Precast Solutions Weekly

Precast Solutions Weekly features one construction project or news item each week that is associated with the precast concrete industry. These features range from rural highway work to the legislative changes in our nation's capital that continue to shape the face of the industry. Visit www.precast.org weekly for the latest from Precast Solutions Weekly.

For the week of Jan. 7 - 13, 2007

The MGM Grand Detroit casino hotel is the newest gambling site in the MotorCity– clad in precast concrete – approved after the state of Michigan allowed the construction of three new casinos in the city’s downtown in 1996. The introduction of three new casinos to the financially teetering area could bring the MotorCity much-needed income as it struggles to rejuvenate its downtown.

According to Mike Gnewkowski with Rockford Pepper Construction in Grand Rapids, Mich., National Precast Inc. in Roseville, Mich., manufactured varying types of architectural precast concrete for the project. National Precast recently finished production of 166 panels for the new JW Marriott ballroom and convention center in downtown Grand Rapids.

The rendering of the MGM Grand Detroit features a tan precast concrete exterior similar to that of the JW Marriott Grand Rapids.

Read the spring 2007 issue of Precast Solutions for more details on the MGM and JW projects. Mike Gnewkowski, project manager for the JW Marriott Grand Rapids, speaks in a Jan. 4 podcast about the new luxury hotel on the east side of the state. Precast concrete construction was recently completed on the hotel’s ballroom and convention center.

2006 Archive
Post Office, Parking Garage Lead Start of Denver Justice Center (Dec. 31-Jan. 6)
Precast at Detroit Auto Show (Dec. 17-23)
Precast Dubai (Dec. 10-17)
Locker Rooms Ready Ahead of Bowl Game (Dec. 3-9)
Suspended Paving at World Trade Center (Nov. 26 - Dec. 2)
Precast Skyway is an Ohio Feat (Nov. 19 - 25)
Time-Tested and AIA-Approved (Nov. 12-18)
Like Boston's Big Dig, Only Smaller (Nov. 5 - 11)
Iowa Builder Introduces Glass Mosaic and Precast (Oct. 29 - Nov. 4)
HUD Gives Nod to Precast Panels (Oct. 22-28)
Texas Educators Choose Precast for Expansion (Oct. 15-21)
Concrete Countertops 202 (Oct. 8-14)
Aloha, Precast Walls (Oct. 1-7)
Precast Home Popularity Soars (Sept. 24-30)
No More Patching Patches (Sept. 17-23)
Small but Not Small-Minded (Sept. 10-16)
National Parks Replace Jons with Precast Concrete (Sept. 3 - 9)
Gains Bigger When Building Underground (Aug. 27 - Sept. 2)
Back to Baseball in Florida (Aug. 20-26)
Colorado State Employees Enjoy a New, Larger Precast Concrete Garage (Aug. 13-19)
Big Dig Scrap Turns into Big Digs (Aug. 6-12)
'Idea House' is Testing Ground for Eco-Friendly Living (July 30 - Aug. 5)
Reliance on Wood Fades with New Precast Log Home Design (July 23-29)
Constraints of House Design Prompts Precast (July 16-22)
HGTV Eyes Precast Tiles for Kitchen Rehab (July 9-15)
Precast Concrete Countertop Makers Hit the Books (July 2 - 8)
Precast Concrete Sections Support $4 Billion Seattle Light Rail (June 25 - July 1)
High-end Living Without the Fat Price Tag (June 18-24)
Welcome to Bangor, Maine (June 11-17)
Blending In (June 4-10)
Carving Out a Niche (May 28-June 3)
NYDOT Tests Precast Road Slabs (May 21-27)
Floridians Drawn to Precast Panel Home Construction (May 7-13)
Notice: Overnight Delay Expected. Is That All? (April 30 -May 6)
Precast Rehab at Doyle Field (April 23-29)
Bridge-Building in the Bayou (April 16-22)
A New Paradigm in Botanical Research (April 9-15)
Solutions to an Inmate Influx (April 2-8)
NASA Supercomputer Selects Best Mix (March 26-April 1)
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (March 12-18)
Custom Oil and Grit Separator (March 5-11)
Women in Concrete Forum (Feb. 19-25)
JE Hill's "Fear Factor" (Feb. 5-11)
Jenson Precast Rolls out Concrete Walls (Jan. 29-Feb. 4)
Osteopathic Medicine and Precast Concrete (Jan. 15-21)

2005 Archive
"Practical Precast" Home Building Demo (Dec. 25-31)
Concrete Countertop Training (Dec. 10-17)
Precaster's Donation Funds New School Construction (Dec. 4-10)
Washington Post Addresses New Construction in the Gulf ( Nov. 27-Dec. 3)
Kokomo Route 22 Bridge Replacement (Nov. 20-26)

Submit project proposals to Greg Snapper for future Weekly postings.