IN GOOD Company

Cultural center complements Wright design

James W. Pihos Cultural Center at the Greek Orthodox Church Campus

By Brendan O'Brien

Photo courtesy of Selzer-Ornst Co.

Selzer-Ornst Co. could have been awestruck by its surroundings.

The Wauwatosa contractor had been hired to construct the James W. Pihos Cultural Center on the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church campus in Wauwatosa. The church, by the way, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

"Located right next to the church, being a Frank Lloyd Wright building, it was just an honor in itself," said Wes Nosek, Selzer-Ornst vice president. "So many people, even while we were working on the project, came on buses to walk through that facility."

Instead of being intimidated by its surroundings, Selzer-Ornst puts its stamp on the site. It built a 33,000-square-foot structure that complements the geometric design of the church.

The masonry building, with arched laminated wood beams and a 230-foot curved wall, pays tribute to the original church design. The centerpiece of the structure is a roof that features wave-like curves for the center's banquet room ceiling.

"It is something I have never seen before," Nosek said. "It was extremely interesting and complicated as far as coordination of the walls."

	Project Name: James W. Pihos Cultural Center at the Greek Orthodox Church Campus Location: Wauwatosa Submitting Company: Selzer-Ornst Co., Wauwatosa General Contractor: Selzer-Ornst Co. Architect: Papadatos Partnership LLP, New York Engineer: Lizardos Engineering Associates PC, New York Owner: Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, Wauwatosa Project Cost: $5 million Start Date: July 2002 Completion Date: April 2004

Each of the curved beams is 70 feet long, 3 feet tall and 18 inches thick. The wood beams were constructed in Minnesota and transported to the construction site, where they took two days to unload and a week to lift and set into place.

The cultural center's metal roof presented its own challenges. It arrived in coils that were run through a shaping machine to create 80-foot pieces. The segments conform to the designed profile of the roof.

"The roofing alone was quite a feat," Nosek said. "They actually took the machine up on the roof to bend the roofing. They could have had 20 guys up there. It was amazing."

The metal was fed through the machine, and the workers walked it out as it bent into the shape of the roof.

"It's incredible that they were able to do that," Nosek said. "You get any kind of a twist or bend in that machine, you can just throw that out because it is kinked. You will see that imperfection in the roof."

During construction, Selzer-Ornst worked with Papadatos Partnership LLP, the design firm, and Lizardos Engineering, both located in New York.

"I must have been on the phone to New York every day," Nosek said. "It made it a lot more difficult because they were out of town. Nonetheless, it turned out great."