AIRPORT. BUT HOW? AND WHY DIDN’T SECURITY SEE ANYTHING I’M INVESTIGATING TONIGHT. ALRIGHT
SO NORMALLY WHEN YOU BUILD
SOMETHING, YOU START FROM THE
FOUNDATION AND HE GOT FROM
THERE. LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS
JUST UNBELIEVABLE. THE TIME
LAPSE HERE WELL, THERE’S A
PROJECT DOWNTOWN DETROIT THAT
COULD CHANGE THE WAY CITIES ARE
BUILT WORLDWIDE AND THEY’RE
DOING IT FROM THE TOP DOWN.
BUSINESS EDITOR ROD MELONI LIVE
DOWNTOWN WITH THAT STORY AND THE
$64 MILLION BILL THAT’S REALLY
ROCKING THE CONSTRUCTION WORLD
ROD. THAT’S RIGHT. JASON TERRAN
, TAKE A LOOK. THIS IS THE
EXCHANGE BUILDING. YOU MAY HAVE
SEEN IT AND YOU WONDER, PERHAPS,
WHERE’S THE BOTTOM THIRD? WELL
THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF THE BUILD
HERE AT THE CORNER OF BRUSH AND
GRASS IT BECAUSE THE BUILDING
KIND OF LOOKS LIKE IT’S FLOATING
IN MIDAIR. SORT OF LIKE DRONE
FOUR. FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY
HIGH RISE CONSTRUCTION LOOKED
LIKE THIS IRONWORKERS, CASUALLY
LUNCHING SEATED ON GIRDERS
HUNDREDS OF FEET OFF THE GROUND
, THEIR BOOTS FREELY SWINGING SO
HIGH THE PICTURES ALONE CAN MAKE
YOU NAUSEOUS. IT’S AN OFTEN
DANGEROUS, SLOW MOVING BUSINESS
, DEPENDENT ON AND BEHOLDEN TO
GRAVITY. NEW YORK’S ONE
VANDERBILT BUILDING IS A
SPECTACULAR 93 STORY EXAMPLE
COURTESY OF THEIR EARTH CAM TIME
LAPSE VIDEO. THEY SHOW US IN
ORDER TO BUILD HIGH YOU START
WITH A BIG HOLE IN THE GROUND.
ONCE PILINGS GET DRIVEN HOME, IT
CAN TAKE 23 OR EVEN HALF A DOZEN
YEARS FOR A STATELY BEHEMOTH
COBBLED TOGETHER WITH CONCRETE
STEEL. GLASS AND COPPER TO TAKE
SHAPE. YET HERE IN MOTOWN, THE
EXCHANGE BUILDING GIVES US A
DECIDEDLY DIFFERENT LOOK. AT
THAT PROCESS. THE EXCHANGE
BUILDING LEANS HEAVILY ON
DETROIT’S AUTOMOTIVE PAST AS A
GUIDE TO UPENDING AGE OLD
CONSTRUCTION NORMS. THE
EXCHANGES, UPPER FLOORS RISE TO
THE TOP AND SNAP INTO PLACE LIKE
A CHILD’S LEGO SET THROUGH
CONSIDERABLE RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT. INSTEAD OF BOTTOM
UP, THEY FIGURED HOW TO GO TOP
DOWN IN STRIKING FASHION. THE
LIFT BUILD COMPANY IS OWNED BY
DETROIT BASED BARTON MELLOW
CONSTRUCTION AND WE REALLY TRY
AND TURN THE CONSTRUCTION SITE
INTO MORE OF A MANUFACTURING
ENVIRONMENT. PRESIDENT JO
BENVENUTO TELLS US THAT MODERN
BUSINESS REALITIES ARE BEHIND
TURNING THE CONSTRUCTION
BUSINESS. RIGHT SIDE UP FIRST
AND FOREMOST, MAKE A SAFER WORK
ENVIRONMENT, LOWER THE COST TO
OUR END USERS AND MAKE OUR
TRADES MORE PRODUCTIVE. WE KNOW
THAT WE’RE DEALING WITH A
DEFICIT OF LABOR IN THE
WORKFORCE. AND WE NEED TO TRY
AND SOLVE THAT DRONE, FOR NOW
TAKES THE OLD STEEL WORKERS
PERCH TO SHOW US HOW IT ALL
COMES TOGETHER. THEY START BY
BUILDING TWO GIANT CONCRETE
PILLARS CALLED SPINES. AND FROM
THERE, THE TRADESPEOPLE BUILD A
SCAFFOLD AROUND THE SPINE, A
MERE FIVE FT. OFF THE GROUND AS
EACH OF THE 16 FLOORS GETS
FINISHED A MILLION POUNDS OF
LIVING SPACE TAKEN EIGHT HOUR
ELEVATOR RIDE TO THE TOP. ONCE
IN PLACE, THEY DO THE CONNECTIVE
FINISH WORK. OPERATING ENGINEER
JAMIE WILCOX THOROUGHLY ENJOYS
THIS UNIQUE JOB IN THE TRADE FOR
ALMOST 20 YEARS IN THIS BY FAR
IS THE MOST INTERESTING PROJECT
THAT I’VE EVER BEEN ON
IRONWORKER CONNOR STANLEY
APPRECIATES THE IMPROVED SAFETY
BEING 200 FT IN THE AIR AND YOU
KNOW IN THE OPEN, YOU KNOW
THERE’S WINDOWS ALREADY ON A AS
THE FLOOR GOES UP TO WHERE THAT
KIND OF ELIMINATES ANY TYPE OF
RISK OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO
MUCH DID JOE GREGOR’S OF SKI
WANT TO BE PART OF THIS BUILD HE
DRIVES TO AND FROM BATTLE CREEK
EVERY DAY, THE COMMUTE DID NOT
DIM HIS ENTHUSIASM KIND OF
BUILT. THOUSANDS OF HUNDREDS OF
BUILDINGS THE CONVENTIONAL WAY
ALL OVER THIS IS SOMETHING
DIFFERENT. SOMETHING NEW,
GROUNDBREAKING. I WANTED TO BE A
PART OF IT. THEY USED COMPUTER
TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD THE EXCHANGE
LONG BEFORE THEY PULLED THE
FIRST FOOT OF CONDUIT. AND WHILE
THE LEARNING CURVE SLOWED THINGS
EARLY, THEY TELL US THEY FIGURED
OUT HOW TO MOVE THIS PROJECT
ALONG QUITE SMARTLY, REALLY
REWARDING, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GET
IN YOUR CAR. LOOK BACK AT THIS
THING AT THE END OF THE DAY
AFTER ANOTHER FLOOR HAS GONE UP,
AND I MEAN, WE’RE MAKING HISTORY
HERE. WELL THEY FIGURE THEY’RE
GOING TO BE FINISHED BUILDING IT
NEXT SPRING. AND THE QUESTION,
OF COURSE, IS HOW MUCH DID THEY
SAVE AND IN TERMS OF EFFICIENCY
20 TO 30% IS WHAT THEY THINK
THEY’RE SAVING. SO IS IT TIME
AND MONEY. THERE’S STILL WAITING
TO FIND OUT. THEY HAVE HALF A
DOZEN FLOORS TO PUT BACK ON IT,
BUT I GOT TO TELL YOU, THIS IS
PRETTY IMPRESSIVE OUT HERE BACK
TO YOU. IT’S REALLY WHEN WE
WATCH IT, ROD, OUR JAWS ARE ON
THE FLOOR. JUST THE WAY IT GOES
FROM TOP DOWN LIKE THAT. IT’S
JUST CRAZY. IT FEELS LIKE IT
GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING. YOU
KNOW, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I
DIDN’T ASK YOU HOW MANY UNITS
ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE WHEN
THIS THING IS DONE? ALL RIGHT.
WELL, LET ME PULL UP MY NOTES
BECAUSE IT’S A RATHER LENGTHY
LIST. WE DID SAY 16 FLOORS, 165
RESIDENCES, 153 APARTMENTS AND A
DOZEN CONDOS AND THERE’S ALSO
GOING TO BE RETAIL, AND THEY’LL
HAVE RESTAURANTS ON THE FIRST
FLOOR AGAIN WHEN THEY WRAP IT UP
NEXT SPRING. MIXED USE OUR