Story

Century Center’s greatest challenge was fitting a modern-day renovation into a 1970s constructed building. The most particular was fitting new façade (storefront, GFRC, and metal panels) between existing precast above and existing structural slab below. Additionally, the slab edge conditions changed throughout the entirety of the façade “wrap” and each section of façade had to be treated as its own, unique case. The support structure of the GFRC was designed to be individual steel angles installed at (5) different elevations to hold up the frames of the GFRC. This involved significant layout, coordination of GFRC attachment accessories, and air barrier details. Additionally, during the demo of the existing façade on one elevation it was found the slab edge supporting the GFRC was almost 1’-0” in-house, adding more steel to build out the slab edge, avoid existing-to-remain FCU risers and coordinate back with the new storefront system. Additionally, the entirety of the building was on below grade garage which as very strict weight restrictions. This created complicated and significant temporary shoring conditions to bring heavy equipment and material to their final installation locations. All the steel posts for the new pavilion structure in the plaza needed to be tightly coordinated and laid out over top of the existing columns below. Almost all the columns were not in per the drawings and required unique modifications to maintain the structural integrity of the pavilion which also depended on the columns below to do so. Finally, the lobby inside the buildings were to both be built out. Both buildings had numerous existing expansion joints and movement over the decades was obvious. We had to create multiple benchmarks to create a level terrazzo corridor while also maintaining the proper elevation for a new, monumental stair that gave access to a 2nd floor, new courtyard. Century Center was a very complicated project that dealt with numerous unknown, unique conditions. The result, though was a beautiful, high quality product that brings some fresh life back to the 1970 structures.”