Case Studies

The IUEC was created in 1901 and today has over 30,000 members working in the unionized elevator industry. The IUEC contracted the design and construction of the IUEC Memorial Garden at their headquarters to honor members of the union that have lost their life on the job.

Over 320 brothers and sisters of the IUEC family have been killed on the job and with the Memorial Garden are now publicly and permanently acknowledged and remembered. Challenges included developing architectural elements that would stand the test of time that included iconography of the elevator world.

The memorial walls were fabricated in Mesabi Black^® granite with a polished face on which bronze plaques have been mounted. There are two memorial walls that define two garden rooms which have been split and dressed with rock pitch top and sides.

The entry is constructed with four granite complex piers each with several granite finishes that are inscribed with abstracted elevator buttons so visitors feel like they are entering an elevator. Each granite pier is inscribed with a symbolic elevator buttons. Three different granite finishes are used on the columns including modified treaded, polished, and split and dressed rock pitch.

Five life-sized bronze statues are placed throughout the space. These statues are figurative representations of actual individuals and represent the families and IUEC members left behind to navigate the grief created with the loss of a loved one.

Granite was also used in the logo medallion set in the paving as the terminus of the garden. The medallion combines several finishes, including etching and sandblasting accented by white lithochrome to heighten the contrast.

The fabricator worked with the designer to influence and improve the technical feasibility of the desired wall and pier features. Impeccable shop drawings were circulated to further refine the constructability of individual granite components