Justice prevails

Masonry Construction, July-August, 2004

The masonry contract for the Hall of Justice, Lansing, Mich., involved placing 14,000 limestone panels within an aggressive timeline, choreographing 300 truckloads of stone with the work of other trades, and customizing mini-cranes that could work safely on the rooftop. But those challenges were routine for Schiffer Mason Contractors Inc. after tackling the initial hurdle: bidding on a job whose drawings were only 80% complete.

"Basically our stonework was to be done under performance specifications," said Dan Schiffer, president of the Holt, Mich., contracting firm. "The walls were only partially sketched and there was no details for the structural steel. We had to engineer the anchoring systems, flashing, control joints, size of the stones, and everything else related to the masonry based on 80% drawings. And there were to be no change orders."

All of the limestone panels required intermediate structural steel framing, and each panel and frame had to be individually designed in close cooperation with Indiana Limestone. Schiffer produced the stone shop drawings several months before the masonry work began so the project's steel contractor--Douglas Steel Fabricating Corp.--could install the necessary 2900 tons of structural steel. "It all worked because the architect--Albert Kahn Associates--created a team from day one between the owner, general contractor, and trade contractors," stated Schiffer.

The project's 26-month schedule demanded tightly-timed construction sequences. Schiffer needed to place 1000 pieces of decorative limestone around the rotunda, but construction of underground parking ramps on the building's east and west sides blocked access by crane from the ground to the rotunda. There was no time to lose.

"I hit the Internet and started looking for companies that built custom machinery," remembered Schiffer. "We needed two miniature cranes, with all necessary safety features, that would be light enough to set on the roof but still capable of lifting 2500 pounds up to 30-feet high."

Schiffer sketched his ideas and Ruger Equipment, Urichsville, Ohio, designed and engineered the machines. "We used a large crane to set the mini-cranes on the roof from the south side and rolled the stone across the roof on carts," he said. Schiffer's crew completed that part of the project in two months instead of three, keeping the cost under bid even when factoring in the expense of the customized cranes.

Another piece of equipment specialized for the job was the Fraco hydraulic scaffolding with a trolley system capable of handling the heavy stone panels. Thanks to the custom equipment, several groundsupported cranes, and as many as seven crews working simultaneously, Schiffer was able to complete the masonry work in about one year.

Situated in Michigan's state capitol complex, the Hall of Justice is an integral part of downtown Lansing's redevelopment. The structure's Indiana Buff limestone cladding accented with granite blends the new hall with the 1879 Capitol building.

Project Participants

Masonry Contractor: Schiffer Mason Contractors Inc., Holt, Mich.

Architect/Structural Engineer: Albert Kahn Associates, Detroit, Mich.

General Contractor: The Christman Co., Lansing, Mich.

Masonry Suppliers: Martin Block, Lansing, Mich.; Indiana Limestone Co, Bloomington, Ind; Granicor, Quebec, Ontario, Canada

Masonry Accessories Suppliers: Hohmann & Barnard, Hauppauge, NY.; JKI Engineering, Bedford, Ind.