City Center West, Madison, Wis.

City Center West was planned as a mixed-use development that includes office, retail, parking and a plaza.

Two eight-story buildings anchor the development. Visible as separate towers, these actually connect at each level and provide most floors with 45,000 sq. ft. of space.

The buildings offer underground parking, training center for 120 people, cafeteria, common boardroom, private reading room with fireplace, technology, security and lobby.

The towers reportedly have the largest square footage per floor in the Madison area. In addition, a retail building and what is said to be the largest parking ramp in Dane County are steps away.

The spaces reflect the ideals of new urbanism for which the area between the buildings is as important as the buildings themselves.

Woven with bike and pedestrian paths that link to paths from surrounding areas, City Center West allows easy accessibility for many forms of transportation. A fountain and landscaped area invite guests to enjoy their visit.

Site, Schedule Issues

A tight site was a top issue during construction.

The facility is positioned between Madison's most heavily traveled highway, a busy strip mall and a hotel. Indeed, there was as little as 7 ft. of space on each side of the construction. The facility was built in phases.

The schedule was critical. As a result, the general contractor set a priority on coordination.

The field supervision team scheduled material deliveries, and a minimum of two project meetings were held per week with field subcontractors and project managers.

Another timesaving solution was proposed for the building's exterior.

A precast brick panel system was proposed for the second building. This saved months of labor, eliminated the need to store masonry and cut the owner's costs.

The jury said, "Some nice planning went into this project. It feels like they were trying to create a place with the diversity of structures. Very nice project."

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