Williams Design|Build and Williams Construction Management of St. Charles, Ill., announced it has acquired Vasilion Architects of Batavia, Ill. The two firms will now serve as a single source for architecture, design/build, and construction management under the new name Prairie Forge Group. Prairie Forge Group will be led by Thomas M. Tristano as president, David V. Stermetz as vice president and director of construction, and Steven J. Vasilion as director of architecture.
“We have aligned four decades of experience with the expertise of new, innovative team members to further enhance the service offerings we provide to our clients,” said Tristano. “The acquisition of Vasilion Architects was a natural step in our evolution. As we build upon our past resources and success, we remain focused on the core values upon which we established our firm decades ago – quality, people, and service.”
Prairie Forge Group is headquartered in St. Charles, with an office in Kansas City, Mo. The firm provides owners and clients throughout the Midwest region with innovative, timely and economical turnkey solutions. Areas of practice include municipal, parks and recreation, healthcare, commercial, multifamily, historic preservation, and religious and education sectors.
“Regardless of complexity, Prairie Forge Group works to serve as the project advocate from beginning to end,” said Stermetz. “While each project is addressed individually and solutions are tailored to job specifics, one thing remains consistent across the board: we serve our clients efficiently and effectively.”
Prairie Forge Group's completed projects include the Lake Forest Municipal Services Facility in Lake Forest, Ill.; St. Charles Fire Station No. 1; the Schwiebert Riverfront Park in Rock Island, Ill.; and the Bob & Edna Meadows Regional Cancer Care Center at St. Joseph Provena Hospital in Elgin, Ill. The firm has also completed projects for many park districts, recreation departments and municipalities throughout the state of Illinois.
“I am eager to join forces with Tom Tristano and his team,” said Vasilion. “Their vast knowledge and construction expertise is a tremendous resource. I believe in design|build and am thrilled to join forces on this new adventure.” +
Related Stories
| Nov 3, 2010
Sailing center sets course for energy efficiency, sustainability
The Milwaukee (Wis.) Community Sailing Center’s new facility on Lake Michigan counts a geothermal heating and cooling system among its sustainable features. The facility was designed for the nonprofit instructional sailing organization with energy efficiency and low operating costs in mind.
| Nov 3, 2010
Seattle University’s expanded library trying for LEED Gold
Pfeiffer Partners Architects, in collaboration with Mithun Architects, programmed, planned, and designed the $55 million renovation and expansion of Lemieux Library and McGoldrick Learning Commons at Seattle University. The LEED-Gold-designed facility’s green features include daylighting, sustainable and recycled materials, and a rain garden.
| Nov 3, 2010
Recreation center targets student health, earns LEED Platinum
Not only is the student recreation center at the University of Arizona, Tucson, the hub of student life but its new 54,000-sf addition is also super-green, having recently attained LEED Platinum certification.
| Nov 3, 2010
New church in Connecticut will serve a growing congregation
Tocci Building Companies will start digging next June for the Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield, Conn. Designed by Wiles Architects, the 103,000-sf multiuse facility will feature a 900-person worship center with tiered stadium seating, a children’s worship center, a chapel, an auditorium, a gymnasium, educational space, administrative offices, commercial kitchen, and a welcome center with library and lounge.
| Nov 3, 2010
Senior housing will be affordable, sustainable
Horizons at Morgan Hill, a 49-unit affordable senior housing community in Morgan Hill, Calif., was designed by KTGY Group and developed by Urban Housing Communities. The $21.2 million, three-story building will offer 36 one-bed/bath units (773 sf) and 13 two-bed/bath units (1,025 sf) on a 2.6-acre site.
| Nov 3, 2010
Designs complete for new elementary school
SchenkelShultz has completed design of the new 101,270-sf elementary Highlands Elementary School, as well as designs for three existing buildings that will be renovated, in Kissimmee, Fla. The school will provide 48 classrooms for 920 students, a cafeteria, a media center, and a music/art suite with outdoor patio. Three facilities scheduled for renovations total 19,459 sf and include an eight-classroom building that will be used as an exceptional student education center, a older media center that will be used as a multipurpose building, and another building that will be reworked as a parent center, with two meeting rooms for community use. W.G. Mills/Ranger is serving as CM for the $15.1 million project.
| Nov 3, 2010
Chengdu retail center offers a blend of old and new China
The first phase of Pearl River New Town, an 80-acre project in Chengdu, in China’s Wenjiang District, is under way along the banks of the Jiang’an River. Chengdu was at one time a leading center for broadcloth production, and RTKL, which is overseeing the project’s master planning, architecture, branding, and landscape architecture, designed the project’s streets, pedestrian pathways, and bridges to resemble a woven fabric.
| Nov 3, 2010
Rotating atriums give Riyadh’s first Hilton an unusual twist
Goettsch Partners, in collaboration with Omrania & Associates (architect of record) and David Wrenn Interiors (interior designer), is serving as design architect for the five-star, 900-key Hilton Riyadh.
| Nov 3, 2010
Virginia biofuel research center moving along
The Sustainable Energy Technology Center has broken ground in October on the Danville, Va., campus of the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research. The 25,000-sf facility will be used to develop enhanced bio-based fuels, and will house research laboratories, support labs, graduate student research space, and faculty offices. Rainwater harvesting, a vegetated roof, low-VOC and recycled materials, photovoltaic panels, high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and water-saving systems, and LED light fixtures will be deployed. Dewberry served as lead architect, with Lord Aeck & Sargent serving as laboratory designer and sustainability consultant. Perigon Engineering consulted on high-bay process labs. New Atlantic Contracting is building the facility.
| Nov 3, 2010
Dining center cooks up LEED Platinum rating
Students at Bowling Green State University in Ohio will be eating in a new LEED Platinum multiuse dining center next fall. The 30,000-sf McDonald Dining Center will have a 700-seat main dining room, a quick-service restaurant, retail space, and multiple areas for students to gather inside and out, including a fire pit and several patios—one of them on the rooftop.