Spire Engineering

Our team is back on campus at St. Norbert College, observing the steady progress on the new School of Business. We're excited to see this project come to life and look forward to sharing more updates along the way.

We engineered $4.5 million out of our Nova Green Bay construction budget. This is one of my favorite success stories and was the critical solution of 2024. For Green Bay, we initially thought to use an iteration of our design for Nova MKE. After all, the projects were really similar with scale and amenities, and the sites were similar. And Nova MKE worked really well. It has a 3-story podium with 6 levels of light-gauge framing housing the apartments on top. Nova MKE, however, was designed in 2021, when lumber prices shot up so much that using light gauge steel made sense to get extra height and density. But by 2023, lumber prices had moderated, whereas steel had gone up even more. We anticipated a cost increase - but not 26%. We had a problem. Even with the city's help, our costs were too high - the investor returns would be insufficient for us to raise capital. Nova GB's original design (image on the left) was a 7 over 2. I turned to my dad, the non-stop engineering and problem-solving machine - "we have to bring the cost down". Nova GB had an advantage - the site was bigger (than MKE) and we had more room to work with the floor plate. We realized that we could bring the height down while keeping the same number of apartments by increasing the size of the floor plate, i.e. switching from an "L" shape design to more of a "U". The initial revision worked - the building dropped 2 stories in height! We had a classic 5 over 2, with a simple 2-story precast podium and 5 stories of stick framing above. But I feared the plate was too deep - not enough space between the courtyard facing units, impacting views and light. I asked for one more revision. We switched to a soft "J" - a hybrid between and "U" and "L" (image on the right and final design). Now we had 8 stories. With Korb Architecture and Spire Engineering, we figured out a 3 story podium with 5 stories of wood framing above. And now we had a budget that worked. No compromises of typical "value engineering", where something is taken out. Same # of apartments, same amenities, same finishes. A best-in-class, one-of-a-kind project in Green Bay. No other new apartment complex comes close to the suite of amenities. And the project a 7.2% untrended (!!) Yield on Cost. This is how New Land Enterprises makes projects work. If you want to learn more about the project, including investment opportunities, please visit www.NewLandMKE.com/invest

It's great to be back on campus at St. Norbert College, collaborating on the design and construction of their new School of Business. This innovative project will feature a variety of green building technologies, such as hybrid mass timber construction, geothermal heating and cooling, vegetated green roofing, and solar panels. Plus, it's all set in a beautiful waterfront location along the Fox River!

Today we joined Greywolf Partners, Inc. at Station 955 to celebrate their ribbon cutting ceremony. We are so thankful for the opportunity to have partnered with them in making their visions for this project come to life. We would also like to thank every single contractor who worked alongside us from beginning to end to make this possible. Job well done everyone!

?? 2024 AIA Wisconsin Design Award Winner Highlight ?? Congratulations to Galbraith Carnahan Architects and project architect Brandon Reinke, AIA as one of only 3 recipients of a 2024 AIA Wisconsin Honor Award for overall design excellence, which is the highest honor given. The Shechem (pronounced shek-uh-m) community center, an extension of the nearby Hope Street housing, takes its name from an ancient city near present-day Nablus, drawing on its biblical significance. This allusion highlights Shechem's mission as a transformative space, providing job skills training, professional development, and recreational opportunities for youth, embodying Hope Street’s motto, "The greenhouse for people." Designed to integrate a variety of functions, Shechem includes a gymnasium, classrooms, a café, staff offices, and a rooftop garden. The design emphasizes a connection between the building and the surrounding neighborhood through precast concrete walls and large expanses of glass, which open the café and educational spaces to the street, creating a welcoming environment for the community. The small courtyard off Capitol Drive offers access through a prominent entry tower, providing a peaceful refuge from the busy street outside. The project, which took seven years of design, fundraising, and construction, attempted to challenge and change perceptions about the area, ultimately demonstrating the profound impact of high-quality architecture on urban spaces and communities. Emphasizing their commitment to bringing a Class A, downtown office-caliber project to the central city without compromise, the design team stated: "Glass can be replaced easily when broken; a man's spirit cannot." "The pre-cast walls do a nice job framing the building and settling it into its context while the courtyard creates a transition from street to entry and becomes a gathering space. Together the two moves enable Shechem to feel open, welcoming, and inviting---an important facet of a community center." -Margaret Cavenagh, AIA, 2024 Juror (Studio Gang) Architecture Firm: Galbraith Carnahan Architects Design Architect:?Brandon Reinke, AIA Design Team Members:?Nick Carnahan, AIA; Nhia Lee Owner:?Hope Street Ministries General Contractor:?Duffek Construction Consultants:?Spire Engineering;?Ellena Engineering Consultants, Inc ?? Join us in celebrating architectural excellence on Friday, September 13 for the 4th Annual AIA Wisconsin Design Awards Gala: https://lnkd.in/gVdc2t7v ??Learn about all 2024 Design Award Winners: https://lnkd.in/g6_A83fd

“This is about making sure people get a fair shake. That people can live in housing that’s affordable, safe, and state of the art.” - Tom Perez, White House Advisor. The MLK Library Apartments will offer 93 affordable units and be home to the new MLK Library branch. - with Emem Group & General Capital Group https://lnkd.in/gYaxUGud #affordablehousing #affordablehousingdesign #architecturedesign #JLAArchitects

Here is the latest on Station 955 in Eau Claire, WI! Our crews are currently doing sitework on the exterior. In the north building, we're finalizing punch list items, while finishes continue in the south building. We are getting excited for everyone to see the final results when the project wraps up later this summer!