“Completing a project like this requires a special combination of skill, tenacity, innovation, and finesse,” said Bob Lanham, the association’s President and President of Williams Brothers Construction Co., Inc. in Houston, Texas. “While every construction project has its own unique challenges, getting this project completed required far more from the contractor than a typical project.”
The Michigan State University’s STEM Teaching and Learning facility replaced the university’s first coal-fired power plant. Encompassing 120,000 square feet of new construction with 40,000 square feet of renovated space, the Granger team used the existing decommissioned power plant as the central portion of the building, with new additions on the north and south sides. The Granger Construction team embraced the mass timber hybrid structural system, instead of the steel and concrete system originally planned. As a result, the new structure offers fire resistance, sustainability efficiency, and strength features.
