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
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 5, 2023
Pittsburgh offers funds for office-to-residential conversions
The City of Pittsburgh’s redevelopment agency is accepting applications for funding from developers on projects to convert office buildings into affordable housing. The city’s goals are to improve downtown vitality, make better use of underutilized and vacant commercial office space, and alleviate a housing shortage.
Student Housing | Mar 5, 2023
Calif. governor Gavin Newsom seeks to reform environmental law used to block student housing
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says was weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly needed housing for students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Green Renovation | Mar 5, 2023
Dept. of Energy offers $22 million for energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America. Prize recipients will be selected based on their ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
Windows and Doors | Mar 5, 2023
2022 North American Fenestration Standard released
The 2022 edition of AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440, “North American Fenestration Standard/Specification for windows, doors, and skylights” (NAFS) has been published. The updated 2022 standard replaces the 2017 edition, part of a continued evolution of the standard to improve harmonization across North America, according to a news release.
AEC Innovators | Mar 3, 2023
Meet BD+C's 2023 AEC Innovators
More than ever, AEC firms and their suppliers are wedding innovation with corporate responsibility. How they are addressing climate change usually gets the headlines. But as the following articles in our AEC Innovators package chronicle, companies are attempting to make an impact as well on the integrity of their supply chains, the reduction of construction waste, and answering calls for more affordable housing and homeless shelters. As often as not, these companies are partnering with municipalities and nonprofit interest groups to help guide their production.
Modular Building | Mar 3, 2023
Pallet Shelter is fighting homelessness, one person and modular pod at a time
Everett, Wash.-based Pallet Inc. helped the City of Burlington, Vt., turn a municipal parking lot into an emergency shelter community, complete with 30 modular “sleeping cabins” for the homeless.
Codes | Mar 2, 2023
Biden Administration’s proposed building materials rules increase domestic requirements
The Biden Administration’s proposal on building materials rules used on federal construction and federally funded state and local buildings would significantly boost the made-in-America mandate. In the past, products could qualify as domestically made if at least 55% of the value of their components were from the U.S.
Industry Research | Mar 2, 2023
Watch: Findings from Gensler's latest workplace survey of 2,000 office workers
Gensler's Janet Pogue McLaurin discusses the findings in the firm's 2022 Workplace Survey, based on responses from more than 2,000 workers in 10 industry sectors.
AEC Innovators | Mar 2, 2023
Turner Construction extends its ESG commitment to thwarting forced labor in its supply chain
Turner Construction joins a growing AEC industry movement, inspired by the Design for Freedom initiative, to eliminate forced labor and child labor from the production and distribution of building products.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 1, 2023
Multifamily construction startup Cassette takes a different approach to modular building
Prefabricated modular design and construction have made notable inroads into such sectors as industrial, residential, hospitality and, more recently, office and healthcare. But Dafna Kaplan thinks that what’s held back the modular building industry from even greater market penetration has been suppliers’ insistence that they do everything: design, manufacture, logistics, land prep, assembly, even onsite construction. Kaplan is CEO and Founder of Cassette, a Los Angeles-based modular building startup.