By Brian Biggane
After four architectural firms made their proposals for a new Town Hall at a Jan. 16 special meeting of the South Palm Beach Town Council, and after the scoresheets of the council’s four members were tallied, Town Clerk Yude Davenport announced an unexpected result: a tie.
Cincinnati-based Moonlight Architecture and CPZ Architects, which has multiple offices in South Florida, amassed an identical number of votes, prompting a brief discussion among the council to determine a winner.
Moonlight was ultimately the choice.
“It was a very hard decision because CPZ is very professional,” Mayor Bonnie Fischer said. “It was very close but I scored Moonlight higher.”
The tipping point may have been Moonlight’s affiliation with Fort Lauderdale-based Erik Scheuermann, who owns Archetype Homes, has an extensive history of working with structural insulated panels, and has appeared before the council multiple times.
The council decided some time ago the new Town Hall and community center would be constructed with SIPs, which are expected to be both better able to withstand extreme climate and less expensive than more traditional building materials.
“Erik is a very unique, innovative person and has a lot of experience with SIPs,” Fischer said.
Council member Monte Berendes gave CPZ a slight edge in his vote, but opened the discussion by saying his only concern with Moonlight was that it was based in Ohio, and concluded that was minor. He said he was impressed by the presentation from Moonlight President Andy Roehl.
“He can do the job, that’s the important thing,” Berendes said of Roehl, 45. “He has a wealth of experience. I’m 99% sure SIPs is the way to go.”
Roehl is a board member of the Structural Insulated Panels Association, serves on its Education and Development Committee both nationally and internationally, and is licensed in 31 states.
“I’m the go-to guy with the association; when a project comes up regarding SIPs I’m usually the first call,” he said.
A variety of materials, including wood and concrete, can be used to fill the panels. While other bidders designated a specific material they would use, Scheuermann said that because of the coastal climate, he wouldn’t state a preference until the process is further along.
“We use a combination of one or the other; we just utilize what we need to solve the problem,” he said.
Roehl also promised significant energy savings as compared to the current structure, which was built in three phases between 1976 and 1993.
“These buildings are fighting the Florida summer, so what we would do is lock it out. ... If we added solar panels we could get to zero energy. Net zero has been a goal of mine for years now. It’s the right thing to do,” Roehl said.
“When we say it’s green,” Scheuermann added, “over the life of the panels it saves the town a lot of green.”
While Roehl has used SIP designs in fire stations and libraries, he said the unique nature of the Town Hall was sure to generate national publicity.
At the SIPA national convention scheduled later in January, Roehl planned to talk “a lot about this building and expect it to get a lot of support.”
“If you want to put the town on the map, we could put the town on the map with the project,” Roehl said. “It’s good stewardship of the funds of the people who are paying into it. Make them proud of what they have; make it a crown jewel. This is the opportunity to do that.”
That concept got Berendes excited.
“I like the idea of our building being a beacon, of everyone else looking at it,” he said. “I want people to say, ‘Damn, these people did it right.’ We’re a tiny little town but let’s be something special.”
Asked about a time frame for the project, Roehl said 8 to 12 weeks to formulate a design, then another month to obtain construction permits. The panels will be built off-site and the town must negotiate contracts with the various subcontractors before work can begin.
Construction “is quicker with the SIPs,” Roehl said, “but if conditions are perfect, you could be in the building in eight months from the start of construction.”
The council tabled a motion to interview for an owner’s rep position and Scheuermann said he feels he could serve in that capacity to save the town money.
If the town is unable to work out a contract with Moonlight, the council agreed it would move on to negotiate with CPZ. But Roehl said he doubts it would come to that.
“I have every reason to believe we’ll be moving forward and I’m excited to get going,” he said.
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