Sachse Construction recently collaborated with Tooles Contracting Group to renovate the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit for the new owner, Wayne County. The county purchased the building with the intention of leaving their existing rental space to consolidate several offices within their own building. This project was both substantial and professionally gratifying. It included approximately $20 million worth of work, including the complete demolition and renovation of 16 floors.

The building remained fully operational during construction, including during the upgrade of the existing HVAC system—a genuine accomplishment. During the project’s peak, we had over 400 subcontractors on site each day—each of whom completed our own training and safety program and received a personal ID card that allowed us to keep an accurate man count and to secure the site.

The biggest challenge was the movement of materials and debris in and out of the building. We solved this by installing a material hoist system on the exterior of the building, then established a detailed logistics and scheduling plan to ensure that all of the trades scheduled their deliveries and pick ups weeks in advance. This hoist system and the careful planning that accompanied it allowed our team to meet the demanding 6-month schedule.