Proj Overview

Project Overview

Nearly 3000 meticulously crafted precast concrete panels are the visual centerpiece of Eleven, a 42-story residential tower in Minneapolis, Minn. The structure, which is now a stunning part of the city’s skyline, expertly combines historical architecture with modern design.

A Generational Hallmark

According to Robert A.M. Stern Architects, precast concrete was the building material of choice for Eleven for a variety of reasons – most notably because it offered enhanced quality control that helped ensure accurate color and elaborate detail across all 2766 precast concrete panels. Precast concrete is featured throughout the building envelope. Designs for the ornate, eight-story podium, which houses retail spaces and parking, and the main tower called for multiple customized forms to construct highly detailed corners, double notches, and cornices. 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.

Constructing the aesthetically pleasing skyscraper in a highly visible area of the city took significant preparation and planning. The team at Gage Brothers of Sioux Falls, S.Dak., were up for the task. To ensure maximum structural consistency across panels, Gage Brothers used custom three-dimensional-printed forms for some of the higher-use cornice elements featured on the building’s podium. Project contractor Ryan Companies US Inc. noted that the efficiency achieved by the forms was the key to building a structure that achieved the timeless design envisioned by Eleven’s design team.

To provide color consistency on the panels, the Gage Brothers finishing department developed numerous mockups. This allowed workers to continuously compare colors in altering light angles throughout the project’s 18-month timeline. Additionally, the Gage Brothers team 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.

With a unique design made possible by precast concrete, Eleven will be a hallmark of 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.

 

Awards_
2024 PCI Design AwardsMulti-Family Honorable Mention
Project Team

Owner:

Arcadia Ryan LLC, Minneapolis, Minn.

PCI-Certified Precast Concrete Producer and Precast Concrete Specialty Engineer:

Gage Brothers, Sioux Falls, S.Dak.

Architect:

Robert A.M. Stern Architects LLP, New York, N.Y.

Engineer of Record:

Meyer Borgman Johnson, Minneapolis, Minn.

General Contractor:

Ryan Companies US Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.

PCI-Certified Erector:

Amerect Inc., Newport, Minn.

Project Cost:

$190 million ($12.75 million for precast concrete)

Project Size:

628,000 ft²

Key Project Attributes

  • Building information modeling (BIM) and the use of 22 mockups provided structural and aesthetic consistency throughout all 2766 precast concrete panels.
  • Three-dimensional-printed forms were used for the higher-use cornice elements surrounding the eight-story podium.
  • A hybrid connection system that leveraged pre-welding methods accelerated the construction timeline by eliminating the need for on-site welding to attach the pieces to the building.

Project/Precast Scope

  • Construction of a high-visibility residential tower in downtown Minneapolis, Minn., using nearly 3000 precast concrete cladding panels.
  • The project included 628,000 ft² of precast concrete, representing nearly 4000 cubic yards of concrete.
  • Precast concrete erection took place from June 2020 to August 2021.