Adamo Group has recently been awarded contracts for the demolition of the Detroit Medical Center (DMC) Guest Services Tower, the city’s Mackenzie High School, and the former Riverwalk Plaza Hotel in Jackson, MI.
The demolition of DMC’s 90,000 square foot Guest Services building, at the corner of Mack and Beaubien, began Tuesday October 9th and is part ofthe DMC expansion program. The nine story building with a 9,500 square foot footprint was constructed of heavily reinforced concrete. The penthouse and mechanical room were located on the roof.
Adamo’s scope of work involves complete demolition of the building above and below grade. The basement will be backfilled with Class II sand compacted in place.
Upon completion of the demolition Adamo will also be responsible for site grading and balancing and placement of GEO-GRID material topped with eight inches of 21AA crushed concrete. This site work will be performed to the general contractor’s specifications in preparation for the construction of a new DMC parking garage.
The 85-year-old former Mackenzie High School at Wyoming and W. Chicago in the southwest part of the Motor City was built in 1927. It contains some 227,000 s.f. A new $21.8 million Pre-K to 8th grade school was recently built on Mackenzie’s campus. It opened to 1,200 elementary and middle school students.
The new Mackenzie Pre-K to 8th grade school is one of three Detroit Public School new-construction schools to be completed this year, totaling more than a $100 million investment which will provide some 3,000 s $500.5 million Capital Improvement Program.
The new school will feature a large open media center serving the needs of both the elementary and middle school students. The new structure was designed with a focus on safety and environmental responsibility through adherence to national standards set by CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental design). The minimum goal that the Detroit Public Schools is trying to meet is the Silver LEED Certification for the project.
The Detroit Public School’s Capital Improvement Program is currently in its third and final year of construction, demolition and improvement projects. Adamo has already demolished the following Detroit Public Schools: Jared W. Finney, Martin Luther King, Harding Elementary, Amelia Earhart, Clark Elementary and MAAT Imhotep. The School District is also moving forward with the demolition of seven other closed schools. Detroit Voters approved Proposal S in November 2009 that enabled the School District to access $500.5 million for all of these various capital school improvement projects. The Detroit School District received the sixth largest allocation in the nation. Improvements include technology upgrades and security initiatives. Under federal guidelines all of the bond dollars must be spent within three years.
The 120,000 square foot, ten-story former Riverwalk Plaza Hotel demolition is slated to begin later this year for Jackson County.
The One Jackson Square Complex in downtown Jackson, MI is occupied by Allegiance Healthcare which includes the vacant 10-story Riverwalk Plaza Hotel, a multi-story professional office tower, and a one story medical office building which connects the two multistory buildings. The complex also sits atop a two level underground parking facility.
This project poses some unique challenges: the underground parking, office tower and one story medical office buildings are to remain open and active during demolition. The complex is also bordered on one side by the Grand River. In order to prevent any possible demolition debris from moving down the river, Adamo will anchor a floating boom in the river.
Upon completion of the hotel demolition, the one story medical office building that is attached to the hotel and its basement will require structural reinforcement and restoration prior to backfilling.
Adamo will utilize the CAT 385CL Ultra High Demolition (UHD) Excavator on all three projects. The implementation of this machine with a specialized Multi Processor attachment allows 360 degree hydraulic rotations letting you position the attachment for more precise, quick and cost effective demolition of heavily reinforced multi-story structures.
The MP30 attachment with an over 90’ reach will be used for the DMC project and the MP20 attachment with an over 140’ reach will be used for the Riverwalk project. The 385CL UHD provides Adamo with the precision and control necessary to remove all of these structures safety and efficiently. Adamo was the first contractor to premier the CAT 385CL as an owner/operator in the United States.
The Adamo Group is a national, family owned company established in 1964, and a Charter Member of the NDA headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. They are a one-stop source for comprehensive demolition, environmental remediation consulting, real estate adaptive reuse and site preparation. Adamo’s team of professionals excels in the industrial, municipal, and residential sectors.