111 East Grand 

Project Description

The first speculative office structure in Des Moines in over 10 years, 111 East Grand Office has a prominent location next to city hall. With retail at the first level and 3 levels of commercial office space above, this space offers visual, tactile, olfactive, and biophilic connections to its inhabitants. The structural gravity system consists of DLT panels over Glulam post and beam substructure, and the lateral system is comprised of pre-cast concrete walls and core. This created a fully prefabricated superstructure that could be installed much faster than conventional construction.

111 East Grand’s successful use of exposed timber has allowed it to be an illustrative building to other owners, architects and designers around North America. Numerous design and construction groups have visited the building since completion, inspiring them to investigate the use of this “old” material in modern construction. The overall economy of the project, as well as its on-schedule delivery, further demonstrates that mass timber is truly a viable construction system that is here to stay.

Since the architect wanted to integrate the electrical conduits within the timber structure, the MEP design-build partner had to strategize a way to incorporate routing locations for the exposed conduit and ductwork, while simultaneously giving pleasing aesthetics. DowelLam provided 4” gaps between the DLT panels, allowing for sprinkler and lighting conduit lines to pass over the beams.