Perfect Blend BY MARK STEVENSON, SE, PE A hybrid steel-CLT structural system conquers complicated connection considerations in a new vocational training center. A HYBRID STEEL-CLT SYSTEM delivered a bold, distinc-tive architectural vision for a new 162,000-sq.-ft vocational train-ing center in Kalamazoo, Mich., with striking exposed steel ele-ments and connections that helped achieve several tricky fire code requirements. The Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA) opened in May 2025 and offers programs focused on developing practical career-oriented skills for post-secondary students. They include courses in auto mechanics, construction management, robotics, medical technology, culinary skills, agriculture, advanced machining, and fabrication. 22 | OCTOBER 2025 The project design team was presented with several specific design goals for the building: provide an architecturally sophis-ticated and distinctive look, incorporate sustainable construction practices, and provide a learning environment that’s technically advanced and inspiring. A full mass timber design was consid-ered as a low embodied-carbon solution. But a deeper dive into structural material evaluation considered the embodied carbon life cycle, material and fabrication costs, material availability, delivery times, and the qualified labor pool, all of which made a hybrid steel-masonry-CLT the best choice. Structural steel’s sustainability benefits were also a positive in sustainability evaluations.
Modern Steel Construction October 2025: Page-22
