BUILDING PROFIT
®
SUMMER 2011
One Classy
Car Wash
from the Land
of the Freeway
A Just-So Plant for Just-in-Time Manufacturing
A Vibrant Rehab for Church Outreach
How to Build Superior Self-Storage
63112 butler.pdf 1
May 20, 2011 09:31:34
DID YOU KNOW ?
Butler Self-Storage
Systems Cover It All
®
And they do it for a VERY competitive price
Whether you’re already in the selfstorage business or just starting out,
you should take a look at all that Butler®
Self-Storage systems can offer:
THE MOST WEATHERTIGHT ROOF SYSTEM IN
THE BUSINESS
With Butler Self-Storage systems, you have the option of choosing
the unique MR-24® standing seam roof system that virtually eliminates roof leaks—especially important if your storage mix includes
multi-story climate-controlled units. The best industry standard thrufastened roof system, the Butlerib® II system, is also available.
FREE SEMINARS AND SITE PLANS
Our regional seminars will give you background on getting into
the business, help you identify a good site and the right storage
mix for your market, and help you plan the most effective site layout—such as where to locate the entrance. All at no cost to you.
SINGLE-STORY, MULTI-STORY, SPECIALIZED
STORAGE, CLIMATE-CONTROLLED OR NOT
With Butler Self-Storage systems, you can build whatever suits
your market. Our many design styles include: • Single Story (up
to 4”:12” roof pitch) • Multi-Story (accommodates up to four levels) • RV and Boat Storage • Wine Storage • Retail/Self-Storage
Combination • Climate Control
2
63112 butler.pdf 2
APPEARANCE TO SUIT
The exterior wall finish options include concrete block, tilt-up, or
brick, and there are many painted finish options. Your units can
be sized to any width or length—based on 5-foot increments,
and Butler roof and structural systems integrate easily with conventional building materials, and go up about 30% faster than
conventional methods.
WIND-RATED DOORS
If your site is in a high-wind area, our doors will meet your local
building codes and help keep your buildings secure and your
clients’ goods undamaged.
Call your local Butler Builder® for a VERY competitive price, backed by the industry leader—Butler
Manufacturing.
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:34
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CONTENTS
SUMMER 2011
Vol. 32 No. 2
4
JUST-SO PLANT
FOR JUST-IN-TIME
MANUFACTURING
Sanoh America, Inc., a parts manufacturer of brake and
fuel lines for the automotive industry, needed a larger, more
efficient facility quickly. A northern Ohio developer and his
®
Butler Builder built them a plant to order, just in time.
THE MAGAZINE FOR DECISION MAKERS
REHAB FOR
11VIBRANT
CHURCH OUTREACH
The Richmond Outreach Center aims to save souls—uniting local
churches, civic groups and individuals serving the urban community
of Richmond, Virginia. In the process, it also saved a deteriorating
building and helped revitalize a neighborhood.
CLASSY
16ONE
CAR WASH
A first-class facility for the land of the freeway,
the Cruz Thru Express car wash in Seven Oaks,
California, is a head-turner worthy of cleaning the
most expensive vehicles.
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 3
3
May 20, 2011 09:31:35
Just-In-Time
Construction
for a
Just-In-Time
Company
M
t. Vernon, county seat for Knox County, in Wooster, Ohio, with whom he has built
more than a million square feet of industrial
Ohio, faced losing a business that it
projects.
valued highly.
Sanoh America, Inc., a just-in-time parts
Off to a quick start
manufacturer of primarily brake and fuel lines
Working with representatives from the city
for the automotive industry [see About Sanoh,
and the Ohio Department of Development, Bakpage 8], had been a part of the community
er was able to put together
since 1993. The company
a suitable build-to-suit-toneeded a larger, more efSANOH AMERICA, INC.,
MT. VERNON
lease proposal for Sanoh in
ficient facility quickly, and
just three weeks.
they were having no suc®
Butler Builder : Freeman Building
“We turned some quotes
cess negotiating a satisfacSystems, Wooster, Ohio
around for them pretty
tory construction package
Size: 237,375 square feet total
®
Butler Systems:
fast,” Baker recalls. “There
locally. Mt. Vernon wanted
™
Landmark 2000 structural system
were a lot of things hapto keep them in town.
®
MR-24 standing seam roof system (plant)
™
pening at once. The project
The city turned to Jerry
VSR architectural standing seam roof
also involved a utility
Baker, an experienced
system (offices)
™
Shadowall wall system
extension and upgradmulti-site developer who
ing a street. We started in
has built many large plants
March, made a proposal in
and warehouses for major
April, and we were in the ground in July.”
companies in Knox and the adjoining counBaker furnished the 23-acre site, and his
ties. In turn, Baker called in Dan Freeman
®
company, Chesterland Productions, did the
of Freeman Building Systems, a Butler Builder
by Judy
4
63112 butler.pdf 4
Findsen
photography by
paddock productions and d. altman Fleischer
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:35
Experienced, design/build teamwork
produced a made-to-order building
for a make-on-demand manufacturer
site work. Freeman Building Systems and Butler got the ready-to-assemble Butler® building
systems there on time.
Baker is a customer of Butler’s Corporate
Accounts Group and he and Freeman worked
closely with Corporate Accounts Manager
John Shaub to satisfy Baker’s requirements.
When Baker finished the site in August, the
building systems were there. “We were putting
up steel in August,” Freeman says.
Sanoh America, Inc. is headquartered in
Findlay, Ohio, but at the time of construction,
the 225,000-square-foot Mt. Vernon plant—
with its additional 12,375 square feet of offices—would be Sanoh’s largest U.S. facility to
date. A fast turn-around was essential to their
business.
Building to suit
Sanoh’s Mt. Vernon operation was working
from two much older buildings. Production
was split between the two—an inefficient
arrangement for many reasons. The material
and traffic flows were poor, they had outgrown
their space, and their shipping capabilities
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 5
were severely limited.
“We had only six docks—two for receiving
and four for shipping,” recalls Sanoh Group
Manager of Facilities Scott Harrison.
Baker worked closely with Harrison and
Craig Sanders, Freeman Building Systems’ vice
president of design, to get the layout Sanoh
needed.
Instead of six docks, there would be 25. The
north side of the building would have four
docks for receiving plus a fifth for cardboard
recycling. The south side would have 20 docks
for shipping finished product.
The company needed plenty of flexible interior space in both the plant and front offices.
Thirty percent of the manufacturing space
was initially allotted as room to grow, with an
expandable end wall to accommodate a future
extension. The employees—who were forced
to eat in shifts at the old buildings—would
have a large, attractive lunchroom. The office
portion needed training/conference rooms,
and outdoor employee dining and smoking
areas were planned for opposite sides of the
offices, as well.
Jerry Baker, an
experienced multi-site
developer in north
central Ohio, has built
more than a million
square feet of industrial
properties with Freeman
Building Systems, his
®
Butler Builder . This
built-to-suit showplace
for Sanoh America, Inc.
is one of the latest.
5
May 20, 2011 09:31:36
Reliable systems
Years of building with Freeman Building
Systems have given Baker an intimate knowledge of Butler® building systems. For ultimate
flexibility for Sanoh’s equipment layout, he
and Sanders chose the Landmark™ 2000 structural system, giving the plant large bays with
columns 50 feet on center.
For the offices and lunchroom, they chose
the Widespan™ structural system for easily
reconfigured interiors. The plant has concrete
abuse walls to a height of 6 feet, with Shadowall™ panels above.
Baker says he automatically uses the weathertight MR-24® roof system for all his plant
buildings.
“Dan made me aware of the MR-24 system
initially. I started checking it out, because I
had just built a building using a competitor’s
roof system, and I had had some terrible expe6
63112 butler.pdf 6
The building has 25
docks in all, with 20
docks used for just-intime shipping. Finished
product is stored
aboard docked trailers
until the clients’ trucks
pick it up.
riences with it.”
Baker tried the MR-24 system. It performed
perfectly, as Freeman said it would. As a result,
Baker has used Freeman Building Systems and
the MR-24 roof system ever since.
“You don’t want leaks in a 5-acre roof,” he
says.
Baker and Sanders chose the VSR™ architectural standing seam roof system in an attractive bright blue to accent the facility’s front offices and as canopies for the outdoor smoking
and eating areas. Both roof systems were given
6 inches of insulation, and the plant walls were
given 4 inches.
Recycling heat
An all-in-one plant with an insulated building envelope enabled Harrison to take a further step that reduced the company’s heating
bills significantly. He explains that much of
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:36
“We started in March, made a proposal in April,
and we were in the ground in July”
JERRY BAKER
Developer Jerry Baker (left) and Sanoh America
Group Manager of Facilities Scott Harrison are
shown with a wooden pattern for one of the many
kinds of automotive tubing assemblies that are
made in the plant.
Sanoh’s machinery runs on air pressure.
“Whenever you produce compressed air,
you build up a lot of heat. In the old buildings,
this heat always had been vented outside. In
the new plant, I wanted to recapture it and use
it to heat the building.”
“Sanoh had five air compressors, about
the size of mini-vans,” Sanders recalls. “We
put them in a bump-out from the main building, with louvers and fans. The main facility
is heated with a through-the-wall air rotation
system. In the winter, the air rotation units
distribute the heat from the air compressors
throughout the building.”
The combined heating costs for the old
buildings, which each used natural gas, ran
around $36,000 a year. Although it’s not exactly
comparing apples to apples, Harrison says that
with the move to the updated facility, the Mt.
Vernon operation’s winter heating bills have
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 7
dropped to around $4,000 a year. This is an
energy cost savings of $32,000 dollars a year
for the plant.
Ready for new work
“When the construction was about 90 percent along, we acquired a lot more work that
we were not anticipating,” says Harrison.
“Fortunately, we were in a position where
we could take that on.”
The brutal economy had put one of Sanoh’s
competitors out of business. But with a spacious new plant almost ready to go, Sanoh
could step in and take advantage of the opportunity.
Freeman Building Systems made some last
minute adjustments, and the plant was turned
over to Sanoh in February—roughly seven
months after the building erection began. “It
was pretty amazing to get everything done so
7
May 20, 2011 09:31:37
JUST-IN-TIME
COMPANY
“You don’t want leaks in a 5-acre roof”
JERRY BAKER
quickly,” Harrison says.
The company moved in in stages in order to
maintain its just-in-time shipments—a process
that took about six months.
During the changeover, Sanoh invested $2
million in new machinery and equipment, and
its business has continued to grow ever since.
Although they have virtually filled their “room
to grow,” the plant’s expandable end-wall will
allow them to build an addition as needed.
The facility’s customized traffic flow and 20
new shipping docks have greatly improved the
operation’s efficiency.
“We are staging our trailers at the docks,
and as our product is made, we put it right on
the trucks,” Harrison says.
Once an order is complete, the trailers are
driven directly to their various clients’ factories. The plant presently handles around 120
outgoing shipments a day.
(continued)
ABOUT SANOH
Sanoh America, Inc. is a fully owned subsidiary of Sanoh-Industrial, a global company
based in Japan.
The company is headquartered in Findlay,
Ohio, and presently has six manufacturing
locations in North and South America—three
of which are based in Ohio.
The mid-sized, just-in-time manufacturer
specializes in corrosion-resistant tubing,
tubular brazed assemblies, plastic tubing assemblies and stainless steel tubing assemblies
for manufacturers such as Honda, Nissan,
Toyota, Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Ford and
Hyundai.
The Mt. Vernon operation first opened in
1993, and it presently employs around 231
people.
Traffic flow in the plant is well choreographed and the
™
building’s Landmark 2000 structural system provides
flexible, spacious bays for all facets of the work (above
and top photo, p. 9). The plant is kept immaculate. Note
the tidy system of descending tubes throughout the plant
that contain the compressed air and electric lines.
Employees especially like the plant’s pleasant
lunchroom (bottom photo, p. 9). They had to eat in shifts
at the company’s old facilities.
8
63112 butler.pdf 8
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:38
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 9
9
May 20, 2011 09:31:39
JUST-IN-TIME
COMPANY
“It was pretty amazing to get everything
done so quickly”
SCOTT HARRISON
Sanoh America, Inc.,
specializes in producing
a wide variety of tubular assemblies such
as these for a number
of major automotive
manufacturers. The Mt.
Vernon plant handles
around 120 outgoing
shipments a day.
10
63112 butler.pdf 10
Great results
The new building is a showplace not only
for Sanoh America, but also for Mt. Vernon and
the State of Ohio. On a plant tour in 2010, thenGovernor of Ohio Ted Strickland was “very
impressed” with the facility. The State of Ohio
has invested more than $680,000 to create 50
new jobs at the Mt. Vernon operation.
Baker and Freeman Building Systems are
pleased with the results, too. For them, the
high-speed project was another successful
job—or, as Baker would put it, business as
usual.
Ever since he began building industrial
projects with Freeman, Baker says he’s had no
customer complaints. “When nothing’s wrong,
you don’t get comments. I don’t normally get
comments,” he says.
“Dan and I can take a project, and I can do
some, and he can do some. We are both in the
construction business. I work with his people
well, and they know that I know what’s going
on. It’s a good relationship.”
In the end, Baker says, that’s what he enjoys
most about being a developer.
“It’s fun to take a project and make it work—
make it work on time and within budget and
everybody’s happy.” s
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:40
A VIBRANT
REHAB
The ROC in Richmond
transformed a deteriorating
former grocery store into a vital
center for church outreach
T
he Richmond Outreach Center aims to
save souls. In doing so, it also saved a
building and helped revitalize a neighborhood.
Pastor Geronimo Aguilar started the organization, known as The ROC, in 2001 as a place
where local churches, civic groups and individuals could unite to serve the urban community
of Richmond, Virginia. The concept took off
like wildfire and continued to expand. Recently
listed as one of the fastest growing churches in
the United States, The ROC quickly found itself
in need of larger spaces to accommodate its
growing congregation and multiple ministries.
by
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 11
mev Wilson, photography by
adam goldsmith
11
May 20, 2011 09:31:41
A VIBRANT
REHAB
“I did the due diligence and researched other churches
that were built with Butler systems—they looked good
and everyone was pleased”
®
RICK BROWN
The new entrance and
entrance hall give
focus to the renovated
building, and lead
to the “Big House,”
the building’s new
auditorium/sanctuary/
gym (pages 14-15). They
were constructed of
Butler® systems that
were fit into the core of
the existing building.
12
63112 butler.pdf 12
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:42
“I love renovation and adaptive reuse.
What could be more efficient than to
recycle the building?”
ERIC HEPLER
After looking into it, Brown agreed. “I
did the due diligence and researched other
churches that were built with Butler systems.
They looked good and everyone was pleased
with the results. It was a good match.”
“At first, we rented a large warehouse. Then
a church down the street sold us their building, but the Lord just kept bringing us more
people,” explains Rick Brown, project manager
for The ROC. “We needed more space.”
When a 1960s-vintage grocery store operating as a flea market became available, The
ROC saw rehab potential in the dilapidated
121,000-square-foot structure. Having worked
with local architect Eric Hepler on several
other projects, The ROC called upon him to
help again.
®
Hepler recommended Butler Builder Century Construction Co., also of Richmond. “Eric
knew that we’ve built a number of churches
using systems construction in the area,” says
Neil Palmer, Century’s vice president of sales.
“I was introduced to Butler® systems in college, and I’ve worked with Century for about
14 years,” Hepler says. “This project was a
prime candidate for a metal building solution.”
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 13
Converting the space
Serving an inner city and attracting a
diverse congregation meant The ROC needed
a variety of multi-purpose spaces. The wish
list included full-size collegiate
basketball courts with bleachTHE ROC
ers—also usable as an audi®
Butler Builder : Century Constructorium/sanctuary—a jogging
tion Co., Richmond, Virginia
track, a fitness center, a café,
Architect: Eric Hepler, Eric P. Hepler
Architect, PC; Richmond, Virginia
offices, classrooms, bookstore
Size: 39,600 square feet (new portion
and laundromat.
only)
®
“The ROC is not a traditional
Butler Systems:
™
church,” Brown explains. “We
Widespan structural system
™
VSR II architectural standing seam roof
work with a lot of inner city kids
system
and operate seven days a week.
It had to be very durable. And it
wasn’t going to have a ‘churchy’
feel—it had to appeal to the folks we work
with.”
Hepler recognized immediately that the
building needed a larger entry and lobby to
accommodate the throngs of people who flock
to the twice-weekly services—presently an average of about 2,900 per service. He envisioned
a college fieldhouse, which channels massive
crowds into an arena.
“The building also is set back from the
street, so it needed a large entrance to make
a statement—something people would notice
when they drive by,” Hepler adds.
To meet basketball requirements, the roof
had to be raised from the store’s original 16
feet to 24 feet. Inside support columns had to
be removed to create the clear space needed
for three basketball courts.
The solution was a 39,600-square-foot, Lshaped building, erected within the original
store walls. The 81.5- by 83-foot foyer would
lead into the heart of the building—the 130- by
248-foot auditorium/sanctuary/gym.
The transformation
Century gutted the store’s interior, keeping most of the basic structure and all four
exterior walls, except for 80 feet to create the
new entrance. A section of the old roof and the
support columns for it were removed to make
13
May 20, 2011 09:31:43
A VIBRANT
REHAB
“Cutting a hole in the roof sounds simple, but the new metal
building framing had to work within the existing column grid”
ERIC HEPLER
The versatile 130- by
248-foot “Big House”
embraces space for
three basketball courts
plus a running track,
and also doubles as an
auditorum/sanctuary.
™
The Widespan
structural system
provided column-free
space for these many
uses.
14
63112 butler.pdf 14
room for the new facility.
“Cutting a hole in the roof sounds simple,
but the new metal building framing had to
work within the existing column grid,” Hepler
says. “A minimal amount of structure was
taken out.”
Century erected the new building-within-abuilding using the Widespan™ structural system to create the column-free space to accommodate the basketball courts that also would
serve as the auditorium/sanctuary.
“The Widespan system gave us the clearspan
without the tonnage of steel required with conventional trusses,” Palmer explains. “We knew
that conventional steel construction would have
cost significantly more.”
Century used the VSR II™ architectural
standing seam roof system to top the new
construction. Its bright red finish and high
profile provide a focal point and transform the
appearance of the old store. The roof system’s
finish is also a “cool roof” color—reducing the
amount of heat transfer to the building and
lowering summer cooling costs for the church.
“One of the challenges was keeping the old
building structurally sound, while fitting the
new structure within it,” Palmer says. “Thanks
to Butler engineering, it fit like a glove.”
Black insulation panels line the basketball
courts/auditorium, achieving an R-32 rating and also enhancing the acoustics for the
sophisticated sound system. “The ROC has a
sound system that can accommodate professional concerts,” Palmer adds.
Significant savings
Overhauling the old store offered many
advantages. It was an established address
that was easily identified by the locals. It was
adjacent to the church’s thrift store, less than
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:43
“This project was a prime candidate for a
metal building solution”
ERIC HEPLER
a mile from other ROC facilities and just a few
miles from Richmond’s inner city. The large
parking lot held 400 cars, with space for buses.
The utilities were in place.
“It was pretty much ready to go,” Hepler
says.
Though the building wasn’t slated for LEED
certification, the architect and builder employed many environmentally conscious and
energy-efficient approaches in the renovation.
“We kept as much of the structure and walls
as possible, and we salvaged and reused 91,000
square feet of the original building,” Palmer
says. “That was a great cost savings.”
“I love renovation and adaptive reuse. What
could be more efficient than to recycle the
building? Why tear it down and throw it into a
landfill?” Hepler says.
The renovation also has rejuvenated its section of town. The fact that it was in a “rougher
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 15
neighborhood,” worked for The ROC, Brown
says. “We want to be right in the middle of
things. We want to be where the people who
need us are.”
Fulfilling the mission
The $13.5 million renovation took 12 months
to complete. “It was an interesting process to
cut the roof out and put in another building.
Century and Butler did a great job making sure
it was perfect,” Brown says.
The expansion presently allows The ROC to
serve an average of 9,352 individuals a week
through more than 160 ministries.
“We love it. People are blown away when
they compare it to the old flea mart. They can’t
believe how much it was changed,” Brown
says.
“The Lord has blessed us with a lot and we
serve Him by serving others.” s
15
May 20, 2011 09:31:44
BUILDING AN IMAGE
A First-Class Facility for
the Land of the Freeway
The latest in an innovative series, the
newest Cruz Thru Express car wash
is a head-turner
C
ar washes are changing, along with the
vehicles they service. With cars often
reaching values of $80,000 to $100,000,
owners don’t want to worry about a
scratched paint job. They want classy facilities with the latest technology. And the cutting
edge of car wash design and technology is
found—where else—in California, land of the
freeway.
Few operations are spiffier than the newest Cruz Thru Express car wash, located in
the Mustang Square shopping center in Seven
Oaks—an upscale neighborhood of Bakersfield. For efficiency, convenience and a topdrawer image, this building stands out.
“The days of a little concrete-block buildby
16
63112 butler.pdf 16
ben Jones
ing stuck behind a gas station are seriously
limited,” says Mark E. Russell of Mark Russell
Architects of Bakersfield, who designed the
building. It was built by Valley Steel Construction of Bakersfield, a Butler Builder® in the San
Joaquin Valley.
Car washes are a thriving business in the
San Joaquin Valley, where agricultural operations create plenty of dust. Cruz Thru partners
Terry Houchin, Frank Hobin and Raymond
Roselle have been building them there since
2002. They now have seven operations—all
designed by Russell and all but one built by
Valley Steel.
The building that was the exception used
another manufacturer’s framing. “It was a
photography by
paddock productions
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:44
“The days of a little concreteblock building stuck behind a gas
station are seriously limited”
MARK E. RUSSELL
The car wash is located
in an upscale shopping
center that required it
to match the center’s
Spanish architectural
style. This was easy
to achieve with the
™
versatile Widespan
structural system.
Cruz Thru Express has
®
built five other Butler
facilities in the San
Joaquin Valley—all with
the Widespan system,
representing various
exterior styles .
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 17
disappointment,” says
own custom blend of carCRUZ THRU EXPRESS
Roselle, adding that the
wash chemicals and top-ofpartners returned to Valley
the line wash equipment.
®
Butler Builder : Valley Steel ConSteel for “the quality of
As the firm’s name implies,
struction, Bakersfield, California
Architect: Mark E. Russell AIA, Mark
their work—they’ve always
customers drive their cars
Russell Architects, Bakersfield, California
treated us fairly.”
onto a conveyor track that
Size: 5,016 square feet
®
Architect Russell adds,
takes them through the
Butler Systems:
™
“I must say it was nice to
building and the various
Widespan structural system
®
Butlerib II roof system
get back to the familiar
stages of the washing.
detailing available with
Their operations boast
Butler. We have worked
hi-tech brush systems
with the Widespan™ structural system for so
and robotics, and radio-frequency identity tag
long, it’s like an old friend. It has maximum
recognition software that can send customflexibility, particularly with respect to changing ers a monthly bill at their home or place of
the equipment.”
business—a service that the firm pioneered in
the area.
Ideal for the business
Cruz Thru’s FastPass members can drive
Cruz Thru Express prides itself on using its
in and out without even opening a window—
17
May 20, 2011 09:31:45
A FIRST-CLASS
FACILITY
“We have worked with the Widespan™ structural system for
so long, it’s like an old friend—it has maximum flexibility,
particularly with respect to changing our equipment”
MARK E. RUSSELL
Cruz Thru Express prides itself on using its own
custom blend of carwash chemicals and top-of-the
line wash equipment. Systems construction is ideal
for them. If equipment needs to be updated, new
conduits can be easily piped through the walls.
18
63112 butler.pdf 18
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
May 20, 2011 09:31:46
“Concrete structures just aren’t flexible.
The Widespan™ system—the grid and the
spacing—is”
MARK E. RUSSELL
with a Solar White “cool roof” finish system
to reflect heat. This environmentally friendly
feature also helps reduce the building’s “urban
heat island” effect on the local climate.
Valley Steel built the car wash for about
$750,000, minus the concrete pad and washing
equipment, which Cruz Thru supplied.
John C. Antonino, Valley Steel’s vice
president and project manager for the job, was
“very accommodating,” Roselle says
“The shopping center required us to add
acoustic paneling to absorb sound, and he assisted us with that all the way through.”
The building also had to meet Mustang
Square’s restrictions on appearance, which
had to reflect the region’s Spanish heritage.
The building’s steel structural system was easy
to combine with stucco and durable stone-like
materials for the exterior walls, to comply with
the rest of the buildings in the complex.
unless they want to stop at one of the free
vacuum stations to clean the car’s interior on
the way out.
Systems construction, Russell emphasizes,
is ideal for such a facility. For example, if
equipment needs to be updated, new conduits
can be easily piped through the walls. “Concrete structures just aren’t flexible. The Widespan system—the grid and the spacing—is.”
For the 5,016-square-foot Mustang Square
building, the Widespan system provided a
31-foot span for the wash tunnel—whose 150foot length is framed in 25-foot sections. The
building is topped by a Butlerib® II roof system
BUILDING PROFIT SUMMER 2011
63112 butler.pdf 19
Maximum design flexibility
Designing to meet a specific exterior appearance has never been a problem with Valley
®
Steel Construction and Butler systems, says
Russell. In fact, none of the Cruz Thru buildings look the same.
“We used ’50s-style design architecture on
the outside of another of the car washes where
the entire tunnel wall was glass so people driving by could see the cars as they go through
the washing process,” Russell says. “Again, the
steel framing system allowed us to do that. We
were able to modify the exterior and stay absolutely consistent with the Widespan structural
system on the inside—it makes a very dependable skeleton.”
With its arched windows, cream and gold
walls and white trim, the Mustang Square
building has a distinctive presence. It conveys
an image of “clean, professional simplicity,”
says Houchin.
“It’s more of an upscale look than what
we’ve done in the past. Our customers actually
think it looks larger than our others, but it’s
not.”
In fact, Houchin and Roselle say they are
so pleased with the look of their latest facility
that the design of the next one may well mimic
it.
“I love it,” Roselle says. “It really looks
good.” s
BUILDING PROFIT ®
SUMMER 2011 Vol. 32 No. 2
Editorial Director: Leslie Clark
Editor: Judy Findsen
Editorial Assistant:
Catherine Cooper
Art Director: Frank Satogata
®
Building Profit is published on
®
behalf of the Butler Builder
organization by Page Two
Publications, Ltd., in cooperation
TM
with Butler Manufacturing .
Editorial Office:
Building Profit Magazine,
Page Two Publications, Ltd.,
P.O. Box 8067,
Cincinnati, OH 45208,
Phone: (513) 321-7780.
Printed in U.S.A. © 2011
BlueScope Buildings
North America, Inc.
All rights reserved.
TM
Butler Manufacturing
is a division of BlueScope
Buildings North America, Inc.
P.O. Box 419917, Kansas City, MO
64141-6917.
May be reprinted by
permission only.
19
May 20, 2011 09:31:46