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Allen Fieldhouse renovation a slam dunk 

Both John Wilkins (left) and Anthony Rohr (right) of Gould Evans graduated with degrees in architecture from the University of Kansas. But back then, the two Jayhawks never imagined they’d be working on one of the biggest projects the Lawrence campus has ever seen: the transformative, $42-million renovation of Allen Fieldhouse and the Athletics Complex. “This project was unique from the standpoint that the Fieldhouse is such an iconic building to so many people,” said Wilkins, principal-in-charge of the renovations and addition. “Everyone you bump into has been in that building. So the challenge was to make this renovation really, really good.” Obviously, that’s the way it turned out. Gould Evans recently earned distinctive recognition from the International Interior Design Association for its work on the renovation. The project also garnered other awards from the Associated General Contractors of America and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.

The renovation included a new indoor basketball practice facility that can be viewed from the new donor atrium (below) that runs the length of the fieldhouse’s west concourse. Those were the centerpieces of the renovation. Other renovations included new men’s and women’s clubhouses with locker rooms, lounges, film rooms, offices, wider concourses and reorganized stairwells. Anyone who’s been there recently has experienced the new “history walk” that depicts a timeline of the men’s and women’s basketball programs.

“Two realities constantly confronted us as we progressed through the design of the AFH renovation,” said Rohr, design principal for the project. “The first was that we had to touch the original, historic building lightly in every scenario possible. The second was the ‘experiential design,’ or making design decisions based upon the layers of experiences of all the users. The experience of the fan, the student-athlete, the coach, the administration, the alumni, the visitor, etc. — they were all embraced. The lighting design was a vital tool towards executing those ideas – and it, obviously, worked well.” Wilkins added,  “I think the biggest challenge, really, was to connect the many buildings that were already there. They were built at different times with different construction and different qualities. We had to transfer everything into a modern-day facility and at the same time stay true to the traditions of Allen Fieldhouse. It had had some minor updates through the years, but all on the small scale. This was the first time since it was built that someone took a comprehensive approach to the whole facility. When we started there were five facilities, and our work connected them all together physically and with lighting and finishes and materials. It was really critical that we have one athletic complex when we were done, which was really the goal.” Below, the clubhouse vestibule.

BHC RHODES gets job done so customers can focus on business

BHC RHODES is a local engineering and surveying company based in Overland Park. Founded in 1992, its dynamic team of professionals which includes LEED accredited professionals is recognized as a leader in the industry. Its mission is simple — to help customers be successful at achieving their objectives by providing them with value-added design and management services.

“We’re really here to get the customer’s deal done,” said Kevin Honomichl, president of BHC RHODES. “We are their advocate. We are engaged with them every step of the way, and we know well in advance how to help them with their objectives. All the surveying and the engineering, it’s really just a means to an end, We are making sure all the bases are covered so our clients can focus on their business. Redevelopment and adaptive reuse of existing property and facilities will be important moving forward. It makes sense to reuse existing infrastructure where there is a known market. We can help by providing land surveying and engineering.” 

Above, BHC RHODES’ Commercial Development team leaders include Bob Lindeblad, Business Development; Kevin Honomichl, President, BHC RHODES; Brett Carlgren, Project Manager and Alan Michels, Project Manager. 

Honomichl also stressed that in these uncertain economic times, it is even more important to carefully choose a quality surveyor and engineering company.  “There are some deals out there, but think of it as if you were picking an orthopedic surgeon to do work on you knee, or you were choosing a financial advisor to protect your assets,” he said. “The cheapest one isn’t necessarily the best one or the one you want in your corner.”  

BHC RHODES is very proud to be associated with the new Wizards complex and casino being built in western Wyandotte County. BHC RHODES did the civil engineering for the Wizards new stadium, and both the survey and engineering work for the casino.  Other large projects include the renovation of the state capitol dome in Topeka. BHC RHODES was hired by JE Dunn Construction to perform High Definition Surveying (HDS) services to survey and create a 3D model of the dome to be used for designing and laying out the scaffolding structure and framework. BHC RHODES used HDS, or 3-D laser scanning (see picture below), on the project. The company of about 50 employees also is using this high-tech capability to remodel a local hospital’s surgical center.  “It’s a fantastic tool to use any time you are renovating an existing facility and you don’t have reliable, as-built drawings to work off of,” Honomichl said.

BHC RHODES is expanding. Recently, they opened an office in Dodge City, Kan. They are very excited about the market in this part of the state, and are working with partners to address the tremendous need for housing and retail in the area. BHC RHODES also is proud to be a new member of the Kansas City Area Development Council.  “I’m encouraged about the KC market,” Honomichl said. “And I’m even more impressed with what the KCADC is doing to grow the Kansas City community.” For more information about BHC RHODES, go to www.ibhc.com or call 913-663-1900.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 24th, 2010 at 3:46 pm and is filed under Kansas City Real Estate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.