Boston Scientific is not only the largest employer in Maple Grove, MN, it’s the largest of its kind in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis. When the medical device company needed to make a significant addition to an existing building, Wells collaborated with Mortenson and HGA to provide innovative and efficient solutions.
Prefabrication proved to be the quickest and only feasible way to provide a roll cast brick facade on the exterior of the building for this almost 50,000 SF addition. To support the project vision, the Wells team provided architectural solid panels, architectural insulated panels, structural solid panels, and an innovative feature with three sides of brick columns standing approximately 40’ tall. To create this monolithic design, the bricks were placed in the form with one side poured, then tilted to pour the other to achieve the wrapped brick effect. The final columns frame expansive vertical windows to bring light into the building and create a unique pattern in the building’s envelope design.
Throughout the project, the team overcame several challenges, including multiple roll cast and sequential pour panels of brick, a tight jobsite with an adjacent hill, and the fact that several panels weighed nearly 80,000 pounds, requiring the team to reach approximately 100 feet to set them. The installation and erection of the prefabricated concrete took just under two months to complete which allowed other trades fast access to the facility. |