NoMar International Market Shade Structure
Client: City of Wichita
Location: 204 E. 21st St. N., Wichita, KS 67219
Category: Commercial Construction
Architect: LK Architecture
Year of Completion: 2022
The NoMar International Market project includes a 1,280 Sq. Ft. shade structure in a multi-use open space plaza. The structure provides a shaded area utilized for community events such as Open Streets ICT – NoMar, Cinco De Mayo festivities and various market/commerce opportunities for the district at 21st and Broadway.
Comprised of weather resistant glu-Lam beams, decorative scrolls and lighting, the new shade structure offers cohesive design elements to match the existing authentic building. Snodgrass & Sons Construction Co. was awarded the project, which had been meticulously planned with LK Architecture and the City of Wichita (Parks & Recreation) for several years prior to the ground breaking.
In February of 2022, the ground breaking began. The slabs were demolished and the forming of the column footings followed. Coordination between the crews and Atlas Electric was critical to ensure proper timing and placement of the conduit within the columns and prior to pouring the concrete. The column spacing was also of utmost importance to ensure the glu-lam beams would align, as the beams were special ordered to exact size. The columns were poured with chamfered edge and tangs to hold the posts.
The concrete slab pour took a full crew and completed with a sandblasted concrete finish to match the existing jointing and pattern. The erection of the glu-lam posts were a unique challenge to mortise the posts to fit within the tangs and brackets supporting the upper beams. To secure the structure, the glu-lam is connected by Simpson Strong-Tie column caps, cross column caps, and re-enforced with galvanized wire rope x-bracing atop the structure. The attachment of the shade structure to the building was coordinated to be in conjunction with new guttering and downspouts also installed by Snodgrass. Once the shade structure was erected, the column posts and beams were stained by Heartland Painting to match the existing wood on the building. Snodgrass fabricated special j-box shrouds to accommodate the new lighting fixtures.
Snodgrass & Sons Construction Co. led the project on a tight timeline to accommodate the events that concluded the project, and finishing ahead of schedule. The first event to follow the completion was a success. To celebrate the project, the mayor Brandon Whipple hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at his media briefing on May 12, 2022.
