The St. Louis Chapter of the Associated General Contractors (AGC) recently honored McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. with a 2009 Project of the Year Keystone Award for the renovation and expansion of The Federal Reserve Bank located in downtown St. Louis. McCarthy received the award in the $40 million or more General Contractor/Construction Manager-Building Construction category.
The annual Keystone Awards program honors the achievements of St. Louis construction firms and their employees in building the facilities that support and enhance the quality of life in Greater St. Louis. Keystone Award recipients are judged on their excellence in providing solutions to unique obstacles and challenges specific to their project.
“We’re honored to be recognized among our peers for this project,” said Scott Wittkop, president of McCarthy’s Central Division. “The keys to success were McCarthy’s ability to self-perform the structural concrete and structural steel, two critical components, and the team’s ability to implement state-of-the-industry construction techniques that were both efficient and cost-effective. We were presented with a number of significant challenges, including the need to tie in to an existing 80-year-old, occupied structure and then aesthetically integrate the new tower exterior to look like a natural extension of the original building. The team successfully met all of these with creative determination.”
Designed by Cannon Design of St. Louis, The Federal Reserve Bank expansion project included: demolition of an existing parking structure; construction of a new 6-story tower; re-cladding the existing skin; interior renovations; MEP system upgrades; and new bridge connections for the north and south buildings on the third and fourth floors. McCarthy Project Manager Lloyd Flowers commented, “Cannon Design’s timeliness to provide cost-effective design direction on unforeseen field conditions uncovered during the re-cladding portion of the project was key to assuring the appearance of the new structure would resemble the existing structure.”
This project is a study in how to construct a project on a tight urban footprint amid a bustling downtown business district. Bounded by tall, occupied buildings and narrow streets through which vehicle and pedestrian traffic continually flowed, construction of the expansion and renovation continued as unobtrusively as possible despite significant limitations.
Lean methodologies were among the many construction techniques used to solve some of the project’s challenges. Mock-ups built on the project site were key to saving dollars, which could have resulted from unidentified design, constructability and aesthetic issues. Especially effective was the mock-up built of the exterior wall system that included a limestone skin.
Because lay-down area was at a premium, just-in-time material delivery kept construction moving according to schedule. A 24-hour-a-day, 6-day-a-week detailed work schedule for each building elevation informed each trade when they could gain access to the five-foot wide working platform. The schedule also provided information about when certain construction materials had to be moved.
Overhead, a 300-ton mobile crane relied on radio communication as its sole source of “eyes and ears” to hoist bridge connectors through a vertical areaway between two existing buildings and over an existing 100-foot-tall building. Safety for pedestrians, traffic, workers and Federal Reserve employees was at the forefront of daily priorities.
Today, the appearance of the “new” Federal Reserve building blends seamlessly with the structure built in 1925. In addition to the preservation of the Federal Reserve’s historic past, the new tower enhances the Bank’s standing as a major employer in St. Louis City and contributes to the vibrancy of the downtown community.
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis was established in 1914, after the creation of the Federal Reserve System in 1913. The Bank building in downtown St. Louis was constructed in 1925. It is one of the 12 regional Reserve banks in the Federal Reserve System and serves most of eastern Missouri and southern Illinois.
About McCarthy
Founded in 1864, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial construction companies. The company provides general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for office, education, healthcare, laboratory, biotechnical, resort and entertainment, parking and retail facilities; green buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; and bridges and highways. McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned. More information about the company is available online at www.mccarthy.com
