JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 VOL. 32 • NO. 1 • $4.00

“ V O I C E O F T H E C O N S T R U C T I O N I N D U S T R Y ”

IN THIS ISSUE:

CONCRETEThe Art of Concrete Underway at MSU’s

Broad Museum

Creating Greener, More Sustainable Buildings

and Infrastructure

GREEN PROJECTOF THE YEARMichigan’s Most Outstanding Sustainable Design and Construction Projects

TOOLSMaking Life on the Jobsite Easier with

the Latest Hand Tools

MICHIGANCONSTRUCTION& DESIGNTRADESHOWA Sure Bet at MotorCity Casino Hotel

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

CONSTRUCTIONSAFETY

Beefing Up YourSafety Culture

Health and Safety Hazards Working in

Dilapidated Buildings

42 CAM MAGAZINE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2011 “Voice Of The Construction Industry”®

tangible link to the living world to helppeople understand the importance of theseefforts. Construction manager GrangerConstruction Company, Lansing, andarchitect Neumann/Smith Architecture,Southfield, led the team that delivered thisfine example of sustainable design andconstruction.

picturesque oasis. Exterior sun shades andtall translucent glass windows celebrate therural countryside with spectacular viewswhile providing abundant natural lightinside. The 73,000-square-foot facility, forwhich LEED Gold-Level certification isanticipated, not only conserves valuablenatural resources – it also provides a

Many facilities are designed withsustainable goals in mind, but theCenturion Medical Products

Corporate Headquarters Building,Williamston, is literally outstanding in thefield. Not only has the structure beenrecognized as CAM Magazine’s 2010 GreenBuilding of the Year, it also sits nestled in a

T R A D E S H O W 2 0 1 1

Centurion MedicalProducts CorporateHeadquarters: 2010 GREEN PROJECT OF THE YEARBy David Miller, Associate Editor Photography by Justin Maconochie

Visit us at www.cam-online.com

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

Many of the elements that make the new Centurion MedicalProducts facility green will probably go unnoticed by the peoplewho visit the facility, but the reasons behind them are madeabundantly clear by a design that celebrates harmony with thefacility’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 lowprofile that reduces visibility from the road and this is augmentedwith landscape berms that screen the delivery area while shieldingthe building. Future outdoor amenities will include a soccer field, apicnic area and a fitness trail which will run around the entireproperty. A six foot band of wild flowers lines one side of the entrydrive and wraps around the building while separating lawn areasfrom natural grasses. Eventually, workers will need to enter thebuilding to complete their tasks, but they need not leave this naturalsplendor behind when they do.

"The owners of Centurion Medical Products wanted to create anopen, inviting, flexible and enjoyable work environment for theiremployees,” said Stanley E. Cole, RA, LEED AP, principal atNeumann/Smith and project manager and LEED administrator forthe project. “Through the use of vision glass, translucent windowsand clerestories, the building was designed to allow a lot of naturallight into the building and provide great views for 98% of thenormally occupied spaces."

Natural light flows over the vibrant interior spaces highlighting thecreative talents of Jamie Millspaugh, NCIDQ, LEED AP, interior designerfor Neumann/Smith. Clerestory glass in the centrally located mainatrium brings natural light into interior spaces. Daylight is also

harvested along the buildingperimeter and interior columnuplights, frequently allowingfor lighting fixtures to bedimmed or turned off entirely.Efficiency is further enhancedby a flexible system that letsindividual users set lightinglevels to suit their needs andpreferences. The conferencecenter alone features fourseparate lighting zones thatcan be individually set.

Generous portions ofnatural light coupled withoutdoor views create atangible connection to naturethat reinforces the strongcommitment to sustainabilityalready in place at Centurion.The company embraces acorporate recycling policywith multiple bins placed toprovide easy access fromoffices and loading dockareas. Company leaders alsoselected linear fluorescentlighting over compact

UNDERSTANDING HOW Many sustainable features at the Centurion Medical Products

Corporate Headquarters are easy to see, but a thoroughunderstanding of the structure is needed to understand the depth ofthe commitment. An energy efficient exterior envelope delivers aninsulation R value that is 28 percent higher than what is required bycode, while the building’s mechanical and electrical designincorporates numerous efficient design strategies to perform 18percent better than the base model for a similar structure. Thesesavings were confirmed through an advanced buildingcommissioning process that will be maintained over time todocument long-term results.

Water usage was also given careful consideration throughwater-efficient plumbing fixtures. Native and drought resistantplants were used to reduce irrigation needs. When irrigation isrequired, water will be delivered by drip line systems and aSmartLine controller delivers only what is needed. As naturalresources become scarcer, the sophisticated techniques used atCenturion Medical Products will become more common.

“Green building is, in essence, about being responsible whetheryou are the owner, architect, engineer or builder,” said ChristineCosta, LEED AP, LEED coordinator and project architect forNeumann/Smith. “It is a responsibility to the public and to theenvironment that everyone on this project took seriously, which iswhat led to its successful realization as a green building. Torecognize it as such, as well as other responsible projects, willcontinue to move the industry in that direction and ultimately the‘green building movement’ will become standard practice.”

Before the green building movement can become standardpractice, construction and design professionals must address thechallenges associated with it. Although this can require a differentmindset from contractors, many have found that tangible benefitsaccompany green buildingpractices.

“I don’t think that we didanything unusual on thisproject,” said Jeff Tuley,project manager for GrangerConstruction Company. “Wetry to reuse and recycle asmuch as we can – fromconcrete and masonry waste,to cardboard, paper,Styrofoam, wood and metal.We have recognized thatthere is a cost savingsbecause we are sending lessmaterial to landfills.”Tuley admits that not everycontractor has discovered thebenefits of recycling, but it isstandard operatingprocedure on every projectfor Granger ConstructionCompany. Over 466 tons ofmaterials were diverted fromlandfills on the CenturionMedical Products project. Theproject team also specifiedsignificant quantities of

CAM MAGAZINE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2011 43

44 CAM MAGAZINE JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2011 “Voice Of The Construction Industry”®

THE FOLLOWING SUBCONTRACTORSAND PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANTSCONTRIBUTED THEIR SKILLS TO THEPROJECT:• Blinds and Shades – Bayvue Drapery,Burton

• Concrete, Foundations, Flatwork andGeneral Trades – Granger ConstructionCompany, Lansing

• Doors and Hardware – S.A. Morman &Company, Grand Rapids

• Electrical – Superior Electric of Lansing• Elevator – Thyssenkrupp Elevator, GrandRapids

• Fire Protection – American FireProtection, Lansing

• Flooring – Lansing Tile & Mosaic, Inc.,Lansing

• Furniture – DBI Business Interiors, Lansing• Glass and Curtainwall – Huron ValleyGlass, Inc., Ypsilanti

• HVAC – Myers Plumbing & Heating, Inc.,Lansing

• IT Infrastructure – Netech Corp., GrandRapids

• Landscape Architect – LandscapeArchitects and Planners, Lansing

• Landscaping – Hundred Acre Woods, Inc.,Williamston

• Masonry – Leidal and Hart MasonContractors, Livonia

• Mechanical and Electrical Engineer –Peter Basso Associates, Inc., Troy

• Metal Studs and Drywall – DSI AcousticalCo., 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 listedin this feature are identified by the generalcontractor, architect or owner.

project team."It is our hope that by informing the

public about green ideas and why it isimportant to be good stewards of the earththat one day it will be commonplacethinking and sound design practice withmaterials that are ecologically friendly,” saidEmil R. Sdao, RA, LEED AP, project designerand design director at Neumann/Smith.

fluorescent lighting whenever possible andthe company also instituted a recyclingprogram for any used lamps that mightcontain mercury. The final result of this successful project is

a building that is truly worthy of the title,“Green Building of the Year.” The CAMMagazine staff sincerely hopes that otherswill follow the example of this dedicated

T R A D E S H O W 2 0 1 1

Kotz, Sangster, Wysocki and Berg, P.C.

Construction Law Specialists

Solving corporate and litigation problems for the construction industry

WWW.KOTZSANGSTER.COM

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Grand Rapids, MI 49503Telephone: (616) 940-0230Facsimile: (616) 285-7215