urbanMSP

Whaddya mean?

So with the hotel downtown built with steel studs, and now T3 being wood timber, what are peoples thoughts now on "stick" vs poured concrete vs steel stud vs the wood timber etc etc. Anybody know anything about relative costs with these newer contenders on the scene?

EIFS?

Interesting story about how building inspectors in Saint Louis Park at the Central Park West redevelopment caught that wood was being used without proper certification it was flame retardant.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2016/07/19/conc ... nneapolis/

Use of wood in the development was halted until proof could be certified. But concerns spread to multiple developments that Big D was involved in in other cities when word got out.

“This one was stamped; however the information on it is not complete,” Hoffman said of the lumber at the Central Park West apartment building under construction near Interstate 394 and Highway 100. “We basically told the architect no more wood can go in the building. They’re doing other things. But no more wood can go in until they provide us with proper documentation.”

DLC Residential is working on that project, but concern over the lumber spread to projects underway by Big-D Construction in other nearby cities – specifically, residences underway at 1700 and 1730 Plymouth Ave. in Minnetonka, apartments under construction near Lake Calhoun at 3118 W. Lake St. in Minneapolis and Hello Apartments, 9130-9220 Olson Memorial Highway in Golden Valley.

Big D's problem lumber problem is getting revved up.

http://finance-commerce.com/2016/07/dev ... ber-issue/

Golden Valley developer wants "every stick" removed.

As an aside, that it seems that Saint Louis Park's infamous inspectors sniffed this out originally is of no surprise. So many residents complain loudly over their hardass uncompromising attitude over the narrowest detail, but there are times it really pays off for the general good.

I hope that whole situation is a big misunderstanding. Because who would think they could get away with that? Wouldn't the project supervisors on site have caught that the very first day? What else are the supervisors at each site missing?

DLC is blaming "union politics" over the fire retardant labeling problem.

http://finance-commerce.com/2016/07/dev ... kerfuffle/

Weirder and weirder.

Big D promises to remove questionable lumber at three sites.

http://finance-commerce.com/2016/07/big ... -projects/

Now Big D was fired Golden Valley project.

http://www.startribune.com/developer-of ... 388546951/

Some crazy conspiracy theories in the Strib comments about this.

So naming your construction company "Big D" is pretty much an unmasked dick joke, right?

Honestly it sounds like a "so thin it's barely there" veiled joke from Grand Theft Auto.

The lawsuit cascade begins. JL Schwieters suing its lumber supplier.

http://finance-commerce.com/2016/07/jl- ... nt-lumber/

Big D sues for being fired from Hello in GV.

http://finance-commerce.com/2016/08/big ... m-project/

Question: I'm no expert in residential codes, but I thought that the wood in this construction type was protected by the gypsum board and therefore didn't need to be fire-rated. Is this not true?

Archiapolis?

Question: I'm no expert in residential codes, but I thought that the wood in this construction type was protected by the gypsum board and therefore didn't need to be fire-rated. Is this not true?

Archiapolis?

In corridors, "exit components", etc. the calculations for x layers of gypsum board = y hours of protection - this is true. BUT...there are a lot of applications where you'll need fire-treated lumber for other reasons (proximity to openings, proximity to other buildings, proximity to equipment [generators full of oil], structural, etc). For example, in these "5 over 1"s it is often required to have sections of the building from top of precast/post-tension concrete in the wood framed "5" floors to top of parapet that are plywood sheathed on the exterior to provide "shear" structure (that keeps the buildings from racking and falling down under wind loads). Fire treated plywood will often be used in a sheathing scenario like this.

I don't know the particulars of these lawsuits and the unions involved, etc but it sounds bad. Deconstructing work that has already been done is a big deal obviously - it'll be interesting to see what the fallout from this issue is for construction in the city.

More on the GV lawsuit.

http://post.mnsun.com/2016/08/25/big-d- ... illas-llc/

Update on the Big-D lumber labeling fiasco, with a highlight on the apartments going in in Saint Louis Park.

http://sailor.mnsun.com/2017/01/02/work ... -replaced/