Design-Build Team Takes Fast-Track Approach to New 170,000-Square-Foot Manufacturing Plant

A design-build team led by Crossland Construction Company, Inc. headquartered in Columbus, Kan., with GBA providing architectural design, is taking a fast-track approach to the design and construction of a new 170,000-square-foot seat manufacturing plant for Johnson Controls, Inc. The facility will be located on a 25.5-acre site in the 800-acre Horizons Industrial Park in Riverside, Mo. 

The state-of-the-art facility will manufacture seats for the Chevrolet Malibu produced at the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Kan., and the Ford F-150 manufactured at Ford Motor Co.’s Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo.

Johnson Controls is targeting LEED Silver Certification for the project from the USGBC. The company’s commitment to sustainability dates back to its roots and is a driving force behind the design and construction of this new facility.

According to GBA Project Manager Craig Rogge, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP, a variety of sustainable features are planned, from a structural load-bearing, precast sandwich wall building envelope system to a white TPO roof membrane, sunshades, use of regional materials, FSC certified lumber, and low VOC paints and finishes. A “job site” recycling program and other sustainability initiatives will be implemented throughout design and construction.

Groundbreaking: GBA Provides Architecture and Engineering for 340-Car Parking Structure in East Village Development in Downtown KCMO

A cold February morning brought out an enthusiastic group of supporters of the growing East Village development in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, for a snow-covered ground-breaking ceremony. Attendees took refuge in J.E. Dunn’s new headquarters, which anchors the eight-block area bounded by Eighth, 12th, Charlotte, and Cherry streets on the City’s east side.

The area is being transformed into a mixed-use residential, office, and retail development. The GSA hopes to build a new 493,000-square-foot building that will serve as the centerpiece for the development.

Ground was broken for a new three-story, 340-car parking structure located on the corner of 10th and Cherry, which will serve the needs of East Village. GBA was selected by GF Properties, a subsidiary of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, to provide architecture, engineering, landscape architecture, and traffic studies for the structure. According to GBA Project Manager Craig Rogge, AIA, “our goal in designing the parking garage has been to provide a safe, secure structure that will serve the growing area.” Because of the prominent location, landscape features are planned for the full length of the west elevation.

Ground was also broken for the 50-unit East Village Apartments. Swope Community Builders is the Master Developer of East Village.

Behind-the-Meter Wind Keeps Spinning with New Solutions, Financial Incentives - GBA Provides Organizations with Turnkey Project Management

Harnessing “behind-the-meter wind” or “distributed wind” for the private sector has never been more financially attractive according to Jennifer Gunby, P.E., LEED AP, who heads up GBA’s Energy Studio, in a statement that appears online at Wind Today.

The reason, she explains, is that with the financial incentives available today, project payback can be achieved more quickly than ever before. But individual businesses, industry, and agribusiness must act now to take advantage of one of these incentives, which offers a 100% first-year bonus depreciation this year only for equipment acquired and ‘placed in service’ by the end of the year.

For those who aren’t aware, “distributed wind” differs from the large wind farms owned by utilities in that it is located behind-the-meter where it directly serves its owners. Owners may be cities, counties, state agencies, school districts, colleges and universities, business and industry, and agribusinesses – even individuals. Distributed wind projects may consist of a single turbine or multiple turbines ranging from 100kW to 1,000 kW. However, only taxpaying entities would benefit from the incentives provided from recent changes in the Tax Relief Act of 2010.

GBA’s Energy Studio helps guide organizations from start-up through installation of their wind project – and helps them negotiate the complexities of financial incentives to take full advantage of these unique tools that can provide much quicker return on investment.

Jennifer emphasizes that if there was ever a reason to act and act now, this is it! For more information about incentives available or how GBA can help, contact Jennifer at jgunby@gbateam.com or at 913.577-8375.