May, 2010
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High-Profile Cover Story: Mountain View Landscapes & Lawncare on Campus
Mountain View Landscapes Completes Springfield College Campus Union pringfield, MA - The main focus of the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union was and is the custom granite package. While virtually the entire landscape of this site is highlighted with granite accents, the area known as “The Terrace,” located south of the new building and overlooking the campus pond, was meticulously designed and constructed as a showpiece for the college. The custom granite elements consisted of landscape edger, wall copings, stadium seating with two 20,000-pound termination blocks, a sundial with stainless steel gnomon and numerals (which keeps accurate time), straight and radius stair treads, straight and radius cheek-walls, veneered piers and seat walls, a balustrade system, block bench seating, and pavers ranging from 18-inch square to 36-inch square. Having completed the landscape renovations and improvements at the Springfield College Wellness Center during the previous year with Erland Construction, Mountain View Landscapes was poised to continue the relationship it had developed with both Erland and Springfield College as a landscape construction company accustomed to tight deadlines and detail oriented owners. With the intricacies and attention to detail needed for a granite package of this size, Mountain View aligned itself with GI Stone Suppliers, located in Merrimack NH. In April 2009 the two companies began delineating the various colors,
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Erland GC - Symmes, Maini, McKee Architects
months, final drawings were approved and fabrication of the more than 600 pieces and roughly 1,700 cubic feet of stone began in July. With the concrete foundations nearly complete, Mountain View mobilized to the site on September 15, 2009 and began to receive granite shipments. By September 18, under the watchful eye of Mountain View foreThe Terrace at the Richard B. Flynn Campus Union man John Cornell, installation was in full intended to mimic the school colors, and finishes for each granite component. Due swing. Even with months of preparation to the size, weight, and custom fabrication, and coordination meetings there still were finalizing field dimensions and layout for many factors that posed challenges from stone fabrication as well as installation of the start of construction. Tight site access the concrete foundations was critical to the coupled with an even tighter completion overall success of this project. Erland Site deadline left little room for inefficiency superintendent, Dan James, worked tire- or error. Adding to the pressure was the lessly with Mountain View project man- location and grading of the terrace itself. agement to coordinate the multiple trades Nearly 90% of the granite was to be inaffecting the granite scope of work, long stalled below the only available staging before installation operations were slated area and roughly 70 feet from the nearest to begin. The first round of shop drawings heavy equipment access point. Mountain were submitted to SMMA for approval in View called upon the services of Marino early May of 2009. After multiple clarifi- Crane located in Middletown, Conn. to ascations and revisions over the subsequent sist with the hoisting and rigging. Marino
supplied a 90 ton Grove crane, which was necessary to set virtually every stone on the terrace. Having worked with Marino Crane on several projects in recent years Mountain View has developed a comfort level and knowledge base of crane operations and safe rigging practices, which proved to be extremely advantageous in a project of this caliber. Mountain View worked diligently with Erland throughout construction to maximize productivity, prevent any delays, and cater to the expectations of a very hands-on owner. Two months into Mountain View operations completion deadlines and cold weather loomed. The vast majority of granite installation was in place and more than 5,000sf of granite and concrete pavers had been completed. Heavy equipment was demobilized from the site and on October 19 plant material began to arrive. Green Screen fencing was installed along guardrails and fall hazards, which when fully established with climbing plants, will provide a unique visual appeal in addition to its functionality. Final landscape operations were completed by Mountain View forces on November 25 to put the finishing touches on the project just in time for the building dedication. Final finishing touches were completed recently. Mountain View credits the overall success of this project to the seamless coordination between foreman John Cornell and the Erland site superintendent, Dan James.
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