KALAMAZOO | The Exchange (155 W Michigan Ave) | 182 FT | 15 Floors

[deja vu]

Updates from today, 6/29/17. Several pours have occured in the past week and a half:

[LMich]

Do we think the office portion above the garage will be built with structural steel, or probably more of this reinforced concrete?

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by LMich

Do we think the office portion above the garage will be built with structural steel, or probably more of this reinforced concrete?

My guess is that they will transition to steel once they are above the parking levels. I do not know this for sure though.

[deja vu]

Originally Posted by deja vu

My guess is that they will transition to steel once they are above the parking levels. I do not know this for sure though.

I confirmed with the Architect that the 15th finish floor level will be at 161’ above grade, and the highest structure point at 182’-2” above grade. The building structure is to be all post-tensioned, cast in place concrete (no steel structure). It's beautiful outside today, sunny and upper 70s - perfect time for a walk and another photo update. I tried to explore some different vantage points today, that will become more useful as this thing rises.

These first two views are from the top deck of the Kalamazoo Center parking garage that connects to the Radisson (north-west of the site):




And this view is from the Epic Center ramp, located south of the site. You can see the crane supporting the large foundation hole borer in the distance:


A closer look. Once the tower rises, I think it will completely fill the space between the 9-story Comerica Bank tower (left, black metal) and the 8-story Kalamazoo Building (right, red brick):


Here's a crude rendering to depict that:


At ground level now - looking east across S Rose St:


Consumer's Energy was there, doing some work down a manhole in the alley. Don't know if it was related to The Exchange or not:


The western half of the building is not as far along:

[deja vu]

Construction update photos, from Monday, August 7:

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Much progress has been made in the past 5 weeks at The Exchange site. The weather was great yesterday and I took some photos.

On the eastern half (closer to The Kalamazoo Building), the core has grown a bit taller, probably about 30 feet high now. This will house two elevator shafts and a stairwell). The beginnings of the parking ramp entrance off of Michigan Ave can also be seen. Lots of electrical utility work is happening on the back side. The alley has been closed off again. Workers have begun laying down moisture barriers for the ground floor slab.

On the western half of the site (closer to Rose St), construction has ramped up. Excavation is mostly done, and foundations are now well underway. Forms and re-steel are starting to go up for the perimeter foundations and columns on the western half of the building - I would expect some big pours happening soon. You can now make out the foundation 'pad' for the west core, which will be smaller and will include a single elevator and another stairwell.

1. View from nearby parking deck:


2. A closer look from above. Can see the start of the parking ramp at the extreme left of the site:


3. Looking south, across Michigan Ave:


4. Looking east, across Rose St:


5. Looking northeast, along the alley:


6. Foundation re-steel and forms along the western edge of the building (paralleling Rose St):


7. Foundation pad for the west core:


8. Looking northeast, at what will be the main ground floor retail area:


9. Re-steel silhouette:


10. Looking north, at what will be the main ground floor retail area:


11. The east core:


12. Electric Utility:


13. Looking west along the alley:


14. Color contrast:

[deja vu]

The crane is going up at The Exchange site!

I wasn't the only one trying to snap some photos during my lunch break today - a large crane in Kalamazoo is something of a novelty. The best I can figure, the last time a crane of this proportion graced Kzoo's skyline was in the early 1980s, when Skyrise Apartments was under construction. Reagan was president, the internet was coming into existence, the first mobile cell phone call was being made, and CDs were being experimented with.

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10/18/17 Dusk shots:

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Here's a video taken from the top of The Exchange crane, showing the Kalamazoo skyline from 230 feet up:

• Video Link
Posted by the City of Kalamazoo

And another by Kent Companies, which is doing the concrete work, shows a mini time-lapse, aerial views, and crane construction:
• Video Link

I found both of these on a recent MLive article.

[deja vu]

Another recent article provides more detail about the construction process and schedule. The crane can be expected to remain up for at least the next year. Final completion is scheduled for April-June 2019. The article title is a bit of a 'no-duh' - still an interesting read though for those not too familiar with the project.

15-story Exchange Building project will proceed floor by floor
By Al Jones | MLive
October 23, 2017

...About two years of work -- in total -- will be necessary to make the mixed-use commercial and residential project a reality, said Gregory A. Taylor, principal of Phoenix Properties LLC. "We're scheduled to complete the project in April to June of 2019," said Taylor, who provided an update on the project to members of the Kalamazoo Rotary Club at noon Monday in downtown Kalamazoo...

[deja vu]

Took some photos near dusk today. Construction crews were just starting to place the first few forms for the third floor, while a few others were placing re-steel cages for some of the columns that will span from the second to third floors. It looks like about half the second floor is poured, and the remainder of that floor is soon to be poured.









There goes the sun!

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12/02/2017:

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I was thinking about all the parallels between The Exchange tower and the Warner Building in Grand Rapids. There are a lot of similarities, here's a few I thought of quickly:

• Both are being built by the same Construction Manager (Orion Construction)
• Both are 15 stories
• Both are post-pensioned concrete structures
• Both have 6 or 7 floors of parking deck topped by Class A office space (The Exchange also has a housing component)
• Both are approximately 300,000 SF total (290,000 - Warner vs. 335,000 SF - The Exchange)
• Both broke ground in 2017, within a few months of each other
• Both will have Chemical Bank as an anchor tenant and both have the potential for restaurant space
• Both are positioned on tight, corner lots in highly-trafficked pedestrian areas
• Both are being built on land that served as a surface parking lot for about 50 years
• Both received Brownfield Redevelopment Tax Credits and numerous other community revitalization grants / incentives
• Both are the tallest commercial structures currently under construction in their respective cities

Some of this isn't surprising, given that it's the same CM and similar geographic location, but the coincidences are still interesting. Obviously there are differences too - the biggest being that The Exchange has market-rate apartments, and the Warner has a separate 12 story hotel planned for the site directly next door.

Anyway, it should be neat to watch these two rise in tandem.

Warner (taller of the two, in background):

Image Source: Fox17 News Online

The Exchange:

Image Source: MLive

[deja vu]

I was trying to find if there was a construction cam for this job and instead I found a new website for The Exchange that is up and running but still under construction. This looks like the new official site and I'm guessing they will change the url once the content is further along.

http://1738.bfhosting1.com/

There are some short time lapse videos, but only through July of this year. There's a handy little directory of all the floor plans, and additional exterior renderings that I had not yet seen. Also, it indicates that pricing for the 133 apartment units will be released in summer 2018.














Source: The Exchange Site

[deja vu]

Just a quick one from this morning, taken while I was driving to work. About a foot of snow melted overnight and there is a lot of activity once again. It looks like they are getting relatively close to begin pouring for the third floor:

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Photos from yesterday, 1/26/18. The third floor deck is poured, and a portion of the fourth. You can see the difference in floor-to-floor height between the first two floors and the third, which is the first of the all-parking deck floors:

[deja vu]

February 27, 2018 - hovering around 60F -


vs. one month ago -

[deja vu]

Lots of activity on The Exchange site today, with a large concrete pour happening. This will be the fifth level of the building (parking deck). There is also cold-form steel framing going in on the ground floor. Some photos -

[deja vu]

Took a peek around The Exchange site today, at ground level. No activity on site. Cold and very windy. Forms are being set for what will be the sixth floor (and final parking deck level). We will be reaching the apartment level floors (7 - 15) a little later this Spring.



CMU going up along the back / south side -






Glazing is going in window framing on the first and second floors -


The mass of this building is becoming more prominent each week -

[deja vu]

Some updates from yesterday. Partway done with the 7th floor pour. This is where the building transitions from parking ramp to residential.

From the top of the Epic Center ramp -


From the Haymarket District parking lot - just barely visible peaking above the surrounding buildings, soon to be much more visible -