Our Anoka County Highway Department project is in the midst of construction, taking full advantage of our dry and mild winter weather! Installation of precast panels, structural steel and built-up roofing have progressed with only minor delays, which keeps a smile on everyone's face (well - most of the time). Inserted below are images of various stages of construction thoughout the project, starting from early October 2011 to late January 2012.
Pei Wei is open for business! Pei Wei is a restuarant under the wing of PF Chang's. Although it was difficult to fit such an elaborate cook line in such a small space, the end result is vibrant and fun. The idea of Pei Wei is for the public to see their food being made on the fast paced cookline. The restuarant is open from the front of house to the food prep area. The only area not seen to the public eye is where the dish washing and cold storage takes place. We were even able to fit seating within the lease line. The use of color and materials makes the space bright and fun! The second phase of the project involves the remote seating area. You can see in the photos below, the original intent was to create additional seating for those eating at Pei Wei. However, after much discussion with the MAC, it makes more sense to make this seating more flexible. It will now be about a place to stop with your bags and relax/eat while waiting for a flight. The seating area is currently under design; in the meantime, the airport has placed basic tables and chairs until construction begins. This was my first project at the airport and although it was very challenging, it was also very rewarding. I learned a lot about kitchen construction, coordination between the various parties involved, and the guidelines to follow when working at the airport! Not to mention the food is delicious!!! Definitely stop over and enjoy a taste next time you travel!!
As posted earlier, HCM provided the design for a new winter recreation facility for Lake Elmo Park Reserve. The purpose of the building is to act as a trail-head or warming house for winter park activities, including cross-country skiing; however it will be used throughout the year. The building is surrounding by beautiful landscape and wrapping around the site are various cross country ski trails for the public to enjoy. Although the building is far from being complete, the contractor is making great headway with all the warm weather we have had this winter. This week the building will be completely enclosed and work can begin on the interior. You can already see that the building has a great scale to it. Although it is a small building, just over 3,000 SF, the use of the roof lines, columns, and windows makes the building appear large/vertical and open.
Construction continues, at a rapid rate, on the new test cell addition for Cummins Power Generation.
Our next project with Cummins Power Generation is in the ground. Following are some photos showing the size of large grade beams for the project.
The Cummins CPGO Shoreview facility is proceeding rapidly, with the Third Level now partially occupied. The First and Second Levels are receiving finishes and the new Servery is now under construction.
The whole HCM office recently toured the Cummins CPGO Shoreview facility to see the extend of changes and improvements to this previously dated 1970s office building. The renovated building looks great, with lots of natural light from skylights, open circulation routes for soft seating and large curtainwall openings at the end of major hallways to help people orient themselves while moving through the large building.
Celtic Junction before and afters.
HCM provided the design for the new winter recreation facility for the Lake Elmo Park Reserve. The building will be a trail-head for winter park activities, including cross-country skiing. The building will provide a warming area, changing room and restrooms. It will also have potential summer uses for other park programs. The building corresponds to the designed lit ski trails that SRF and HCM developed last here and was completed this summer, the project consisted of lighting six miles of the park's ski trails. The goal for the design and materials of the building was to provide a welcoming, warm, beacon for ski and park users.
Last December a devastating fire roared through the neighboring buildings adjacent to The Celtic Junction in Saint Paul, MN. As luck would have it the Celtic Junction building suffered only minor damages and took this unfortunate event as a welcoming opportunity to expand! HCM Architects worked with the owners of The Celtic Junction to design a significant renovation and addition to their existing building. The project consists of building out the south building and adding to the lobby to create a new exterior façade and accessible entries, providing two new dance studios with a separate lobby space, more bathrooms and a new custom built office layout for the Center for Irish Music located within the venue. The now empty lot next door allowed them to acquire the vacant land to create a 24 stall parking lot. This highly used and growing establishment was in desperate need of parking, this additional lot will be huge attribute to this thriving community. Construction is finishing up this fall.
Early this year HCM and Isola Design (interior design) developed a new Prototype of the MN based restaurant chain Green Mill. This past summer the Green Mill, Coon Rapids was renovated using the brand and design concepts. This fall the Green Mill, Woodbury will be the second restaurant to undergo construction for a refreshing new look. The following are the key ideas of the concept design for the new Green Mill Prototype.
- A. Brand Concepts
- The new concept should promote food that is fresh, hand made from scratch and genuine.
- It is a neighborhood place that is family and group friendly.
- Identified as the “Best Place for Kids”.
- The new brand to break out from being solely a “Pizza Brand” without loosing its identity with loyal customer base.
- The interior should be warm, homey, genuine and natural.
- Main competitions is comfort/casual concepts such as TGI Friday’s, Doolittle’s and Applebee’s.
- Ideal concept size is 5,000 SF total – dining areas about 2,500 SF
- B. Design Concepts:
- The interior reflects the quality of the food and enhances the dining experience; it is sophisticated and natural with a homelike feel.
- Dining spaces are a series of rooms that provide comfortable, quiet “territories” / niches and special places within the restaurant.
- Spaces are inviting; they are warm, cheery and bright in the daytime and warm and comforting at night.
- Materials are real, authentic, and genuine. Textures add integrity without application, and are enhanced by lighting.
- The finishes and colors reflect the freshness and quality of the ingredients.
- It should be a place that reflects today’s approach to family gathering with visual access to fresh ingredients and a controlled view into the Kitchen that encourages trust in the preparation and reinforces “hand-made from scratch” brand concept.
HCM is exploring some design options to innovate and highlight a client’s existing vestibule and entry sequence.
HCM has another airport project going through concept design review. Chick-fil-A has steadily grown to become the second largest quick-service chicken restaurant chain in the United States, this proposed restaurant will be the third in MN and the first one at MSP International. Chick-fil-A has set itself apart by pioneering innovations and delicious products, evolving design and branding.
The ironically small Colossal Café is expanding to fit its name. There is a non-stop buzz about the new Colossal Café opening up this winter in the Saint Paul neighborhood of Saint Anthony. The design will provide similar to the café’s menu; a light, fresh, and a novel approach to a conventional neighborhood coffee shop/diner joint. Construction is fully underway by Schreiber and Mullaney Construction and the project is looking great! The space already feels inviting with the newly installed glass block windows and the sand blasted wood ceilings. I can’t wait for the fun flooring to be installed and the splashes of color on the walls. In no time there will be a line out the door waiting to fill their bellies with delicious made from scratch meals in a quaint place they will call home.
The recent airport projects finished up this fall, Pei Wei, La Tapenade and Creative Kid Stuff. All three were on fast and demanding schedules. With these three additions to the MSP International airport, things just got a little brighter, crazier and tastier!
Community Meetings and Participation
A third community meeting took place early November to review the Schematic Design for the renovation and expansion of the Hennepin County - Roosevelt Library located in south Minneapolis. Two community meetings took place early this summer during the concept design phase. Attendance for all three community meetings were open and included neighborhood organizations, current library users, neighboring residents, and local elected officials. The first meeting focused on participant’s use, thoughts and experience at Roosevelt Library. Participant input was then compiled to create key design ideas. The following Key Design Ideas/Concepts were developed based on community input.
1. Open sight lines, open library layout
2. Cozy, intimate and warm place
3. Flexible multi-purpose gathering space
4. Natural light – quality of light from multiple sources
5. Exterior reading spaces
6. Family-friendly place
The second community meeting presented concept images that demonstrated design ideas. The third meeting went into more detail on the proposed design and how the design continues to reinforce these design concepts. The goal of the recent meeting was to get community input on the overall layout as well as the 2 exterior options.
The schematic Design package for the project is currently being reviewed by the county commissioners, hopes to start design development and CDs through the winter with cConstruction start in Spring 2012.
General Building Background
The existing Library building was constructed in 1927 and is a 4,320 SF (footprint) single-story building, with a small basement utility space. The building was designed by Minneapolis architect, Jerome Paul Jackson as a community library that would serve the adjacent Roosevelt High School and Roosevelt neighborhood. The building was placed on the National Historic Register in May, 2000 and has been designated a Building of Cultural Significance by the city of Minneapolis through its Historic Preservation Commission. The library is one of the 14 branch buildings built pre-1960 by the Minneapolis Public Library System led by Gratia Countryman.
The main level is comprised of one large intimate reading room that contains no dividers or partition walls. The main floor is open and naturally lit by numerous large windows. The exterior walls are lined with open shelving aimed at easy access. One goal of the project is to strengthen these successful attributes while revitalizing the overall experience.
Maintenance and improvements are critical to keep this library as a community anchor and resource well into the future. Roosevelt’s key upgrades include full code compliance, accessibility upgrades, new restrooms, new energy efficient mechanical and electrical systems, exterior restoration, collection updates, technology upgrades, increased seating/lounge areas and an efficient staff area. There is a need to provide space for group gatherings, teens seeking homework assistance, children attending story time and more flexible leisure reading space.
The goals of the renovation and expansion project are as follows:
- Renovate the building’s envelope (façade and roof assemblies).
- Provide new building mechanical, electrical and technology infrastructure.
- Make the facility accessible.
- Provide a multi-purpose community gathering space for additional programs.
- Create exterior public spaces for reading and activities.
- Improve staff work areas.
In addition to the work listed above, the project must incorporate the following efforts:
- Abatement and removal of existing hazardous materials.
- Renovation and expansion must adhere to Historic Preservation Center standards.
- Provide a complete fire protection system – an additional waterline required.
- Full replacement of existing sewer line.
For the fall outing HCM joined the folks from Schreiber and Mullaney for an afternoon of clay shooting. The event took place at the MN Horse and Hunt Club where everyone shot at various stands through the course. Overall the day was a success, clays were bursting left and right; even my amateur self hit almost half my attempts. We really couldn’t have asked for any better weather or company. Literally and figuratively it was a BLAST!
The final plantings and stones were laid this past October for Carter Geyen’s memorial at Bruce Russel Park. We are so pleased with the overall turn out of the memorial and even more pleased that it is everything his family and friends were hoping for. It is incredible to think of all the help and donations that made this project possible. As an office we visited the memorial late Fall. The interactive wall really captures the sandbox, the bench and water fountain. The natural flow of the design, the various material textures and colors and variety of plants really create a playful yet elegant place to be.
After a lot of hesitation from the group, we finally got everyone away from their computers and out in the fresh air to enjoy an afternoon of lunch and golfing. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Obb's Sports Bar & Grill in Saint Paul, followed by a round of 9 holes at a past project; The Ponds at Battle Creek Golf Course in Maplewood completed in 2002. Since not everyone in the office has played much golf, we chose to do a best ball competition between the two teams.
Team 1: Tim McIlwain, Roger Christensen, Liz Gutzman, Eric Erdahl
Team 2: Jerry Hagen, Dan Lind, Matt Lysne, Dan Lawrence and Liz Berres
It was a close race, but Team 1 ended with the win with a score of 36!!!
The day ended with a few drinks sitting at the patio looking over the 5th hole.
What a great day; we will definitely be making this an annual summer event for the office!!