Wisconsin-based Regal Beloit Corporation is a leading manufacturer of electric motors, electrical motion controls, power generation, and power transmission products serving markets throughout the world. Regal Beloit decided that it needed another distribution center along with the main one in Indianapolis, and this location was the right fit to service the western half of the United States.
CSO designed a new facility to house heavy industrial goods used to make metal components for HVAC and refrigerator applications, and to provide logistics support to Regal’s manufacturing plants across the border in Mexico. The facility is expandable to 300,000 square feet and was completed in less than a year.
The CSO-designed expansion of this facility, including equipment, represents a $50 million investment to modernize and grow GE Aviation’s existing Hooksett manufacturing facility. The facility, with nearly 900 employees, manufactures rotating parts for GE’s military and commercial jet engines. The expansion will significantly increase manufacturing output and technological capacity for key components of GE’s next-generation LEAP engines.
This was the fourth large-scale project CSO has partnered with GE Aviation on, including two plants in Mississippi, $100 million LEAP assembly plant in Lafayette, Indiana, and a $120 million Brilliant Factory in Welland, Ontario, Canada.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools conducted a community study and determined that rather than building a third high school to meet the needs of their growing community, they would build advanced learning center academies at each campus to accommodate an additional 1,000 students.
CSO was selected to work with stakeholders to explore the requirements of a learning center that would meet their academic needs while taking into consideration what teaching and learning looks like at institutions of higher education and centers of innovative learning. CSO worked with educational experts to gather stakeholder input around the tenets of 21st Century School Design and developed design concepts that met the required scope and quality for the project. Design documents and detailed renderings were developed for both high schools and were critical in the passing of the May 2013 referendum. After the referendum was passed, CSO used the detailed design documents to develop the design criteria package that allowed the school corporation to issue an RFP for design-build teams. CSO stayed on the project through construction as owner’s representative.
In addition to expanding each high school’s capacity by 1,000 students, the academies also reflect the most innovative design for teaching and learning with accessible space for early college classes that provide actual college credits for high school students. Additions are 2-stories and reflect the qualities of 21st Century Design with copious daylight, transparency in learning spaces, ubiquitous technology, and flexible learning spaces that are sized for small and large group gatherings. Teachers do not “own” their classroom space but have an office space available, similar to the arrangements in higher education. A Student Learning Commons, adjacent to the student café, has technology tables and opportunities for small group collaboration. A large, open science lab serves all disciplines and art labs open to one another, creating a free flowing creative environment.
Dallara’s values of service, commitment, and excellence in engineering and the motorsport tradition in Indianapolis provided the catalyst for their decision to locate their American headquarters and engineering center in Speedway, Indiana, just a short distance from the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The building also serves as the headquarters for the Indy Racing Experience, which provides race-related experiences for fans and car enthusiasts in multiple venues and is the sole North American distributor for Dallara.
The building design features an architectural form that was derived from the aerodynamic shape of the Dallara chassis. Exterior materials were selected to reestablish the historical palette of the original downtown Speedway. The eye catching glass front of the building faces the town’s Main Street and houses an interactive fan experience area with a rotating display of cars, offering transparency that allows the public views of the Dallara design process and finished product.
Dallara’s production area includes space for fabrication, machine, and bodywork. Each of these areas have the potential of providing services for projects other than IndyCar and, therefore, it was important that they be kept separate from public areas and from the Indy Racing Experience spaces. The structural grid and bays were designed to provide maximum flexibility in the production area.
Festool relocated its central hub for U.S. and Canadian operations to just outside of Indianapolis. The facility includes a production warehouse, training facility, and a repair center.
CSO’s first project with Festool included a new building to house the North American corporate offices, a distribution/warehouse facility, and a national training center. During the design process, CSO worked closely with the parent company and their architects in Germany to provide a building that represented the corporate image reminiscent of their German facilities while utilizing traditional U.S. construction materials and techniques.
Ten years later, due to an increased presence in the North American and the need to add manufacturing capabilities to their facility, CSO worked with Festool again on a $6.8 million project that doubled their space and provided a new 2-story office space. CSO was tasked with providing an expansion that would complement the original building and that could be completed without interrupting day to day operations.
Just three years after the office expansion, Festool called on CSO once again to design an 80,000 square foot expansion that will be used primarily for assembly and distribution.
With school enrollment at full capacity – and projected to remain so for many years to come – the expansion and renovation will address general capacity needs while supporting the district’s nationally recognized STEM and performing arts programs.
A 70,000 square foot academic addition will include up to 22 new classrooms, construction and welding labs, STEM makerspace, new student café, and a large group gathering space. 37,000 square feet of renovations will provide a larger jazz band room, a new percussion room, and an expanded choir room.
This project, along with an athletic expansion currently underway, is the latest in CSO’s long history with Noblesville Schools. CSO previously designed Noblesville High School’s Freshman Academy in 2014, as well as numerous other projects dating back to 2012.
The athletic expansion is expected to be completed in August of 2024, with the STEM/performing arts expansion finishing up by August of 2025.
