Award Description
Design: Goettsch Parners, BETA Design Group, Inc.
Contract: Construction Manager.
Budget: $97,000,000.
Supervision: Mike VanGessel and Mike Gnewkowski.
This luxury hotel has a distinct architectural design that graces the Grand Rapids skyline and provides guests with an experience like none other in the Midwest. Its 337 rooms and 660-space parking structure support events at such venues as DeVos Place and the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The hotel created 250 new service industry jobs and the 110,000 sq. ft. convention center is projected to generate $15 to $20 million of revenue for the community annually.
A study in efficiency, an average of 186 people worked 17 hours a day, seven days a week for 24 months. Shipments of materials were delivered at night to minimize disruption to nearby businesses and neighboring Amway Grand Plaza Hotel guests as well as reduce the need for road and lane closures. Amassing knowledge as they went, Rockford’s crew tightened the schedule by installing one floor every five days, finally reaching the 23rd story and helipad at a height of 256 feet.
