Precast Solutions

A Winning Hand
Precast concrete is a safe bet for Michigan casino developers.
By Bridget McCrea
Photos Courtesy Kerkstra Precast

When the words “casino gambling” come to mind, they likely bring up images of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. But a closer look at the northern part of the country turns up a thriving gambling industry in Michigan, where the Great Lakes State boasts nearly 30 casinos scattered throughout the state and located on Native American tribal land. Providing entertainment, jobs and revenue, the industry is in expansion mode with new facilities being planned, built and opened on a regular basis.

One recent addition is a 120-room resort being built on the site of the existing Turtle Creek Casino in Williamsburg, a town situated near Traverse City. There, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (owner of the Grand Traverse Resort and Casinos) is building an $80 million, 347,000-square-foot facility that features a patented precast concrete truss system, among other major precast pieces (see sidebar “Structurally Sound”). The project will include a 64,000-square-foot gaming floor, along with hotel rooms, restaurants, shops, concert/entertainment venues, a parking garage, and living and office space.

Let the games begin
In the gaming business since 1984, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians also owns and operates Leelanau Sands Casino in Peshawbestown, the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, one hotel, several restaurants, a conference center and a convenience store.

The architectural firm Walsh Bishop in Minneapolis designed the tribe’s new casino resort, which is being built by PCL Construction Services Inc. of Burnsville, Minn. Set to open for business in June 2008, the new resort replaces the current Turtle Creek Casino (which stayed open for business during the construction phase that started with groundbreaking in mid-2006).

Part of that construction involved the patented precast concrete truss system manufactured by Kerkstra Precast of Grandville, Mich. The project’s original design specified a cast-in-place concrete structure, but upon further examination of steel structures, cast-in-place structures and the precast truss system, PCL Construction selected Kerkstra’s precast system.

Known as an ER-POST system, the patented precast option was designed by engineering firm Ericksen Roed & Associates, based in St. Paul, Minn., and provided a durable, sound alternative with a lower price tag and much faster timetable. First created for a multistory developer in the Minneapolis area, the ER-POST system provided a solution for retail on the main level, parking below and living or office space above with no column penetrations. In that application, the setup proved itself to be cost effective because of its speed and at-plant cost savings.

The system utilizes precast, prestressed concrete trusses that support two levels simultaneously. The trusses span approximately 60 feet and are spaced to maximize column spacing. The alternate levels are wide open with no structural elements, allowing complete flexibility in layout of interior walls and partitions. Parking levels with column-free spaces result in approximately 15 percent increased capacity. High fire ratings and sound transmission also are inherent in this system.

Since that original project, four others have used the patented truss system. Three more are currently underway and another 10 are in the design phase, according to Michael DeSutter, partner and vice president at Ericksen Roed, an engineering firm that got involved in the Turtle Creek project after conferring with the project architect, Walsh Bishop. “We’ve worked with Walsh Bishop for several years now,” says DeSutter, who adds that the original design called for post-tensioned, cast-in-place concrete. “Through the schematic phase, we actually designed it both ways: post-tensioned, and then with the precast concrete.”

Once the schematic phase was completed, the project owners conducted budget pricing on both options and selected the precast option. “The price on the precast was slightly less, but more importantly the schedule called for the structure to be erected during some of the winter months in Michigan,” says DeSutter. “Cast-in-place would have been difficult to manage, so they went with precast.”

Using precast also allowed the engineer to examine the functionality of the main construction components and eliminate several columns that were planned for the hotel’s interior. “That was a big plus,” says DeSutter. Key challenges during the engineering process included an approximately 35-foot grade change across the width of the building.

“One side of the hotel was about 35 feet lower than the other side, with the total width being about 65 feet,” recalls DeSutter. “That is a pretty rapid change (the high lateral loads resulted from soil retention), and made the engineering phase pretty challenging.”

The precast pieces were installed by Kerkstra, the only precaster in the Great Lakes region to produce and erect the patented truss design. Each weighed just over 80,000 pounds and included trusses that were up to nearly 60 feet long. Those precast elements eliminated the need for costly steel systems, which have been subject to a 60 percent increase in raw material pricing over the past two years alone.

“Precast trusses are a versatile way to put up a building,” says Greg Kerkstra, president. “They can be erected in any weather conditions including sub-zero­ winters like those in Michigan and the rest of the Midwest.”

Those advantages create a window for the architects, owners and contractors alike. “The reasons we used the precast truss system were the tight schedule and the winter conditions,” says Bart Bodray, spokesperson for PCL Construction. “By fabricating the structure off site, it gave us more time to design the foundations and get them in prior to having to start on the vertical structure, which the engineers needed. Also, since we would have been pouring concrete vertically in the middle of winter, it adds to the cost of the concrete and precast ended up being more economical.”

Happy customers
Andrew La Pointe, senior construction manager and the owner’s representative, concurs and says the precast also allows for future changes to the structure, which can be “gutted and renovated relatively easily” because there are no interior columns to work around. “It also allowed other parts of the structural system to be poured – and the precast panels, parts and pieces made – during the winter months,” says La Pointe. “With the foundations done, we were able to start erecting the building in the spring.”

Looking forward to a grand opening celebration, La Pointe says the precast trusses and overall construction of the project exceeded expectations. “It worked out very well,” says La Pointe, “and saved us a lot of time.”