![\"BJC\"](\"http:\/\/tilt-up.org\/tilt-uptoday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/BJC.jpg\")
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WORDS:<\/b> KERRY L. SMITH |\u00a0IMAGES:<\/b> MATTHEW MCFARLAND, M STUDIO WEST<\/p>\nTHE 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\u2019S 2014 EXCELLENCE IN ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE USE OF MATERIALS COUPLED WITH AN UNCOMPROMISING DESIGN VISION.<\/h4>\n
![\"N96A3870\"](\"http:\/\/tilt-up.org\/tilt-uptoday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/N96A3870.jpg\")
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The building, BJC Healthcare\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
![\"N96A4422\"](\"http:\/\/tilt-up.org\/tilt-uptoday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/N96A4422.jpg\")
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Coleman approached Forum Studio because of the firm\u2019s reputation for speed and service. Together with its parent company Clayco, one of the nation\u2019s top builders, Forum Studio has perfected the integrated delivery method which has been shown to save considerable time and money for clients.<\/p>\n
\u201cForum and Clayco provided an accelerated construction schedule with the design build method,\u201d said Coleman. The project\u2019s total duration \u2013 from construction start to staff move-in \u2013 took only 10 months. Forum Studio Associate Principal Lance McOlgan, the project\u2019s lead architect, said the work was not only completed on time but also succeeded in maximizing the client\u2019s value while staying within budget.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s workplace culture. Patricia Baker, project manager for BJC @ The Commons, said the success of the new building is clear: \u201calmost immediately after move-in, we began seeing positive changes in our workforce,\u201d Baker said. \u201cThey are more engaged, more interactive and more efficient. With BJC @ The Commons, Forum Studio truly set the standard for BJC\u2019s future workplace designs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Located along Interstate 64, little more than a mile from BJC\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Dennis Lower, president and chief executive officer for Cortex, said, \u201cThe fa\u00e7ade unwittingly almost looks like DNA code,\u201d referencing the structure\u2019s 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\u2019s phase 2. \u201cBJC @ The Commons cuts a distinct profile and is unique from any other building we have within Cortex,\u201d Lower added. \u201cIt really is a landmark facility for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"N96A4163\"](\"http:\/\/tilt-up.org\/tilt-uptoday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/N96A4163.jpg\")
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Blending the exterior design of The Commons with the overall look of the evolving Cortex district \u2013 while referencing BJC\u2019s main campus in nearby Forest Park \u2013 was essential, according to McOlgan.<\/p>\n
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 \u201ceyebrow,\u201d which further increases energy efficiency.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe 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,\u201d McOlgan said.\u00a0 The west and east elevations are expressed differently from the north and south accordingly.\u00a0 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. \u201cThe transparency of the glass curtain wall visually invites people in,\u201d said McOlgan. \u201cIt\u2019s a welcoming gesture.\u201d<\/p>\n
An uncompromising attention to design isn\u2019t just fa\u00e7ade-deep. \u201cThe team worked in concert to meet the $120 per-square-foot budget, which is phenomenally low for this type and quality of facility,\u201d said McOlgan. An office building designed in a traditional manner is typically budgeted at $150 – $170 per square foot. \u201cThe building\u2019s efficient design was driven by BJC\u2019s 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\u2019s culture and functional requirements,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollaborative workspaces that are completely open on each floor enhance the client\u2019s overall goal to promote an efficient, healthy workplace,\u201d 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 caf\u00e9, a strong branding motif and graphics adorn the walls to encourage BJC employees to pursue healthy lifestyles.<\/p>\n
Consistent with a focus on wellness, energy efficiency was a significant component of the design. \u201cThirty percent of the power used in a traditional office building is attributable to lighting,\u201d said McOlgan. \u201cThanks to daylight harvesting achieved by the envelope design, we were able to reduce the demand for lighting power by half.\u201d Contributing to the building\u2019s efficiency are sustainable design materials such as low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint, recycled carpet, glass, aluminum and recycled concrete.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking 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,\u201d said McOlgan. \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
![\"BJC-tilt-panel-erection\"](\"http:\/\/tilt-up.org\/tilt-uptoday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/BJC-tilt-panel-erection.jpg\")
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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. \u201cEach panel weighed close to 200,000 pounds,\u201d he said. \u201cBJC @ The Commons is unique as a tilt-up building because it\u2019s close to 70 feet tall.\u00a0 Panels were cast on the first floor slab as well as on casting beds to the east.\u00a0 The massive 30-foot-wide panels required four external braces at each panel.\u201d 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 \u201ceyebrow\u201d above the ribbon windows, were cast on the ground and lifted up into place, saving additional construction time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBJC 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,\u201d Gebel said. \u201cThe building\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"N96A3860\"](\"http:\/\/tilt-up.org\/tilt-uptoday\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/N96A3860.jpg\")
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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.<\/p>\n
For the last 10 years, Concrete Strategies has been one of the nation\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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