PROJECT OVERVIEW

This is a new 67,000 sqft indoor recreation facility that can be utilized year-round by the city of Kentwood residents. The space was designed to include multi uses for community activities including fitness, sporting events, work out, childcare, and community room for larger events. The exterior is designed to blend in with the surrounding community space and local school. The exterior utilized a scalloped form liner finish for the lower 15’-0” and a light sandblasted finish above the liner. In some locations these finishes, and the precast panels carried from the exterior into the interior space for continuity.

The space was designed to be open and airy and promote outdoor lighting penetrating deep into the structure. The lobby has views into the gymnasium so patrons that enter the facility walk into a space that has high vaulted ceilings and view to the opposite side of the facility.

An indoor track is to be supported off the roof structures and pass through the divider wall between the gym and lobby. This makes the track float over the main entry hall and creates an open naturally light main floor lobby.

PRECAST SOLUTION

Precast was selected as the exterior by the architectural team due to the durability on both the interior and the exterior of the structure. The ability for the precast to be designed with edge-to-edge insulation was also a design requirement for the architectural team. This included several insulated columns that created a frame at the community space.

To solve the interior openness the structure utilizes precast moment frames. This allowed the wall between the gym and the corridor to be open and contain windows vs. the original solid shear wall. This unique solution solved the owner’s desire to allow patrons as they enter to see directly into the gymnasium.

Architect

Sparks43 Architects

Associate architect

Perkins&Will

Engineer

SDI Structures

Contractor

Triangle Associates Inc.

Owner

City of Kentwood Michigan

Precaster

Fabcon Grandville Facility

Precast Specialty Engineer

Devita

PCI Certified Erector

Fabcon

Formliner Supplier

AP Form liner

Special Connection Supplier

Peikko

Key Project Attributes

• Durible exterior finish resistant to staining and tagging yet visibly appealing. Project utilized a scalloped liner on the lower 15 feet with a light sandblast finish above.
• Clean durable and damage resistant interior. The use as a gym and recreational center mandated a finish in the interior that was highly resistant to abuse and damage.
• Un-obstructed visuals into gym at entrance. The need to keep the entryway open and un-obstructed created a need for a large moment frame structure to run through the center of the building and support the roof structure. Keeping the upper space open for art and the lower portion open for glass.
• Interior finishes needed to carry into the occupied space. Precast panels transitioned from exterior to interior spaces throughout the structure.
• Thin floor profiles created a good fit for hollow-core plank.
• Embedded electrical boxes in area of hardened interior finish to eliminate exposed objects.

Project/Precast Scope

• 6,301 sqft of 10in Hollow Core Plank – 77 pieces
• 5,528 sqft of 8in solid wall panels – 33 pieces
• 39,294 sqft of 4-4-4 insulated architectural wall panels – 144 pieces
• 252 sqft of precast stair units – 3 pieces
• Two (2) precast moment frames consisting of:
• 289 lnft of 24x24 columns – 9 pieces
• 74 lnft of 18x18 insulated columns – 3 pieces
• 359 lnft of 18RB30 beams – 18 pieces