The relocation and consolidation of hundreds of employees from seven departments of Wayne County, Mich., into the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a refreshing tale of smart government planning and clever financial management that will benefit taxpayers in the economically distressed region for years to come.
The Guardian Building was designed by Wirt C. Rowland, of Smith Hinchman and Grylls (now SmithGroup) and completed in 1929 as the Union Guardian Building. It combined Native American, Aztec, and Arts & Crafts influences in an inspiring display of Art Deco enthusiasm, with polychromed terra cotta on its exterior, travertine marble from Italy and Numidian marble from Africa on the walls and floors, Monel metal in the ornamental screen in the lobby, custom tiles by Mary Chase Stratton’s Pewabic Pottery, and sculpted architectural reliefs by Corrado Parducci—no wonder people called it “The Cathedral of Finance.” It has been designated a National Historic Landmark.
For two decades, the county had been paying $5.2 million a year in rent for space at 600 Randolph in Detroit—more than $100 million total. Seven years ago, as the lease was running out, the county purchased the Guardian Building (along with another building and a parking structure) for $14 million and bonded another $13.5 million for tenant improvements.
By 2008, with construction costs at favorable levels, the county bonded for another $30 million to change the project scope and accelerate the capital improvement schedule. The Building Team brought the project in at $33,261,000 in construction costs, $11,535,000 (25.7%) below budget.
The HVAC system was upgraded, improving indoor air quality and energy efficiency, and a distributed direct digital controls system was installed, along with video conferencing technology, flat screen monitors for public presentations, electronic faxing to reduce the use of paper, and Voice Over IP, which eliminated 3,500 land lines and will save $500,000 in phone costs.
Instead of shelling out $5.2 million a year at 600 Randolph, plus $1 million at another building, the annual operating costs for the county’s space in the Guardian Building is only $1.9 million. With payment of the debt service, taxpayers will come out $2 million ahead every year—and the county owns a historic building with an estimated current value of $60-100 million. BD+C
PROJECT SUMMARY
Building Team
Owner: Department of Economic Development, Wayne County, Mich.
Submitting firm: SmithGroup (architect, AOR, SE/MEP engineer)
Property manager: Sterling Group
Construction administrator: Hines
General contractor: Sachse Construction/Tooles Contracting Group JV
General Information
Area: 495,600 rentable sf
Construction Cost: $33,261,000
Construction time: September 2008 to December 2009
Delivery method: PM/GC
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA hires Worthen, Fitzgerald for sustainability, young architects initiatives
As part of an ongoing effort to bolster its education and outreach on sustainability, the American Institute of Architects has hired William J. Worthen, AIA, LEED AP, vice president of Simon & Associates (a green consulting firm) as Director and Resource Architect for Sustainability. The AIA has also hired Kevin A. Fitzgerald, AIA, a former associate with Robert AM Stern Architects, as a staff coordinator/team leader for several AIA committees devoted to young architects.
| Aug 11, 2010
Perkins+Will acquires Canadian firm Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners
Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners of Toronto, Ont., Canada, has been acquired by Perkins+Will, a global integrated design firm headquartered in Chicago. The merger marks Perkins+Will's 19th office in North America and its second in Canada.
| Aug 11, 2010
NBBJ and C.T. Hsu associates join forces for Florida healthcare market
NBBJ has entered into an exclusive alliance agreement with C.T. Hsu + Associates P.A. (CTHA) to provide world-class design/planning services for Florida's emerging healthcare and science facilities market. The alliance combines NBBJ's international reputation for the design and planning of healthcare and science & research facilities with CTHA's knowledge of community needs and established reputation for planning and design expertise in Central Florida.
| Aug 11, 2010
Minneapolis Public Housing authority, Honeywell launch energy retrofit program
Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Honeywell today announced a $33.6-million energy efficiency and facility renewal program that will help the housing authority improve its infrastructure, reduce its impact on the environment, and save more than $3.7 million in utility costs per year. Local contractors will also complete a majority of the work for the program, one of the largest of its kind for a public housing authority, helping boost the Twin Cities job market.
| Aug 11, 2010
Shepley Bulfinch announces merger of Merzproject
National architecture firm Shepley Bulfinch of Boston and Merzproject of Phoenix today announced their merger. The merger unites Shepley Bulfinch, one of the country’s leading design firms, and Merzproject.
| Aug 11, 2010
Skanska Promotes Richard Kennedy to COO for NY/NJ Metro Area
Skanska USA Building Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., has announced that Richard Kennedy was promoted to Chief Operating Officer from his previous role as Senior Vice President – General Counsel. Kennedy’s promotion marks the latest addition to Skanska’s national leadership team.
| Aug 11, 2010
The New Yorker's David Owen: Why Manhattan is America's greenest community
David Owen is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of 14 books, most recently Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability, in which he argues that Manhattan is the greenest community in America. He graduated from Harvard and lives in Washington, Conn., where he chairs the town planning commission.
| Aug 11, 2010
Brown Craig Turner opens senior living studio
Baltimore-based architecture and design firm Brown Craig Turner has significantly expanded its housing design capabilities and expertise with the launch of its new senior living studio.
| Aug 11, 2010
George H. Miller, FAIA, inaugurated as 2010 AIA President
George H. Miller, FAIA, partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners LLP, was inaugurated as the 86th president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during ceremonies held on December 4th.
