Iowa organizations honored for use of ready-mixed concrete in new corporate headquarters facilities
This past summer, construction wrapped up on new headquarters for two Iowa-based companies: Ascentra Credit Union, a not-for-profit cooperative, unveiled its new four-story home in Bettendorf. Four miles to the north, a one-story structure in Davenport welcomed RiverStone Group, a producer that supplies aggregates (e.g., crushed stone, sand, gravel) for buildings, roads, and bridges throughout the Midwest.
Though the headquarters, like the organizations they house, are quite different, one thing they have in common is the use of concrete that is ready mixed, meaning it was “batched” at a plant instead of being mixed on site. It was the use of that concrete that led the Iowa Ready Mixed Concrete Association (IRMCA) and the American Concrete Institute (ACI) to present both buildings with Excellence in Concrete awards. The competition honors Iowa projects that use ready-mixed concrete for structural or flatwork applications.
Judging criteria included architectural design, engineering and construction challenges, project complexity, project uniqueness, workmanship, finished impression, and diverse application of ready-mixed concrete.
In mid-November, the project teams accepted the awards at the Better Concrete Conference at Iowa State University’s Scheman Center (Ames, Iowa). The Ascentra Credit Union and Riverstone Group headquarters were designed by Legat Architects and built by Russell.
Ascentra Credit Union: Strong Structure
Ascentra’s new headquarters in Bettendorf received the honor in the Low-Rise Buildings category. The facility uses composite steel beams to maximize the structural strength of the concrete slab (second through fourth floors) and reduce the construction cost.
Concrete masonry unit (CMU) sheer walls in two stairwell shafts and an elevator shaft reduce the size of the structure by creating lateral resistance against wind and other outside forces.
IRMCA and ACI complemented “careful coordination and detailing of trades at interfaces (concrete and steel floor system to CMU walls and CMU walls to concrete foundations) required to transfer the higher load patterns that would be generated.”
Ascentra Credit Union Project Team
Architect: Legat Architects, Moline
Construction manager: Russell, Davenport
Ready-mixed concrete producer: Hahn Ready Mix Company, Davenport
Concrete subcontractor: Centennial Contractors of the Quad Cities, Moline
Engineer: Select Structural Engineering, Bettendorf
RiverStone Group: Artistic and Personalized
RiverStone Group’s new Davenport headquarters won in the Commercial/Industrial Decorative category, which applauds artistic use of concrete in non-residential projects.
The organization wanted to incorporate its own product into the facility. Designers looked to the flooring—polished concrete floors in the lobby and walkways showcase trap rocks from one of the firm’s quarries.
“We started with mock panels from RiverStone’s different plants,” said Legat’s Jeff Sandberg, project manager. “Chosen aggregates were added to the concrete mix poured to create the floor slabs. Contractors then ground down the concrete to expose the aggregate.”
The design also uses smooth concrete to give the facility an elegant appearance, from the exterior entry wall that holds the RiverStone logo to lower interior walls and counters.
RiverStone Group Project Team
Architect: Legat Architects, Moline
Construction manager: Russell, Davenport
Ready mixed concrete producer: Hahn Ready Mix Company, Davenport
Concrete subcontractor: CDMI Concrete Contractors, Port Byron, IL
Engineer: IMEG, Rock Island
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