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Forum Studio Designs BJC’s First Tilt-Up Structure

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BJC

WORDS: KERRY L. SMITH | IMAGES: MATTHEW MCFARLAND, M STUDIO WEST

THE NEWLY COMPLETED, $25-MILLION, 220,000-SQUARE-FOOT, FIVE-STORY ADMINISTRATIVE HUB FOR BJC HEALTHCARE (BARNES-JEWISH HOSPITAL) IN SAINT LOUIS, MO IS A TILT-UP SUCCESS STORY. DESIGNED BY FORUM STUDIO, A FULL-SERVICE ARCHITECTURE FIRM BASED IN ST. LOUIS AND CHICAGO, BJC @ THE COMMONS WAS RECENTLY HONORED WITH THE TILT-UP CONCRETE ASSOCIATION’S 2014 EXCELLENCE IN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE USE OF MATERIALS COUPLED WITH AN UNCOMPROMISING DESIGN VISION.

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The building, BJC Healthcare’s first tilt-up edifice, was completed in October 2013 as a response to a changing healthcare environment with a heightened focus on cost control, efficiency and wellness.

BJC, one of the largest healthcare systems in the Midwest, first approached Forum Studio to help consolidate more than 1,000 BJC administrative employees under one roof, according to BJC Healthcare Director of Interior Design Services Nancy Coleman. Previously, BJC’s staff had been spread throughout a diffuse urban campus, often sharing cramped quarters with healthcare providers and others. BJC knew that to realize efficiency and enhance the quality of the workplace, things needed to change, and change fast.

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Coleman approached Forum Studio because of the firm’s reputation for speed and service. Together with its parent company Clayco, one of the nation’s top builders, Forum Studio has perfected the integrated delivery method which has been shown to save considerable time and money for clients.

“Forum and Clayco provided an accelerated construction schedule with the design build method,” said Coleman. The project’s total duration – from construction start to staff move-in – took only 10 months. Forum Studio Associate Principal Lance McOlgan, the project’s lead architect, said the work was not only completed on time but also succeeded in maximizing the client’s value while staying within budget.

But the savings, it turned out, were only half the story. The new building, which emphasizes wellness and access to the natural environment, has transformed BJC’s workplace culture. Patricia Baker, project manager for BJC @ The Commons, said the success of the new building is clear: “almost immediately after move-in, we began seeing positive changes in our workforce,” Baker said. “They are more engaged, more interactive and more efficient. With BJC @ The Commons, Forum Studio truly set the standard for BJC’s future workplace designs.”

Located along Interstate 64, little more than a mile from BJC’s medical hub in Forest Park, BJC @ The Commons sits at the front of the thriving 200-acre tech and bioscience R&D hub known as the Cortex Innovation Community.

Dennis Lower, president and chief executive officer for Cortex, said, “The façade unwittingly almost looks like DNA code,” referencing the structure’s window pattern. The building represents the most ambitious build-to-suit project to date in the Cortex development, he said, and is the first project to be completed in Cortex’s phase 2. “BJC @ The Commons cuts a distinct profile and is unique from any other building we have within Cortex,” Lower added. “It really is a landmark facility for us.”

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Blending the exterior design of The Commons with the overall look of the evolving Cortex district – while referencing BJC’s main campus in nearby Forest Park – was essential, according to McOlgan.

Three alternating sizes and proportions of windows punched in tilt-up concrete panels define floors one through four of the structure. The dynamic fenestration pattern creatively optimizes natural light; wrapping around the building, it also conveys a sense of continuity, according to McOlgan. The fifth floor, the top level, is comprised entirely of high-performance glass that creates identity for the building. The top floor is shaded by a continuous metal panel, or “eyebrow,” which further increases energy efficiency.

“We designed the exterior articulations and openings to harvest natural light according to its orientation to the sun and to take advantage of views to the exterior,” McOlgan said.  The west and east elevations are expressed differently from the north and south accordingly.  The west elevation features an expansive glass curtain wall, punctuated with columns of vertical sunshades that provide visual depth and protection from the midday sun. The west elevation presented a special opportunity to signal to the community that BJC@The Commons looks to the future. “The transparency of the glass curtain wall visually invites people in,” said McOlgan. “It’s a welcoming gesture.”

An uncompromising attention to design isn’t just façade-deep. “The team worked in concert to meet the $120 per-square-foot budget, which is phenomenally low for this type and quality of facility,” said McOlgan. An office building designed in a traditional manner is typically budgeted at $150 – $170 per square foot. “The building’s efficient design was driven by BJC’s desire to achieve a flexible, scalable workplace. After extensive study, our team was able to develop highly flexible planning that reflects the most current thinking and best practices in workplace design and, at the same time, is respectful of BJC’s culture and functional requirements,” he added. By utilizing tilt-up panels, the exterior columns are eliminated allowing for a clear open work area. The efficient design allows for 90% of the floor plate to serve as usable office space.

“Collaborative workspaces that are completely open on each floor enhance the client’s overall goal to promote an efficient, healthy workplace,” McOlgan noted. Another feature that emphasizes health-focused design is the open, finished egress stairways that promote walking rather than using an elevator. In a consolidated café, a strong branding motif and graphics adorn the walls to encourage BJC employees to pursue healthy lifestyles.

Consistent with a focus on wellness, energy efficiency was a significant component of the design. “Thirty percent of the power used in a traditional office building is attributable to lighting,” said McOlgan. “Thanks to daylight harvesting achieved by the envelope design, we were able to reduce the demand for lighting power by half.” Contributing to the building’s efficiency are sustainable design materials such as low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint, recycled carpet, glass, aluminum and recycled concrete.

“Working collaboratively with BJC to design BJC @ The Commons allowed us to fully realize the potential of the cornerstone site located so close to the historic Central West End, Forest Park and the healthcare campus,” said McOlgan. “We are fortunate to have a client like BJC to think big with us. The building is part of an exciting urban dialogue that is taking place in St. Louis.”

The occupants of the existing BJC facility currently benefit from a generous parking area but in 2017 will also be able to use a planned MetroLink transit station. Funded largely by a $10.3 million federal economic recovery grant, the future station will be located within easy walking distance of The Commons, immediately north of the site. For this reason, the award-winning BJC facility standing today serves as a vivid example of thoughtful transit-oriented design.

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St. Louis-based Concrete Strategies poured the panels on site and hoisted them into place with a 450-ton crawler crane, according to Barclay Gebel, Vice President of Operations. “Each panel weighed close to 200,000 pounds,” he said. “BJC @ The Commons is unique as a tilt-up building because it’s close to 70 feet tall.  Panels were cast on the first floor slab as well as on casting beds to the east.  The massive 30-foot-wide panels required four external braces at each panel.” Another tiltup innovation was hanging 5-foot-tall by 30-foot-long tiltup spandrels directly on top of the steel frame. The spandrels, which support the “eyebrow” above the ribbon windows, were cast on the ground and lifted up into place, saving additional construction time.

“BJC most likely will recognize an overall cost savings of about 20 percent in opting to utilize tilt-up in lieu of a more traditional project delivery method,” Gebel said. “The building’s high finished panels present an architecturally sophisticated look on the outside yet maintains structural integrity within. This project enabled all of us to take tilt-up to another level.”

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 ABOUT FORUM STUDIO

Forum Studio is a full-service architecture firm that harnesses the power of integrated design and collaboration. Offering comprehensive solutions across multiple disciplines including architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning, Forum Studio builds important and complex environments for national and international clients. Forum Studio utilizes best practices while relentlessly pursuing innovative thinking. Focused on the specialized needs of each client, the firm elevates design solutions to maximize value through responsive leadership, creative visioning and mission-critical expertise. For more information, visit www.forumstudio.com.

ABOUT CONCRETE STRATEGIES

For the last 10 years, Concrete Strategies has been one of the nation’s largest providers of tilt-up concrete services, completing projects in over 43 states. With 12 Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA) Achievement Awards, Concrete Strategies is continually recognized by top engineering and design firms for quality and consistently introduces innovative architectural and cost-saving measures to Tilt-Up projects. The experienced design and operations team has even converted projects from cast-in-place to Tilt-Up in order to save the client cost and time, while ensuring safety and quality finishes.

 

 

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