Project Overview
With picturesque views overlooking the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis, Minn., ELEVEN is an upscale, 42-story residential tower featuring 2766 precast concrete panels. The structure, which combines historical architecture with modern design, is the region’s tallest residential tower and a stunning part of the city skyline.
History Meets Modernity in Minneapolis
Building an aesthetically pleasing skyscraper in a highly visible area of the city takes significant preparation and planning. Precast concrete is featured throughout the building envelope. The ornate, eight-story podium, which houses retail spaces and parking, and the main tower both called for multiple customized forms to construct highly detailed corners, double-notches, and cornices. Gage Brothers used three-dimensional printing to create custom forms for some of the higher-use cornice elements dotting the building’s podium. The efficiency achieved by the forms was noted by project contractor Ryan Companies US Inc. as the key to building a structure with such a timeless design. ELEVEN also features double-arch panels and windows that pay homage to two of Minneapolis’s landmarks: the 19th-century Stone Arch Bridge spanning the Mississippi River and a historic steam power plant.
According to Robert A. M. Stern Architects, precast concrete was the building material of choice for ELEVEN for several reasons, including enhanced quality control to ensure accurate colors and details across all the precast concrete panels. To achieve color consistency on the panels, Gage Brothers’ finishing department developed numerous mock-ups. This technique allowed workers to compare colors in altering light angles throughout the project’s 18-month timeline. The aesthetic versatility that precast provides was key to ELEVEN’s intricate design as well as the building’s color and texture consistencies across all levels – showcasing precast concrete’s flexibility in harmoniously complementing the region’s designs.
The project team was also mindful of both durability and sustainability considerations. Precast concrete will provide resistance to extreme weather and environmental conditions while also offering the resilience needed to ensure the building’s longevity. The use of precast concrete also helped the team meet sustainability goals, including minimizing disturbances at the construction site and mitigating long-term life-cycle costs. Additionally, Gage Brothers engineered a hybrid connection system that was used during construction to help the contractor realize additional savings while accelerating the window installation process. This system eliminated the need for on-site welding to attach the pieces to the building.
Strategic planning, innovative use of technology, and expert craftsmanship, together with the many advantages offered by precast concrete products, helped bring ELEVEN to fruition. ELEVEN’s unique precast concrete design will make it an iconic landmark in downtown Minneapolis for generations to come.
Mason Nichols is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based writer and editor who has covered the precast concrete industry since 2013. |