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Design: Dixon Architecture/Northern Structural. Contract: Competitively Bid. Budget: $437,000. Supervision: Curt Thon and Greg Kerkstra. Don Smith, the owner of Creative Merchandising Systems, is a client who takes great pride in his business. He wanted his new facility to not just represent what his company stands for, but also make a statement about how they strive for continuous improvement in all facets of their business. Kerkstra conducted considerable preconstruction budgeting with Don. The long term benefits lower mechanical cost, higher durability, and better residual value made precast the obvious choice for CMS which was originally drawn as a pre-engineered steel building,” said Dean Rosendall, Vice President of Construction - First Companies. CMS features 31,905 square feet of load-bearing precast insulated sandwich wall panels, 2,090 square feet of 8” hollowcore floor plank, and 2,844 square feet of 12” hollowcore floor plank. CMS’ precast wall panels were engineered for the most rapid installation while eliminating multiple trades on site. Electrical conduit was cast into the precast wall panels giving a finished product as soon as it was erected, leaving no need for drywall or other interior finishes. The insulated sandwich wall panels act as the frost wall extending to the footing while at the same time supporting the 12” hollowcore floor plank that provides a large interior mezzanine used for office space. CMS’s wall panels feature a sandblast finish that was stained on site. Large window openings were cast into the panels adding dimension and beauty to the building. “We made the decision to go with precast over pre-engineered steel at Creative Merchandising Systems for two reasons, the first is the energy savings that can be realized through the use of precast and the second is the durability and useful life of the building,” said Don Smith, owner – Creative Merchandising Systems.