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Case Study: ParkView Christian Church

 

Rapidly expanding, the ParkView Christian Church outside of Chicago, IL, was adding a second story with a chapel as well as an outside plaza area for church members to enjoy. Jonathan Gasior, project manager at Michuda Construction, saw that Thomas Steele site furnishings were specified on the architect's drawings for the church plaza. With further investigation of Thomas Steele production and custom design capabilities, the client selected Thomas Steele to manufacture litter receptacles and custom curved benches for the new plaza.

Challenge: As specified on the architect's drawing, Jonathan needed not only litter receptacles, but also custom curved benches that met the following requirements:

• Curved to the correct radii to match the landscape areas
• Correct length to match landscape
• Accurate construction for installation with concrete slab

Additionally, since the client determined their need for site furnishings later in the process, the timeline for ordering, engineering the bench design, fabrication, and installation, was condensed into just a few months' time.

Solution: Thomas Steele site experts first examined the plaza geography and determined how to best accommodate curved benches based on the landscaping. Thomas Steele was able to quote the project accurately early in the process due to precise engineering design work to define the curves and lengths of the benches and estimation of fabrication needs. Thomas Steele provided the Parkview Christian Church with:

• Radial benches designed with a custom curve and finished with e-Steele™ and a silver powder coat
• Trash receptacles finished e-Steele™ and a silver powder coat

After the designs were approved by Thomas Steele shop experts, Jonathan worked with experts at Thomas Steele to finalize the bench design in order to begin manufacturing. Once completed, Thomas Steele employees labeled and documented the benches, printed out installation instructions, and sent the products out for delivery.

In Jonathan's words:

Thomas Steele exhibits flexibility in design options.
Jonathan is pleased with how the custom curved benches and litter receptacles added character to the new ParkView Christian Church plaza. Thomas Steele was "responsive and detailed," and their effective communication with Jonathan's team made it easy to tailor the site furnishings to the curvature of the plaza's landscape.

Thomas Steele created a realistic timeline and made an on-time delivery.
Especially sensitive to how difficult it would be to install the benches and litter receptacles during the impending Midwest winter, the Thomas Steele production team made sure everything was done on time to beat the weather. Jonathan appreciates how Thomas Steele stayed true to the deadlines they initially reported, ensuring that the project could be completed on time and before winter arrived.

Results: Jonathan is happy that the architect specified Thomas Steele site furnishings for the ParkView Christian Church. Along with being pleasant to work with and extremely communicative, Jonathan believes that the Thomas Steele custom radial benches and litter receptacles "really made the plaza area pop." Everything fit together at installation, and when an issue arose as to how to anchor one of the Thomas Steele benches, Jonathan says that a Thomas Steele expert got in touch with his team right away and provided the technical information they needed to for a successful install. Today, the members of the Parkview Church enjoy the new plaza as space to relax and congregate as a community.

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