Centurion Headquarters - Green Project of the Year 2010

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

VOL. 32 • NO. 1 • $4.00

IN THIS ISSUE:

“VOICE OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY”

GREEN PROJECT OF THE YEAR Michigan’s Most Outstanding Sustainable Design and Construction Projects

MICHIGAN CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN TRADESHOW A Sure Bet at MotorCity Casino Hotel

CONCRETE The Art of Concrete Underway at MSU’s Broad Museum Creating Greener, More Sustainable Buildings and Infrastructure

TOOLS Making Life on the Jobsite Easier with the Latest Hand Tools

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY Beefing Up Your Safety Culture Health and Safety Hazards Working in Dilapidated Buildings

Plus: Renovating and Expanding MSU’s Wharton Center for Performing Arts

TRADESHOW 2011

Centurion Medical Products Corporate Headquarters:

2010 GREEN PROJECT OF THE YEAR

By David Miller, Associate Editor

any facilities are designed with sustainable goals in mind, but the Centurion Medical Products Corporate Headquarters Building, Williamston, is literally outstanding in the field. Not only has the structure been recognized as CAM Magazine’s 2010 Green Building of the Year, it also sits nestled in a

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Photography by Justin Maconochie picturesque oasis. Exterior sun shades and tall translucent glass windows celebrate the rural countryside with spectacular views while providing abundant natural light inside. The 73,000-square-foot facility, for which LEED Gold-Level certification is anticipated, not only conserves valuable natural resources – it also provides a

tangible link to the living world to help people understand the importance of these efforts. Construction manager Granger Construction Company, Lansing, and architect Neumann/Smith Architecture, Southfield, led the team that delivered this fine example of sustainable design and construction.

“Voice Of The Construction Industry”®

UNDERSTANDING HOW Many sustainable features at the Centurion Medical Products Corporate Headquarters are easy to see, but a thorough understanding of the structure is needed to understand the depth of the commitment. An energy efficient exterior envelope delivers an insulation R value that is 28 percent higher than what is required by code, while the building’s mechanical and electrical design incorporates numerous efficient design strategies to perform 18 percent better than the base model for a similar structure. These savings were confirmed through an advanced building commissioning process that will be maintained over time to document long-term results.

Water usage was also given careful consideration through water-efficient plumbing fixtures. Native and drought resistant plants were used to reduce irrigation needs. When irrigation is required, water will be delivered by drip line systems and a SmartLine controller delivers only what is needed. As natural resources become scarcer, the sophisticated techniques used at Centurion Medical Products will become more common.

“Green building is, in essence, about being responsible whether you are the owner, architect, engineer or builder,” said Christine Costa, LEED AP, LEED coordinator and project architect for Neumann/Smith. “It is a responsibility to the public and to the environment that everyone on this project took seriously, which is what led to its successful realization as a green building. To recognize it as such, as well as other responsible projects, will continue to move the industry in that direction and ultimately the ‘green building movement’ will become standard practice.”

Before the green building movement can become standard practice, construction and design professionals must address the challenges associated with it. Although this can require a different mindset from contractors, many have found that tangible benefits accompany green building practices.

“I don’t think that we did anything unusual on this project,” said Jeff Tuley, project manager for Granger Construction Company. “We try to reuse and recycle as much as we can – from concrete and masonry waste, to cardboard, paper, Styrofoam, wood and metal.

We have recognized that there is a cost savings because we are sending less material to landfills.”

Tuley admits that not every contractor has discovered the benefits of recycling, but it is standard operating procedure on every project for Granger Construction Company. Over 466 tons of materials were diverted from landfills on the Centurion Medical Products project. The project team also specified significant quantities of Visit us at www.cam-online.com

recycled material for the facility – with recycled content accounting for almost 28 percent of all materials used.

Many of the elements that make the new Centurion Medical Products facility green will probably go unnoticed by the people who visit the facility, but the reasons behind them are made abundantly clear by a design that celebrates harmony with the facility’s natural surroundings.

UNDERSTANDING WHY The Centurion Medical Products Corporate Headquarters sits on a bucolic 37-acre site. The building blends into the site with a low profile that reduces visibility from the road and this is augmented with landscape berms that screen the delivery area while shielding the building. Future outdoor amenities will include a soccer field, a picnic area and a fitness trail which will run around the entire property. A six foot band of wild flowers lines one side of the entry drive and wraps around the building while separating lawn areas from natural grasses. Eventually, workers will need to enter the building to complete their tasks, but they need not leave this natural splendor behind when they do.

"The owners of Centurion Medical Products wanted to create an open, inviting, flexible and enjoyable work environment for their employees,” said Stanley E. Cole, RA, LEED AP, principal at Neumann/Smith and project manager and LEED administrator for the project. “Through the use of vision glass, translucent windows and clerestories, the building was designed to allow a lot of natural light into the building and provide great views for 98% of the normally occupied spaces."

Natural light flows over the vibrant interior spaces highlighting the creative talents of Jamie Millspaugh, NCIDQ, LEED AP, interior designer for Neumann/Smith. Clerestory glass in the centrally located main atrium brings natural light into interior spaces.

Daylight is also harvested along the building perimeter and interior column uplights, frequently allowing for lighting fixtures to be dimmed or turned off entirely.

Efficiency is further enhanced by a flexible system that lets individual users set lighting levels to suit their needs and preferences. The conference center alone features four separate lighting zones that can be individually set.

Generous portions of natural light coupled with outdoor views create a tangible connection to nature that reinforces the strong commitment to sustainability already in place at Centurion.

The company embraces a corporate recycling policy with multiple bins placed to provide easy access from offices and loading dock areas. Company leaders also selected linear fluorescent lighting over compact CAM MAGAZINE

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fluorescent lighting whenever possible and the company also instituted a recycling program for any used lamps that might contain mercury.

The final result of this successful project is a building that is truly worthy of the title, “Green Building of the Year.” The CAM Magazine staff sincerely hopes that others will follow the example of this dedicated

project team.

"It is our hope that by informing the public about green ideas and why it is important to be good stewards of the earth that one day it will be commonplace thinking and sound design practice with materials that are ecologically friendly,” said Emil R. Sdao, RA, LEED AP, project designer and design director at Neumann/Smith.

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THE FOLLOWING SUBCONTRACTORS AND PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTS CONTRIBUTED THEIR SKILLS TO THE PROJECT: • Blinds and Shades – Bayvue Drapery, Burton • Concrete, Foundations, Flatwork and General Trades – Granger Construction Company, Lansing • Doors and Hardware – S.A. Morman & Company, Grand Rapids • Electrical – Superior Electric of Lansing • Elevator – Thyssenkrupp Elevator, Grand Rapids • Fire Protection – American Fire Protection, Lansing • Flooring – Lansing Tile & Mosaic, Inc., Lansing • Furniture – DBI Business Interiors, Lansing • Glass and Curtainwall – Huron Valley Glass, Inc., Ypsilanti • HVAC – Myers Plumbing & Heating, Inc., Lansing • IT Infrastructure – Netech Corp., Grand Rapids • Landscape Architect – Landscape Architects and Planners, Lansing • Landscaping – Hundred Acre Woods, Inc., Williamston • Masonry – Leidal and Hart Mason Contractors, Livonia • Mechanical and Electrical Engineer – Peter Basso Associates, Inc., Troy • Metal Studs and Drywall – DSI Acoustical Co., Lansing • Painting – Detail Painting, Grant • Paving – American Asphalt, Inc., Lansing • Raised Access Floors – Data Supplies, Plymouth • Raised Access Flooring – Haworth, Inc., Holland • Roofing – Borner Restoration, Lansing • Siding – Architectural Metals, Inc., Portland • Signage – Valley City Sign Company, Comstock Park • Sitework – Woodhull Construction Co., Inc., Laingsburg • Steel – Valley Steel Company, Saginaw Subcontractors and professional consultants listed in this feature are identified by the general contractor, architect or owner.

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“Voice Of The Construction Industry”®