The custom staircase was designed and built using salvaged old growth spruce stair treads.
A.C.E. Building Service has had the pleasure of providing construction services to Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry (WAF) for the past 50 years. Over the years, we have expanded their foundry to increase production capacity, constructed equipment and machinery foundations, and renovated several office spaces throughout the building. Recently, we were selected to design and construct an office space within their existing manufacturing facility in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Our goal was to create a space that transformed an existing industrial area into a modern office setting, all the while maintaining the building’s original design elements.
We were also faced with sourcing flooring materials built to withstand the punishing conditions of a foundry, yet that offer an aesthetic appearance with low maintenance. We found polished concrete easily met these needs. The existing concrete was removed due to its age and to accommodate new underground plumbing, and we installed an ultra-durable tinted concrete floor to complement the overall color scheme throughout the building.
Old growth spruce flooring was used throughout the offices, mezzanine, and stairways. The conference room table was constructed with the same spruce boards, as well as portions of structural steel framework from the Hamilton facility. WAF contributed brass inlays and escutcheon covers, finished with a chemically-treated marbleized patina.
The overall expansion included 11 private offices, a drafting and engineering office, a conference room, two additional meeting rooms, a kitchenette, toilet facilities and upgrades to the existing entry and reception area. We also installed ADA compliant ramps, access routes, entrances, and bathroom facilities.
The final result is highly-functional modern office and meeting space that embraces the charm and heritage of the existing foundry building. Our team completed this 6,504-square-foot space in just eight months, continuing our relationship of five decades with Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry.