Masonry Magazine August 1980 Page. 24
HAMILTON LAKES PROJECT
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The office tower will be a masterpiece of a 275-acre office park. Located four miles west of O'Hare International Airport in Itasca. III., the office tower will offer tenants space ranging from 23.100 sq. ft. per floor to areas as small as 500 sq. ft. The office building will have its own three-story atrium lobby, overlooking a series of five lakes amid an 80-acre, heavily landscaped park.
The three-story building connecting the office tower and hotel will contain 120.000 sq. ft. of space to accommodate offices, a restaurant, and a fitness center including an indoor swimming pool, 11 racquetball/handball courts, saunas, and exercise facilities. Additionally, there will be a 2.5 mile outdoor jogging path and outdoor tennis courts.
Altogether. The Trammell Crow Company has master-planned a development of 4.5 million sq. ft. of office, hotel, retail, and restaurant space within the site. After future phases, the completed complex will house 15 to 25 office buildings with a value expected to exceed $250 million.
Year-Round Construction
According to David Kirby, the versatility, aesthetics, and time and cost saving features of the preassembled masonry panels were major factors in the decision to utilize them in the Hamilton Lakes complex. Not only do the panels provide intriguing architectural features which cannot be duplicated in conventionally-laid masonry, but construction can be carried on year-round.
Architects Wilson/Jenkins & Associates, Inc. of Des Plaines, III., and general contractor Henry C. Beck Company of Dallas, Texas, selected Vet-O-Vitz Masonry Systems (MCAA) of Brunswick, Ohio, as a supplier of the preassembled masonry panels. Vet-O-Vitz Masonry Systems is a division of Vetovitz Brothers, Inc., and has been in the field of masonry panelization since 1971, and in the area of conventional masonry construction for 25 years.
Vet-O-Vitz is supplying more than 200.000 sq. ft. of preassembled panels for the complex. This translates into roughly 1,550 panels consisting of over 600,000 4 x 4 × 12-in. brick. Approximately 200 loads will be shipped from Brunswick to Itasca.
Speeded Production
Brick for the Hamilton Lakes preassembled panels is obtained from the Endicott Clay Products Company in Fairbury. Nebraska. Brown in color, the brick is referred to as "Dallas Blend." This is the same color brick as the Trammell Crow organization selected for its 1,001-room Loews Anatole Dallas Hotel.
The brick arrive in Vet-O-Vitz brickyard where they are inspected for any potential damage that may have incurred in transit. In order to maintain a smooth production schedule while at the same time minimizing inventory. Vet-O-Vitz always keeps two weeks production in supply.
As with any project, Vet-O-Vitz prepares shop drawings for each panel, numbering each for elevation. Originally, the job was designed in stack bond. However, the architect later specified panels to be executed in a vertical running bond.
"With the new specifications, we had to come up with a special brick to make the sloping turn on each panel." says Ravinder Dua, Vet-O-Vitz director of marketing and engineering. "Typically, the longest angle brick American manufacturers make is 12 inches. We were faced with preparing a 12- plus 8-inch corner brick."
Vet-O-Vitz solution was to use templates to cut the brick into any desired size and shape. Next, a special jig was constructed which would accommodate two brick: one for the vertical face and another for the sloping face. Vet-O-Vitz developed a unique technique to join these two cut pieces into one unit which is similar to an oversized shaped one.
Special automatic scaffolding allows union masons to assemble panels in just one day. Brick arrive at each work station by 6 a.m., pre-counted and pre-located for fast assembly. Actual work begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m.
"We don't want the panels to tie up the production area for more than 24 hours." says Dua. "Most other manufacturers hold panels 14 to 28 days to allow mortar to dry and harden. We use quick-drying straight Portland cement without any epoxy additives. In cold weather, production areas are space-heated for proper curing of mortar."
Panels are allowed to dry overnight. The next morning a crew removes each panel from the production area by overhead crane to storage facilities, and the asembly process begins anew. In storage, each panel is inspected again, washed and stored properly. Just prior to loading. the panels are given a final inspection and secured to the specially designed Vet-O-Vitz trailer fleet.
Easy Installation
When the panels leave Vet-O-Vitz' yard, they are completely finished in appearance. Each panel is shipped in the position in which it will eventually be attached to the building.
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