Masonry Magazine October 2010 Page. 34
HARDSCAPING CASE STUDY
Target Corporation Digs Down to go Upscale in Michigan
The Bloomfield Town Square Shopping Centre in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is a large commercial area tucked into the affluent community located 30 minutes outside Detroit. When the Showcase Cinemas closed, a large building in the complex was left vacant. In early-2007, Target Corp. proposed to build a Target Department Store on that site. The corporation wanted to make this location as upscale as possible, given the affluence of the area.
THE CHALLEGE
The challenge presented to Adam Timps, landscape contractor at Wall Tek, was to build a wall around the vast Target property that fulfilled the requirements of building restrictions, while achieving an upscale and appealing aesthetic.
The contractor's team also had to work within the constraints of a single-story height limitation imposed in the area, so the architect proposed to build the Target store to its originally planned multi-storey height by excavating the site. The retaining wall also had to provide structural stability for the excavation. This was the primary cause for constructing the retaining wall, says Timps.
The retaining wall built around the Target store had to be strong enough to keep hold of site soils of up to 25 feet deep in order to maintain a landscaped berm around the store. Furthermore, due to the shape of the building itself, the wall had to incorporate a large curve in one section.
The affluence of the area, and the corporation's intention to make this Target the most upscale location to date, necessitated a pleasing design. The architect selected building materials to mirror the Cranbrook Institute, a natural history museum in the area that features interesting architecture. The architect planned to use metal panels, stone, stucco and a wood-like rainscreen to construct the exterior of the Target store, and the corporation requested that the wall complement the stone façade of the building.
Local residents had demanded that the wall shield the department store from their view, and that Target Corp. must maintain green space around the perimeter of the property.
THE SOLUTION
Target Corp. chose Atlas Block products from Ontario, Canada, to construct the retaining wall. Atlas Block manufactures concrete blocks for construction and landscaping in an assortment of colors, textures and sizes. Atlas Block concrete is manufactured with up to 36 percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) content, including colored glass that typically ends up in landfills. The use of significant PCR content in production means Atlas Block products are environmentally friendly, earning builders and landscapers double the LEED points.
The curve in this retaining wall was constructed using a three-piece block pattern of concrete blocks from Atlas Block.
There were two parts to the structure: a retaining wall and a fence section. Target Corp. chose the AB Collection materials for the retaining wall and the AB Fence materials for the fence. Both sets of materials were purchased in Mahogany with a split-face texture in an Ashlar blend pattern. With construction complete, the scope of the wall and the fence totaled 10,000 square feet each.
This low fence on the grounds of the new Target Department Store in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., was constructed with concrete blocks from Atlas Block which are made from up to 36 percent post consumer recycled glass.
With the right materials from Atlas Block, Timps and his team were able to construct a wall around the new Target building that adhered to the strict landscaping and construction requirements, while heightening the department store's aesthetic to fit into the affluent area. The result was an aesthetically pleasing, durable and sustainable wall that supported the