Echelon Masonry Case Study – Salvation Army Community Center (Phoenix, AZ)

When Joan Kroc died in 2003, she willed $1.5 billion of her estate to the Salvation Army--by some accounts, the single largest charitable gift in history. In conjunction with locally raised donations, this posthumous gift from the widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc has enabled the construction of 24 community centers across the nation to provide state-of-the-art recreational, arts, and spiritual facilities for some of the country's most underserved communities, the latest scheduled to open in Phoenix in May.

Currently in the final phases of construction on the former site of The Salvation Army Phoenix South Mountain facility built in 1968, the new 137,000 sq. ft. center will increase and enhance existing community programs and services with a chapel/performing arts center, teen activities center, indoor aquatics center, sports training, fitness and recreation facilities, and a rock-climbing wall.

Initially targeting Silver LEED® certification, the facility is actually on track to garner Gold LEED status through a variety of energy efficient initiatives, including double-layer insulated Trenwyth® masonry walls. Both Mesastone® and Trendstone® were used in the construction of the building's façade, as well as in key areas of the interior such as columns and hallways. For the exterior construction, the design included structural block plus a 4" veneer of the Trenwyth units separated by an air gap that was filled with foam insulation for added efficiency.

Design Firm: Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture - Denver, CO
Design Architects: Duane Crawmer and Katie Barnes
Architect of Record: Dick & Fritsche Design Group - Phoenix,AZ
Principal in Charge: Darrin Orndorff
Project Architect: Michelle Rutkowski
Project/Construction Manager: Sigma Contracting - Scottsdale, AZ
General Contractor: Haydon Building Corp - Phoenix, AZ
Mason Contractor: M.A.G. Construction, Inc. - Gilbert, AZ

Featured Product >> Trenwyth® Mesastone®

Mesastone textured masonry units are pre-finished architectural concrete blocks that are manufactured with colored aggregates, pigmented uniformly, and finished to an even texture. Available in 32 colors and a variety of shapes and scoring patterns, its textured surface resembles split face block, but is more uniform, easier to lay-up, and provides a straighter sight line to your buildings. Offering the beauty of natural colored aggregates and the solid permanence of masonry, Mesastone can save time and money by providing both finished load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls in a single trade, one-step application. Its high degree of mold-resistance and graffitiresistant cleansability requires virtually no maintenance and provides a colorful finish that will last a lifetime. Mesastone also offers rounded corners and edges for ADA compliance.

Featured Product >> Trenwyth® Trendstone®

Trendstone ground-face masonry units are integrally colored architectural concrete blocks with one or more faces ground to expose the variegated colors of natural aggregates. Specially designed to resist moisture and efflorescence, Trendstone is available in multiple shapes and sizes, including half-sized units, oversized units, metric units, ADA compliant round-edged units, and high strength units needed to meet specific structural requirements. Trendstone saves time and money by providing finished load-bearing or non-load-bearing walls in a single trade, one-step application. Trendstone is available in a multitude of regional color options, utilizing local aggregates to compliment and mimic the local landscape, and is also available in Acousta-Wal® sound-absorbing units that are uniquely designed to absorb sound waves at all frequencies, even the difficult to control low frequencies.