Culture Cache
By K. Robert Wendel

The Fort McDowell casino near Fountain Hills is expanding again, this time with a new 250-room hotel and conference center near Fountain Hills, Ariz.

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The Phoenix office of W.E. O'Neil started work on the $37 million project a year ago and plans to complete the project by September.

The new, five-story hotel sits next to the tribe's casino, which is owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Indians.

The project is being constructed under a design-build contract. The Phoenix office of 3DI, a construction management firm, is acting as the owner's representative.

Designed by the Phoenix office of Leo A Daly, the hotel features two wings.

The wings flank a central lobby that features sweeping views of Four Peaks mountain range and Red Mountain, which is sacred to the Yavapais.

Designers wanted to maximize the views of Red Mountain, so crews are building a giant, 60-ft.- tall glass curtain wall that opens up the lobby's interior.

"We wanted to have an exciting set of views, so as you come through the lobby, you can see Red Mountain," said Tom Dwyer, a designer with Leo A Daly. "We divided the hotel into two wings to frame those mountain views."

To accommodate the large windows in the lobby, builders constructed a 120-ft.- long concrete transfer beam to support the floors above the lobby, creating a 60-ft. atrium.

The project's structure is a combination of concrete and steel. The 18,000-sq.-ft. conference center, which features a grand ballroom, is constructed of steel and has 140 ft. by 150 ft. of clear span space. Operable partitions will allow the space to be divided into separate areas. The low-rise building totals 23,000 -sq. -ft. and includes pre- event areas.

The hotel and conference center both have an EFIS exterior. The project also employs a copper parapet system running along the top of the hotel.

The hotel is primarily constructed of cast-in-place concrete with 6-in. post-tensioned concrete floors. Builders said this type of structural system speeded up construction.

"We used a panelized form system to pour the floors and it was really efficient," said project manager Tom Maurer of W.E. O'Neil. "It saved us the step of putting out metal deck, so we were able to pour a floor every six days."

The interior framing on the building is steel stud. Other components include a themed restaurant, swimming pool, two Jacuzzis, fitness center and interactive water play area for children.

The area's topography and the Yavapai culture figured prominently in the design. Much of the interior design revolves around the tribe's basketry and the local mountains and vegetation. >>

"Everything is related to baskets because they played such a big part in the tribe's culture," Maurer said. "The wall coverings, staggered windows and really everything works to incorporate that culture."

The project features two 350-ton chillers and a 1.8 million BTU boiler. Each room has climate control.

"The hotel central plant is tied to the casino, so we have some added redundancy for both facilities," which will help if either facility has a failure or needs extra capacity, said Tom Andrews, a senior mechanical engineer with Leo A Daly. "In case either facility had a failure or needed extra capacity, they have that extra capacity."

The project included an extensive amount of site work, which cost nearly $5 million. Crews rebuilt the access road, added 2,000 parking spaces and constructed an entryway bridge over a wash.

The project also includes a $2.5 million, 146-space RV park and clubhouse across the street, which recently opened. Architect Orrin Anquoe of Phoenix designed that portion of the project, in conjunction with Leo A Daly.

"The RV resort has proved popular," Anquoe said. "They had residents the minute they opened up."