News - Lakeland College, Sheboygan WI

Lakeland project nets The Boldt Company one of three awards

General - posted on 12/7/2012

The Boldt Company was honored by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Wisconsin for the 10th consecutive year as it received three 2012 Build Wisconsin awards at a December ceremony. Boldt earned an award for a unique grand entrance and stream enhancement project at Lakeland College, as well as awards for the firm's work on two projects at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton.

The "ultimate green project" at Lakeland College

Boldt received an award in the "design build - renovation" category for its project at Lakeland. The project is the largest "green" project in the school's history—and could be called "the ultimate green project."

The college's entrance had long been plagued by seasonal flooding and overgrown landscaping obscured many of the campus' historic buildings. In need of a "facelift" to its front door, the college turned to Boldt not only because of its construction expertise, but because of experience with environmental issues as well.

Like many "sustainable" construction projects, this one took care in selecting materials and planning for future use. However, unlike almost any project, recreating Lakeland's entrance required the complete rerouting of a natural stream. By rerouting the stream in an environmentally-friendly manner, Boldt was able to solve the college's flooding problems while still preserving the stream's wildlife and the entrance's natural beauty.

The project challenges didn't stop there, as the new bridge and outdoor plaza that were constructed needed to match the 1850s-era architecture of the surrounding structures. However, where some may have only seen daunting challenges, Boldt Project Manager Nick Mueller saw opportunity.

"Needing to connect the architecture of the 1850s to the present posed a challenge, but that also created a beautiful opportunity to make something that not only solved the stream problem, but in a creative way connected people without feeling that disjunction from 'one side of the tracks to the other,'" said Mueller.

In the end, Mueller said the project team was able to create a finished product that fit right in with its surroundings.

"The changes don't look like they are new or were added on," said Mueller of the new entrance. "It's a great improvement, but it still feels like it's always been part of the campus fabric."

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