The new education rooms are furnished with modern lecterns and desks, designed to enhance training and learning opportunities for staff.
Modern facilities
The new breakroom and conference room feature state-of-the-art kitchen equipment, providing a comfortable and efficient space for meetings and relaxation.
State-of-the-art welding bays
The new facility includes three specialized welding bays, providing a hands-on learning environment tailored to career and technical education programs.
Designed in-house, the Prescott Training and Education Center provides Unisource employees with state-of-the-art facilities and training equipment.
The training and education facility allows Unisource to apply career and technical training to their employees. The facility includes two multi-media classrooms, offices, an appliance training room, and a breakroom. Additionally, there are three educational welding bays that provide hands-on training opportunities for students.
Loven Contracting is proud to be one of Arizona’s original adopters of mass timber. This method of building is quicker, meets robust sustainable standards, and reduces costs.
Infrastructure
This project is a part of the “Downtown Mile” infrastructure projects, encompassing five projects across the city.
Active city, active job site
The Downtown Connection Center is located on two major cross streets, shares property lines with the city’s ongoing transit operations hub and an active BNSF railway, consisting of over 100 trains a day.
The Downtown Connection Center (DCC) is a state-of-the-art, 20,938-square-foot transit hub and civic space located in downtown Flagstaff near Milton Avenue and Phoenix Avenue, adjacent to the BNSF rail line. The project is part of the “Downtown Mile” suite of infrastructure improvements and is designed as an all-electric facility featuring Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)/mass timber construction, in-floor heating, a chilled beam system, and integrated photovoltaics. The first floor houses a community room, lobby, and restrooms for bus patrons, while the second floor includes office and support spaces for Mountain Line staff.
Preconstruction Services
Provided Rough Order of Magnitude pricing and detailed proposals at 30%, 50%, and 75% design completion milestones.
Delivered multiple Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) packages to accelerate the fast-track schedule, including:
GMP #1: Site work, utilities, elevator, mass timber, and early buyout of foundations and stem walls.
GMP #2: Remainder of the building.
Separate GMP for public art.
Achieved $900,000 in accepted value engineering (6%) without compromising sustainability features.
Construction Innovations
Managed delegated design for mass timber in collaboration with Timberlab, including structural analysis and streamlined constructability confirmations.
Created a comprehensive BIM model for live 3D design reviews, enabling clash avoidance and stakeholder collaboration.
Ensured segregation of construction activities from active transit operations with temporary driver break stations and daily coordination with Mountain Line.
Sustainability and Certifications
First building certified “Gold” under the Coconino County Commercial Sustainability Standards.
The DCC is the first gold-certified commercial building and the first commercial building certified by Coconino County.
Served as the model project for defining the standard between Coconino County, HDR, and Loven Contracting’s preconstruction team.
Public Art Integration
Partnered with the City of Flagstaff Beautification, Arts, and Sciences Department to integrate public art features, including art glass and sculptural elements.
When complete, this will be the largest public art project for the City of Flagstaff’s growing arts program.
Site Challenges and Solutions
Mitigated challenges posed by snow events, the proximity to the BNSF rail line, and the Rio de Flag flood zone.
Collaborated with the City of Flagstaff, APS, Unisource, ADOT, the Army Corps of Engineers, and BNSF for utilities, inspections, and flood mitigation.
Addressed cold weather issues by manually removing snow and accelerating mass timber installation.
Concrete slab thickness was calculated to meet both budget requirements and long-term durability issues relative to the equipment and cinders’ weight.
Designed for Operational Efficiency
Cinder barn openings were calculated based on loading equipment specifications, reducing the number of required maneuvers by equipment operators.
Project Schedules Based on Critical Public Works Requirements
Based on the public works pre-winter preparation requirements, project delivery deadlines were inflexible. As a result, this project was delivered early, enabling an extended transition period to the new facility.
COCONINO COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS CINDER BARN Construction
Coconino County Public Works (CCPW) maintains County roads during snow operations with “rock cinders” using trucks equipped with cinder spreaders. The mechanical performance of these spreaders is severely hampered when the cinders are frozen. To maximize the efficient application of cinders and to fulfill this critical life/safety operation, CCPW partnered with Loven Contracting and APMI to construct (2) cinder barns — one in Flagstaff (12,000SF) and one in Williams, AZ (6,400SF) — for dry cinder storage away from inclement weather.
The client’s criteria for success included stakeholder consultation regarding ideal structure design for the most efficient circulation patterns by the cinder loading crews and a design that anticipates the wear and tear of heavy equipment operations within the structure and offers durability relative to potential accidental equipment/building impacts. Design solutions to meet these requirements included increasing the concrete slab thickness to support the cinder piles and equipment weight and 10″ CIP concrete walls for the PEMB structure. These projects were delivered ahead of schedule, well in advance of the winter road maintenance season, with contingency funds returned to the client.
Loven Contracting worked closely with all stakeholders, including the City of Sedona and the public, to ensure that both client and community expectations were exceeded on all fronts.
Park Improvements and Features
The park features new performance facilities, a landscaped lawn, a shaded seating area, and a steel canopy for the main stage.
Aesthetically Pleasing Architecture and Design
To maximize the design aesthetic of the steel canopy above the stage, the architecture was designed to meld into the vistas of Sedona.
Step-by-Step Value Engineering
Loven Contracting utilized step-by-step value optimization and value engineering processes to maintain project budget.
Overcoming Site Challenges
The native rock at the site of the park required hard excavation to create the foundation and utility trenching for the new public restrooms.
In 2017, the Barbara Antonsen Memorial Park received the Award of Merit under ENR 2017’s Best Project category.
Loven Contracting served as the CMAR Contractor on the new Barbara Antonsen Memorial Park in Sedona, Arizona. The park features new performance facilities, office spaces, public restrooms, a landscaped lawn, a shaded seating area, and a steel canopy for the new stage. Our team utilized step-by-step value optimization and value engineering processes while working closely with the City of Sedona to maintain the project budget.
Our construction services included extensive rock excavation and installation of park improvements. The native rock found at the new park site required hard excavation to create the foundation and utility trenching. To maintain the project schedule, Loven Contracting performed careful planning and scheduling daily. To maintain the steel canopy’s design aesthetic above the main stage, our team carefully reviewed and adhered to the drawing during fabrication to guarantee the highest quality outcome. The new features enable the park to host various activities for tourists and locals in Northern Arizona to enjoy.
Loven Contracting remodeled the Grand Canyon National Park Visitor Center and constructed a new theater addition. Millions of visitors per year tour the park, the vast majority of whom spend time at the Visitor Center complex on the South Rim.
Grand Canyon Visitor's Center New Theater Addition
A new 248-seat theater addition was integrated into the Visitor’s Center complex.
Sustainability in our National Parks
Sustainability features included upgrades to rain-water harvesting systems, installing a new catchment system and water storage tank, and a new photovoltaic system for solar integration.
New Visitor Center Design Elements and Educational Features
An expansive renovation of the Visitor Center, along with a new exhibit focused on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, included the installation of a terrazzo “river” and multiple educational interpretative elements, such as Science on a Sphere.
Loven Contracting remodeled the Grand Canyon National Park Visitor Center and constructed a new 3,100SF, 248-seat theater addition. Scope of work included integrating new sustainability features, new exhibits, the installation of a terrazzo “river,” and multiple educational features. The Visitor Center’s new design elements and educational features are now favorite attractions at the highly visited site.
Millions of people per year visit Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park, and the vast majority of these tourists include the Visitor Center in their itineraries. The Loven Contracting team worked closely with the National Park Service to schedule construction work and implement safety plans that preserved the quality of experience for visitors, staff, and wildlife. This included daily safety inspections, screened fencing, and scheduling construction relative to bus tours to minimize activities during high visitor periods.
Construction was completed on an accelerated winter schedule. To mitigate winter construction challenges, Loven Contracting erected a full scaffolding system for the masonry phase of building construction and then left it in place to provide a temporary weather enclosure.
When the sewer main on Glen Canyon Bridge was deemed to be in critical condition, Loven Contracting responded immediately to perform assessments and upon award, acted quickly to perform repairs.
Glen Canyon Bridge Pipeline Repair
Working 800 feet above the Colorado River demands the highest levels of safety compliance. Our VPP Star Safety Rating makes us the best possible choice for projects with specialty safety requirements.
Glen Canyon Bridge Pipeline Repair
Loven Contracting worked with ADOT to coordinate a single lane bridge closure – possible only at night. All work was completed after hours and without impeding the daytime business activities of community stakeholders.
Glen Canyon Bridge Pipeline Repair
Work on the pipeline was completed quickly and efficiently, providing overall cost savings to the National Park Service.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area has their largest wastewater treatment facility located at Wahweap Marina, which pumps sewage to Page crossing the Glen Canyon Bridge at the Colorado River. The sewer force main at this facility hangs off the side of the bridge 800 feet above the water below and was deemed in critical condition. Loven Contracting acted quickly and performed immediate assessments of the pipeline structure upon contract award.
After the pipeline breaches were identified, Loven Contracting developed a scope of work to perform the immediate repairs required to allow the pipeline to function properly. In order to access the pipe and begin the repair process, a bridge truck was utilized to lift personnel out and over the side of the bridge. Using the bridge truck required closure of a travel lane on the bridge, restricting traffic flow. Due to an outstanding traffic permit between ADOT and the local houseboat transportation company, the bridge lanes could not be restricted between the hours of 6am and 8pm. As such, all traffic closures and bridge truck activities were conducted after 8pm.
In addition to our construction services, Loven Contracting provided valuable recommendations and advisement to the National Park Service to ensure the pipeline’s future long-term performance. This project came in below original estimates, providing an overall cost savings to the National Park Service.
