterClad team already has plans to utilize Viracon’s new capacity, including the new skyway at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport that connects the new Intercontinental Hotel to the A-G Concourse.

“We look forward to future projects with Viracon, especially with these new capabilities,” Woolworth said. “When we work with Viracon, we know a project will be a success. Its technical abilities are the benchmark for the industry.”

Project Team: AB Systems, Viracon
Services Provided: General lighting and power

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

Monday, October 17th, 2016

A recent article in Glass Magazine, highlighted the lack of women in construction and how some companies in the glass industry have made efforts to solve a worker shortage by recruiting more women to join the industry.

Tim Woolworth, Egan Company Senior Vice President, was interviewed for the story, providing insight into how Egan’s InterClad team deals with potential worker shortages.

[Hiring women] would help offset the labor shortage and we have experienced this on recent projects,” says Woolworth. “Some of these recent past projects have field labor utilization goals requiring a certain percentage of the field crew be … female. These goals have raised awareness for the unions and ourselves that have helped put a focus on new female recruits.

Read the full article here. 

DebLindquistIn addition, one of Egan’s Senior Project Managers from our InterClad team, Deb Linquist, was featured in Glass Magazine’s article about women in construction. Way to go, Deb!

Filling the Minneapolis Skyline

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016

Look at the Minneapolis skyline and it becomes obvious: the construction industry is booming. New office buildings, high-rise apartments, sports arenas, and hotels are popping up all over Downtown Minneapolis. And in one small block off South Fourth Street and South Marquette Avenue on Nicollet Mall, Egan Company’s InterClad team has completed three major projects since 2014: Nic on Fifth Apartments, 4Marq Apartments, and Xcel Energy @ 401 Nicollet.

2014_ InterClad_NicOn5th (1)Nic on Fifth Apartments

Completed in August 2014, the Nic on Fifth is the first high-rise luxury apartment development in downtown Minneapolis in nearly three decades. With world-class amenities and sleek architecture, this building offers premium Minneapolis hospitality. As a bonus, the building also features a variety of sustainable elements giving it LEED Silver Certification.
Egan’s InterClad team provided a variety of aesthetic features to this 300,000 square foot, 26-story luxury apartment complex. Installations included exterior windows and aluminum-glazed curtainwall, as well as some interior storefronts, glass handrails, and miscellaneous glass and mirrors.

“The timeline on this project was challenging because the winter of 2013 was rough,” said Paul Rudell, InterClad Senior Project Manager. “We were dealing with the Polar Vortex during this time, so there were some construction delays.”

Despite the weather challenges, this project was still completed in time for residents to move in September 2014.

Core Project Team: Opus Development Company, Opus Design Build, Opus AE Group, Elness Swenson Graham Architects, Inc., Founders Properties, Nicollet Residences

2015_InterClad_4Marq4Marq Apartments

As InterClad’s largest metal panel job ever completed to date, the 30-story 4Marq Apartments make an impressive addition to the downtown Minneapolis landscape. InterClad’s portion of the work was completed in November 2015, and 4Marq is currently leasing apartments.

On the first six floors of the building, Egan’s InterClad team engineered, fabricated, and installed perforated metal parking garage panels, corrugated screen wall panels, and flush seam ribbon panels. On the remaining 24 stories, metal panels were mounted on the corners of the building.

“The most challenging part of this project was the level of detail in each architectural element,” said InterClad Project Manager Todd Fechner. “The perforated metal parking garage panels had a very specific design that we had to engineer, fabricate, and install exactly to specifications.”

A total of 843 panels standing at 9.5 feet tall and 4 feet wide were prefabricated in InterClad’s shop.
“The building had three different colors of metal panels, and two of the colors were very similar, so it made it difficult to tell between the two at times,” said Troy Doble, InterClad Shop Manager.

Though the prefabrication did make installation easier, a color and pattern was agreed upon in advance of installation, so Egan’s InterClad team had to pay close attention to detail when installing each individual panel.

“It was a challenge keeping the perforated metal panels in the proper order, but with good planning from everyone on the team, the finished product looked great,” said Tad Hitchings, InterClad Project Foreman.

Core Project Team: M.A. Mortenson Company, UrbanWorks Architecture, Mortenson Development, Inc.

2016_CSS_XcelEnergyOfficeBuilding (3)Xcel Energy @ 401 Nicollet

Located directly across from Xcel Energy’s corporate headquarters, a new nine-story building is currently under construction. The building will provide Xcel with an impressive two-building campus, and features a contemporary architectural design that reflects the style of surrounding buildings.

Egan’s InterClad team is providing curtainwall, metal panels, storefront interior glazing, interior waterfall glass, hand rails, and glass/glazing.

The overarching challenge with this project has been limited space to work, causing the team to have to think creatively about how to install the various elements.

“We have limited access to the street, so everyone on the job works in the same small area,” said Mike Kush, InterClad Project Foreman. “It requires coordinating work schedules, but Opus has been great to work with, especially with this challenge.”

Due to a lack of space on the ground to store large equipment and machinery, the team performs all glass installation and glazing while standing inside the building. To accomplish this, all materials were prefabricated in the InterClad shop and then delivered to the jobsite, with the exception of the glass glazed in the field.

“There’s virtually no storage on the ground in downtown Minneapolis, so prefabrication is essential to the success of our projects,” Rudell said.

In addition to work on the exterior of the new building, Egan’s InterClad team is also providing glass for a skyway system that connects Xcel Energy’s existing corporate headquarters across the street to the new building.

InterClad’s work will be done in March 2016, and the building is slated for occupancy in July 2016.

Core Project Team: Opus Development Company, Opus Design Build, Opus AE Group, Xcel Energy

Three Projects, One Block Downtown

Working in a busy downtown setting does present some challenges. Lack of ground storage is a major problem, but traffic can also be challenging in a downtown setting. Many roads and sidewalks are closed around the jobsites for safety. And often material and equipment deliveries can only be scheduled during a set timeframe.

“Overall, the downtown area has been good to us the past few years,” said Egan Company Senior Vice President Tim Woolworth. “These three projects on this block showcase the diversity in our work and capabilities. We’re looking forward to working on another block in Minneapolis soon.”

Planning Ahead for High Demand

Sunday, March 8th, 2015

In the glass industry, business is booming. Projects requiring large quantities of glass are becoming more commonplace. A high demand—yet low glass supply—is leading to longer lead times and increasing prices, making Egan Company’s InterClad team rethink their processes and come up with creative solutions to ensure all customers’ projects are being completed in time.

There are two main glass suppliers within InterClad’s market area: Viracon and Old Castle Building Envelope (OBE). These suppliers obtain untreated, raw glass and treat the glass with sophisticated coatings and glass types that are required to meet thermal dynamics and energy codes.

“There has been tremendous growth in large-scale projects in this market,” said Tim Woolworth, InterClad Senior Vice President. “Many factories don’t have the capacity available to keep up with the demand. I don’t think the industry was prepared for as big of an upswing as we’ve seen in the past year.”

For InterClad’s two main suppliers, lead times used to range from two to six weeks. Now, lead times can range from 12 weeks to six months.

Many suppliers have a first-come, first-serve policy. This means if your project only requires 5,000 square feet of glass, you won’t get pushed to the side when a larger order is placed. Suppliers, like OBE are advising lead times on specific orders as an order is placed, while Viracon has a reservation program.

USBankStadium_DSC_2488As a result, InterClad is planning far in advance for many of their upcoming projects. For example, work is just beginning on the Minnesota Multi-Purpose Stadium (Vikings). InterClad is providing over 200,000 square feet of glass for this job that was ordered 24 weeks in advance from Viracon. Normally, this glass volume would have to be ordered six to eight weeks in advance.

“The suppliers just don’t have the capacity with equipment and availability of manpower to supply as much glass as the market needs right now,” Woolworth said. “Many recent projects tend to have a higher percentage of glass in the building plans, and a few major projects can take up capacity from a supplier.”

Despite this issue, we are still working under tight deadlines. The solution to working smoothly and efficiently within these tight deadlines is simple: flexibility and foresight. It’s important for general contractors to factor any potential shortages into schedules, and be flexible about changing the project timeline to accommodate any issues.

For example, work will soon begin on the Minnesota Capitol Office Building in St. Paul, Minn. Ideally, glass would be delivered and installed starting early April. However, due to long lead times and only a few spots open on Viracon’s reservation list, the earliest date InterClad can get the glass for the project is early June.

“It puts us more at risk as a company because if one thing goes wrong in the schedule, we get charged a fee and may not get the materials we need to complete the job on time,” Woolworth said. “Our expertise in pre-planning has greatly helped us in situations like this.”

InterClad closely evaluates the schedule and determines if they will be able to obtain the glass specified by an architect under the project timeline. If this is not possible, we work with the general contractor to use an alternative—but comparable—product or adjust the project schedule.

This supply and demand issue can be challenging and difficult; InterClad understands that it’s not something the glass suppliers can help.

“We’re sympathetic to their dilemma,” he said. “Just like Viracon and OBE, we always want to provide the highest quality product to our customers and eliminate any obstacles that we can.”