General Building Statistics:

• Building Name: Broadway Plaza
• Location and Site: 15 First Avenue S.E. Rochester, Minnesota, 55903
• Building Occupant Name: Rochester Development, Inc. (Rentals by Oakwood Worldwide)
• Occupancy or Function Types:
  • Primary Occupancy: Apartment Building
  • Mixed Occupancy: Business/Retail (Floors 1-3)
  • Accessory Occupancy: S3 Enclosed Parking Garage
• Size (Total Sq. Ft.): 324,303 Sq. Ft.
• Number of Stories Above Grade: 29 Stories
• Primary Project Team:
  • Owner: Rochester Development, Inc. (Division of Royal Management &  Development Inc.)
    Website: www.royalontheweb.com
  • Architect: Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates         
    Website:  www.burthill.com
  • MEP Engineers: Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates
    Website:  www.burthill.com
  • General Contractor: Adolfson and Peterson Construction
    Website: www.a-p.com
  • Electrical Contractor: Premier Electric          
    Website: www.premierelectric.com
  • Structural Engineers: Uzun & Case Engineers
    Website: www.uzuncase.com
• Dates of Construction (Start-Finish):
  • Planned: April 2002-April 2004
  • Actual: September 2002-Substantial Completion June 1, 2004
• Cost:
  • Overall Project: $44,824,000
  • Building: $43,100,000, includes $300,000 Sky Bridge
  • Soft Costs: $1,724,000 (4% fee to Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates)
• Project Delivery Method: Design-Bid-Build

Building System Information:

Architecture:

Broadway Plaza is a landmark among the residential complexes of Rochester, Minnesota with its acclaimed views of the South Fork Zumbo River, Bear Creek, and the nearby Mayo Memorial Park. The complex strives to be a “home away from home” for patients visiting the nearby Mayo Clinic as well as for business travelers working in Rochester or other citizens desiring luxury apartment accommodations. The 29-story apartment complex features 13 residential floors consisting primarily of two bedroom units with 1 bedroom units also available. The 26th floor penthouse features two units, each with 5 bedrooms and baths; half bath; foyer; and oversized kitchen and living/dining areas with adjoining decks opening to the outdoors. Broadway Plaza has many first class features including a spacious lobby, function room, conference room, meeting room, business center, state-of-the-art fitness center, indoor swimming pool and sauna, and children’s play area. Retail space is also available on the first and second floors for future occupancy by major retail chains.

Due to the brisk and extremely low temperatures of Minnesota winters, Broadway Plaza features skyway access to the Mayo Clinic and all of downtown Rochester. The skyway, bridge connection, and skyway lobby allow pedestrians to travel through the building (past several retail establishments accessed directly from the skyway) without being forced to face the elements. A loading dock is available for drop off on the first floor. A parking ramp from the exterior parking lot allow for a parking area in the basement below. Designed to attract new workers and residents into the city, Broadway Plaza’s modern and functional appeal combined with the warm atmosphere of a residence help to set it aside from the common apartment complex.

Building Envelope:

The exterior walls of Broadway Plaza are primarily precast concrete. A small rim of granite veneer-faced precast concrete panels encircles the bottom of the first floor while the remainder of the lower two floors is composed primarily of a limestone veneer faced precast concrete panel system. The main entry features a revolving door into the lobby to provide an airtight seal from Minnesota winters while glass and aluminum doors flank the other sides of the building for additional entry. The main entry is also protected by three decorative glass panel canopies that block the elements yet provide a modernistic look. The third floor features a polished precast concrete panel system that encircles the top and bottom of the floor with ribbed precast in-between. The polished precast panel system continues skyward from the fourth floor, combining with ribbed precast “columns” and windows in a symmetrical pattern. All apartment windows are vision or vision safety glass at 1” thick. Sliding glass doors from living room units open onto short-railed balconies. Larger balconies are featured on the 26th floor penthouse. Some spandrel glass, meanwhile, can be seen mixed in with the storefront windows as well as banded in the sizeable curtain wall system along the front main entry and skyway.  

The largest portion of Broadway Plaza’s roof curves downward along the North and South sides above the 28th floor and is clad with curved standing seam metal roofing material. On the East and   West ends, four structural steel columns protrude from the top of the structure and are covered with decorative precast concrete. Between the columns on the East and West ends lies an 8” segmented aluminum curtain wall system with metal louver system infill. Coinciding with the columns along the North and South ends is a metal panel wall system flush with the curve of the metal roof. The inside of this wall system houses the mechanical penthouse from floors 27-29 along with the cooling tower on the 29th floor. Structural steel beams and bracing system on the roof provide support from wind as well as a modernistic beacon. Likewise, an aluminum pole with cap on the louvered roof ends ties back to the curtain wall and acts as a support and trellis.

The skyway bridge across First Street represents a structure in itself. Allowing pedestrians safety from the elements, the bridge is constructed of crisscrossing W8-18 beams and HSS3.5X3.5X1/4. Vision and vision safety glass at 1” thick clads both sides of the bridge in an aluminum frame.

Construction:

Type 1- Fire resistive construction with automatic sprinklers-unlimited floor area and height
The site of Broadway Plaza previously housed a JCPenny retail store. Therefore, transition, demolition, and excavation of the site were not problematic. Maintaining the same commercial zoning, the project began in the method of design-bid-build to construct a combined apartment complex and mixed-use facility. Construction began in September of 2002, and continued through the summer of 2004. Substantial completion was achieved on June 1, 2004.  The building cost totals $43,100,000, included a $300,000 sky bridge for pedestrians. The total project cost comes to roughly $44,824,000.

Zoning and Historical:

Commercial; Site is former home of a JCPenney Retail Store

Major National Codes:

IBC 2000
Fair Housing Act , 1996 (apartment units)
MN Accessibility Code/Chapter 1341 (public spaces)
Standard MEP Codes, example: NEC 2000

Electrical:

Broadway Plaza’s power distribution is both standard 480/277V and 208/120V. Electrical service is brought into the building through two utility maintained step-down transformers. The 208V transformer feeds into two 208V, 100KAIC switchboards, with 3000A bolted pressure switch with tvss protection and customer metering to supply two 3000A resident bus ducts. The 480V transformer feeds into three primary components. First, a 480V 65KAIC switchboard supplies an 800A bus duct to retail service on the second floor. A fire pump control for fire suppression is also fed directly from the 480V transformer. Finally, the 480V transformer feeds into the main distribution panel- a 3000A, 480V 65KAIC switchboard with 3000A bolted pressure switch with GFCI protection, tvss, and customer metering. The MDP further serves two 164KW chillers; a 1000A bus duct riser to the MDP in the mechanical penthouse; a 1200A, 480V secondary distribution panel feeding primary panelboards; a 1000A MLO, 480V emergency distribution panel supplying power to emergency only panelboards; and a panelboard serving domestic water booster pumps, sewage, and other panelboards among other things.

Major bus risers include a 1000A mechanical riser serving the 27th floor mechanical penthouse, an 800A emergency riser serving the 27th floor mechanical penthouse, the 800A riser for retail service on the second floor, and the two 3000A resident bus duct risers (floors 4 thru14 and 15 thru 25, respectively.) Fifteen dry type transformers exist in various locations of the complex to step down voltage between 480/277V panels to 208/120V panels-serving primarily receptacle loads. The mechanical penthouse’s 1000A 480/277V MLO switchboard taps off of the 1000A mechanical riser to supply equipment and emergency control of passenger and freight elevators.

Each apartment possesses an individual unit load center. Units A, B1, B1A, B2, and C all have load centers at 208/120V, 1 phase, 3 wire, 125AMP MCB, while the larger unit D requires a 208/120V 3 phase, 4 wire, 225 AMP MCB load center. The unit load centers feed back to the energy meter display and a tenant distribution board. The 208V, 3 phase, 4 wire 600A tenant board is fed off of the 3000A bus riser. Although at the moment all apartments are metered from one switchboard, each apartment in Broadway Plaza has the capability to be metered separately. 

In the case of emergency, power is maintained by a 480Y/277V, 800kW, 1000 kVA generator. The generator provides power to the fire pump control as well as critical loads in the building. Automatic transfer switching is required for segregating emergency power into two branches: life safety and emergency equipment and fire alarm. The ATS’s are rated at 1000A and 600A.

Lighting:

Lighting in Broadway Plaza is predominantly fluorescent with low voltage track for accent of entrances and primary walls. The system is run off of 277V for retail and multifunction spaces on the lower floor while residential lighting on the upper floors is run from 120V. In an effort to conserve energy, occupancy sensors are abundant and the offices, skyway, pool, elevator core, and exterior are placed on a timer schedule.

The basement parking is dominated by metal halide surface ceiling mounted fixtures both in the parking area and along the ramp and loading dock regions. The unoccupied retail spaces are currently lit by simple fluorescent strip fixtures for functionality rather than aesthetics. Room has been left on the panelboards for new lighting to be determined upon the move-in of a retail agent.

Site lighting is not complex. The roof is lit with FAA approved flashing red obstruction beacons. The ground level, meanwhile, is lit by HPS globe pole fixtures along the sidewalk and roadway edge. The decorative wall sconces around the building, meanwhile, are MH with the addition of two adjustable par MH lamps to the fixtures nearest to the main entrance.

The lobby spaces take advantage of a lutron graphik eye dimming system that allows for various moods and settings depending on the activity or time of day.  Seating areas possess fluorescent lensed downlights with a few mr16 track fixtures along window top edges to provide accent light. The entrance possesses the first of many popular cove areas that light the space primarily through fluorescent indirect cove fixtures. Additional recessed fluorescent strips and MR16 wallwashers accent the reception wall. MR16 fixtures along curved tracks lead the visitor from the entrance back into the core elevator lobby.

The skyway lobby is lit by compact fluorescent downlights while the skyway itself features the same open downlights with linear fluorescent pendants in 16’ sections between the downlighting. Curvable cove fixtures and compact fluorescent wall washes highlight the entrances to the skyway while simple parabolics are used within the bridge. 

The function room, like the lobby, takes advantage of the lutron graphik eye dimming system. Dimming zones cover areas from the curved mr16 track along the side walls, to a wall washed central wall, to the curvable cove fixtures. 

The typical residential unit takes advantage of low energy fluorescent lighting in several spaces. Lensed compact fluorescent downlights line the corridors. The kitchen features a fluorescent wraparound and undercabinet fixtures. A pendant is hung in the dining room while decorative close-to-ceiling halogen fixtures are utilized in the bedrooms. 

Although daylighting utilization is not a primary concern for Broadway Plaza, the indoor pool area takes advantage of three North-facing skylight wells topped with a peak of “ridge type” aluminum and insulating glass skylights. During the evening hours, the pool is primarily lit by indirect cove fixtures located above each of the individual pool areas.

Mechanical:

Broadway Plaza’s mechanical system utilizes a four-pipe fan coil system. The building possesses three boilers for heating, and one cooling tower located on the 29th floor for the chilled water system. Additionally, two chillers for free cooling with a special system heat exchanger are used. The cooling tower provides condenser water to the chiller’s condenser which is used to chill the water that goes through the evaporator side of the chiller and out of the system. This water then travels to all the fan coils and air-handling units.

Three air handlers service the fitness center, function room, and skyway respectively. One dedicated make-up air-handling unit is used for ventilation. This unit possesses a condenser water reheat coil (a form of energy recovery), heating coil with wing coil, chilled water coil, and a heat reclaim coil (part of the coil energy recovery loop). Through this system, outdoor air is ducted into plenum space for each apartment unit and mixed with return air.

Outdoor air to each apartment also provides make-up air for exhaust air being exhausted through the toilet and kitchen exhausts to maintain neutral room pressure. Two main toilet exhaust fans run continuously on the roof. Unit bathrooms have 25 cfm continuous exhaust. Additionally, each bathroom also has a 50 cfm booster fan. Inline exhaust fans provide for exhaust of common bathrooms on the first three floors and tie into the main exhaust duct riser. A garage exhaust fan ventilates the garage parking area as per code. Two stairwell pressurization fans on the roof work for smoke control in the stairwells in the event of a fire.

The pool takes advantage of a dehumidification unit with heat recovery to help to heat the pool’s water. Broadway Plaza also utilizes another special system of a single coil energy recovery loop (runaround) to conserve energy. Two outdoor air duct shafts, two kitchen exhaust risers and four exhaust risers that combine into two on the 28th floor (all of which are part of the coil recovery loop,) combine to complete the total system of the project.

Structural:

The structural system for Broadway Plaza is primarily a post-tensioned concrete system. The common multifunction floors (1-3) are 10”-12” thick non-post-tensioned concrete slab on concrete frame. Slab along the entry lobby is depressed 2 Ω”.  The structural slab system on the residential floors (4-25) is 8 Ω” thick concrete flat plate post-tensioned system. This system reverts back to a thicker (10” or 12”) non-post-tensioned concrete to support the residential penthouse, mechanical penthouse areas, and roof. The roof was built using a roof framing system of curved W16X26 beams to support the primarily curved metal roof. HSS4X8 beams can be found bracing the roof in addition to the W16X26 beams. Typical curtain wall construction, meanwhile, was used for several lower floor exterior walls.  The skyway bridge is constructed of crisscrossing W8-18 beams and HSS3.5X3.5X1/4 beams clad in aluminum and glass.

Fire Protection:

Most areas of Broadway Plaza possess an automatic wet sprinkler system with a standpipe in each stairwell. A fire pump is used with the system for additional pressure to reach the upper floors. The fire pump is electric and fed from the emergency power generator located on the second floor. A controller and jockey pump are also provided. The parking garage and loading dock area, meanwhile, use a dry system for fire suppression. Standard smoke detectors, strobes, pull stations, and horns can be found throughout the building as required to meet code and public safety in residences and public spaces. A fully addressable ADA compliant fire alarm system is installed throughout the building.

Plumbing:

The domestic water system in Broadway plaza is maintained by a domestic water booster pump. A water softening system located on the 27th floor drives the entire domestic service. The building uses gas water heaters with a recirculation system for the domestic hot water. Gas piping is provided for future equipment, for fireplaces on the 26th floor, and for mechanical equipment on the 27th floor. Pool equipment on the third floor, meanwhile, takes care of maintenance and water purification of the pool area. While rain leaders are located inside the building for collection of storm water, sanitary and vent stacks throughout Broadway plaza collect used domestic water.

Telecommunications:

Each apartment is equipped with basic voice and data jacks as well as television outlets in all major living spaces. Special provisions for data communication have been made in the offices, conference room, and business center. Additionally, public spaces such as the fitness center and lobby possess the ability to put people in touch with data communication. State-of-the-art internet and phone communication is provided throughout Broadway Plaza.

Transportation:

The core of Broadway Plaza houses three passenger elevators for transportation between floors 1 and 27. A fourth larger service elevator runs between floors 1 and 28 to service freight and the mechanical penthouse. All of these elevators are traction type systems. The passenger elevators have a rated load of 3000 lbs and a rated speed of 700 fpm. The service elevator has the same 7000 fpm speed, but allows for 4000 lbs of load.  A fifth elevator located adjacent to the elevator lobby allows for travel between the first and second floor skyway lobby and skyway. This elevator is hydraulic in nature with a rated speed of 150 fpm and a rated load of 2500 lbs. Elevator recall is installed in all elevators. When the emergency generator is in use, but not under a fire alarm condition, the core elevator cars continue with apparent normal operations, but are under the control of an elevator management system. This management system will select two cars to continue under full speed and capacity while causing the other cars to pause and operate on idle power.

Special Systems:

Due to the security issues related to luxury living in a bustling city, Broadway Plaza possesses an extensive building security system throughout the premises. Card access, electric strike, and requests to exit are common door security measures taken to ensure shut off of access to residential areas from nonresidents along the skyway and exterior. A CCTV system monitors public spaces, the exterior, as well as the elevator lobby of each floor to ensure security to residents. Additionally, an interactive “hotelling” tv system allows for visual communication between various zones throughout the apartment complex.