Bellows W. S. B e l lows C o n s t ru c t i o n C o r p o r at i o n
Byline S u m m e r 2011
In This Issue Houston Ballet Center
for
Dance
Houston Ballet’s new Center for Dance held its grand opening on April 9, 2011.
Building Complex Connections
Bellows’ professionals take pleasure in constructing extremely challenging projects and completing them to the owner’s satisfaction.
Employee Spotlight
Since 1990, Nelson Kirkham has been a Bellows superintendent and has worked on some of the most complex projects in Bellows’ portfolio.
Project
in
Progress
Houston Ballet Center for Dance
This eco-minded private residence will feature a pre-vegetated modular greenroof.
B ellows B yline | S ummer 2011
Houston Ballet Center for Dance
Photography
Nic Lehoux Photography Skyworks Photography Sarah Catherine Photography
Community Minded
As Bellows Vice-President Charlie Kubin says, “If architects can draw it, we can build it.” Transforming what is imagined into reality is what we do and is quite exciting. And when a building is part of a larger vision to benefit people in our community, it is an added privilege to construct it. We are honored to count hospitals, schools, museums, theaters, religious organizations and other nonprofits as clients over the past 97 years. We understand their unique challenges, match their dedication and are committed to helping them accomplish their goals. “Dominique de Menil had a vision of doing something great for our community, and so does Nancy Allen (with the Asia Society Texas Center). You pick up on that, instill it in the project and do everything in your power to make it the best building possible and help make that dream come true.” Norm Molen, Superintendent for the Menil’s Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum and for Asia House “We don’t waste time or money and have a deep appreciation for value, and nonprofits feel the same way. Budgets and schedules are strictly adhered to, and their buildings are often unique, custom facilities that are interesting to build. It’s always gratifying to help them achieve their goals.”
Safely executing precise work in the field
David Morris, Vice-President in charge of multiple nonprofit projects for clients ranging from Texas Children’s Hospital to the Houston Ballet to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston We take to heart that our nonprofit clients are entrusting not only their building goals to us, but also their dreams for our community. We are proud and honored to help make their visions become reality.
Laura Bellows, Chairman of the Board
Complex Projects
Bellows recently erected the Texas Children’s Pavillion for Women skybridge which is the largest and most complex bridge structure ever erected in the Texas Medical Center. The enclosed, climate-controlled pedestrian bridge is a two-level elliptical structure that allows the public to move at one level and patients at the other level. Connecting to two existing TCH buildings on the east side of Fannin at six different floor elevations over the METRO rail required careful layout and precise manufacture of the bridge. Erection of the bridge’s nine major sections required coordination with the City of Houston, TMC and METRO in order to bring the structure into place in the heavily-trafficked, dense urban setting, while minimizing the inconvenience to all parties. Building Information Modeling was utilized to manufacture the structure and the construction schedule was integrated into the BIM model to allow clear communication and understanding of the erection process with all stakeholders affected by the project. The bridge sections were erected either onsite or adjacent to the project and installed on weekends from October to December. Work continues on the bridge to provide a Fall 2011 completion. Bellows’ ability to accomplish difficult projects within difficult environments sets us apart in our industry. Accomplishing such difficult tasks is enabled by our excellent staff that fervently undertakes such challenges. From concept strategies, preconstruction planning to safely executing precise work in the field, Bellows has the personnel to excel at all stages of our projects.
Jim Stevenson, Chief Executive Officer S ummer 2011 | B ellows B yline
Ballet Houston Center for Dance Houston Ballet’s new Center for
philanthropy and the performing
Dance held its grand opening
arts. Creating a new gateway to
on April 9, 2011 with a ribbon
a downtown Theater District that
cutting ceremony presided
is already home to the Houston
over by Houston Mayor Annise
Grand Opera, Houston Symphony
Houston Ballet and its academy.
Parker. The Center for Dance is
and Alley Theatre, the prominent,
With its striking black granite
the largest professional dance
six-story, 115,000-square-foot
façade featuring views of dancers
facility in the United States and
building boasts nine dance
within, the new Center for Dance
a visual statement of the city’s
studios, a dance laboratory, a
will enable Houston Ballet’s
longstanding commitment to
dormitory for out-of-town students,
education programs to reach an
a shoe room that can
estimated 30,000 students by
hold more than 2,000
2015.
pairs of ballet slippers and pointe shoes, an impressive sewing room, a music library and artistic, administrative and support offices for Architect
Civil|Structural Engineer Walter P. Moore & Associates
Archiluce International
Project Manager
MEP
Acoustical and Audio Visual Consultant
Gensler
Venturi Outcomes
B ellows B yline | S ummer 2011
Jacobs Engineering Group
W.S. Bellows collaborated closely with Gensler and Houston Ballet to help manage a tight construction budget, completing the project for $46.6 million ($6.4 million under its original projected budget)
Building Lighting
HFP Acoustical Consultant
Security and Communications Consultant
Ferguson Consulting
The largest professional dance facility in the world
An open-air pedestrian sky bridge, featuring a graphic wave of leaping dancers, connects the new facility to its adjacent performance venue, providing a compelling architectural presence, and a strategic backstage entrance for the dancers. Passersby may glimpse dancers as they move between their practice space and the Wortham. Inspired by a proscenium stage, the granite façade frames daytime and illuminated nighttime views of dancers rehearsing within, so that
“Houston Ballet is thriving in our wonderful
the building becomes an animated
new home, the largest
billboard for dance.
facility of a professional
“The commitment and devotion
dance company in the United States. Bellows
and opening the facility ahead
that these nonprofit organizations
of schedule. Project Manager,
have for their cause mirrors the
Ray Mancias estimates that
commitment and devotion that
job and their people
this landmark project is the
we bring to the project to help
provided great support
culmination of more than
realize their vision. That recipe is a
throughout the whole
350,000 man hours.
tried-and-true, proven success. It
process. Bellows has
has been an honor to work with
enabled Houston Ballet
the extraordinary team that has
to meet the final portion
relocated the Houston Ballet to the very heart of the performing arts district.” Ray Mancias, Project Manager,
did an outstanding
of its mission statement: to provide state-ofthe-art facilities for
Houston Ballet Center
performances, rehearsals,
for Dance
and ongoing operations.” Cecil C. Conner Managing Director, Houston Ballet
B ellows B yline | S ummer 2011
Building Complex Connections Bellows’ professionals take
in the heart of heavily-trafficked,
bridge had to be assembled onsite
pleasure in constructing extremely
urban settings and required
due to the extraordinary size and
challenging projects and completing
extensive coordination efforts to
weight of each structural section.
them to the owners’ satisfaction.
ensure efficient use of weekend
Onsite assembly required complete
In the past year, Bellows has
construction time as well as provide
closures of a street and sidewalks
constructed two particularly complex
for our workers’ safety.
for several months. The erection of the skybridge challenged everyone, but was successful due to the collaborative input from all team members. Project Superintendent Nelson Kirkham stated, “All the tedious planning is essential when constructing complex projects. I respect the input of all the team members and it has made this project successful so far.”
projects, the Texas Children’s
The TCH skybridge connects the
Pavilion for Women skybridge and
Maternity Center to TCH West
the Houston Ballet Center for Dance
Tower and TCH Clinical Care
skybridge. Both projects are located
Center. The two-story pedestrian
The Houston Ballet Center for Dance skybridge connects the Center to Houston Ballet’s residence theater, the Wortham Theater Center.
Employee Spotlight Since 1990, Nelson Kirkham has been a Bellows superintendent and has worked on some of the most complex projects in Bellows’ portfolio. His career began as a carpenter apprentice and he quickly moved up the ranks to superintendent. Nelson covets the relationships that Bellows has built with subcontractors as well as suppliers. When asked about B ellows B yline | SBummer 95 th A nniversary yline |2011 S pring 2009
those relationships, Nelson remarked, “As long as I have worked for Bellows, they have always treated everyone with the utmost respect and regard. In return, I believe that the subcontractors and suppliers make certain they are performing their best for Bellows and help us get the job done right.” When asked what he likes best about working at
Bellows, Nelson simply stated “The people. There are a lot of individuals at Bellows who are extremely intelligent and I always benefit from their knowledge.” Nelson is currently working on the Texas Children’s Hospital skybridge addition in the heart of the Medical Center.
Success was achieved through proper communication between us and the owner projects made a huge impact in
CEO of Bellows. “The Texas
each project’s success. When
Children’s Pavilion for Women and
working in such densely-populated
Houston Ballet Center for Dance
areas, many entities have to come
skybridges are two more examples
together and agree on a schedule
of our dedication to consistently
for closures and shutdowns. Through careful consideration of each institution’s polices and procedures, our project managers The main intended use of the
and superintendents gained the
skybridge was to facilitate the
respect and trust of those entities
moving of the Ballet’s wardrobe
and were in turn able to coordinate
racks between the Center for Dance
a schedule that would accommodate
and the Wortham. Bellows’ priority
their daily operations with minimal
and challenge in the construction
disruptions.
of the bridge was to minimize expensive closures of a highlyutilized downtown intersection.
“Bellows has exceptional people and we believe it is our depth that makes us uncommon. We take on
Clear communication with all
the most challenging projects with
the stakeholders throughout both
confidence,” stated Jim Stevenson,
delivering quality projects to the complete satisfaction of each of our clients.”
S ummer 2011 | B ellows B yline S pring 2009 | 95 th A nniversary
W. S. Bellows Construction Corporation Post Office Box 2132
Houston, Texas 77252-2132
Project in Progress Bleyzer Private Residence
This private residence will feature several sustainable elements including a pre-vegetated modular greenroof, a geothermal heating and cooling system, controlled solar shading system and a state-of-the-art, fully-integrated building automation system. Due to the 24’ elevation drop of the natural site contour from the front of the property to the back of the house, a tower crane was necessary as the use of a mobility crane was not possible. The tower crane safely and efficiently erected the structural steel members
and the architectural concrete walls. Layering portions of the site at specific elevations provided a level working platform for the drilling rigs to place piping approximately 400 lineal feet underground for the geothermal wells. l
Michael & Natasha Bleyzer Designed by Stern and Bucek Architects l Located in the city of Piney Point Village l Approximately 15,000 square feet l