Not your Average Trailer: Unique Field Offices Serve Kraus-Anderson Projects

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1730755650623{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Kraus-Anderson trailers are a hub of activity, planning, and problem-solving on hundreds of KA job sites. Sturdy, climate-controlled, and equipped with heat, power, and internet, these mobile offices serve as our field teams’ headquarters for the duration of the project, providing a central gathering site for meetings, communication, and on-site project supervision. 

Yet, not every location can accommodate a trailer. For a host of space, proximity, budget, and other practical considerations, field teams may scout and adopt existing structures as their hubs. This makes for some distinct advantages and memorable accommodations, especially for those with an appreciation of history and a sense of humor. Consider some of these recent and current KA field team locales:

Regions Hospital (St. Paul, MN)-  

Field Office: “The ‘Schoolhouse’ is a repurposed double-wide trailer once used by the nuns at Anchor Hospital (predating Ramsey and Regions on the site) as classrooms for nurses at the teaching hospital. The Schoolhouse has served as KA’s field office for ongoing construction and maintenance work at Regions since 2007.”

Advantages: “It’s free. Regions owns and maintains it. We are outside the facility, so it’s private, and we are not disturbing Regions employees or patients,” says Paul Charpentier, Senior Project Manager.

Funky Facts: “Climate control and indoor air quality are challenging or absent,” says Charpentier. “No kitchen, no bathrooms. We’ve had a territorial raccoon nesting in our ventilation system. No frills, but we like it!”

Who’s Using the Space? The number of people has varied through the years— One to three Project Managers, a Project Superintendent, and a Project Coordinator, as well as various trade contractors visiting for meetings.

Space Modifications for KA Use: “During Covid, Superintendent Matt Olson officed here alone during remote work. He took the opportunity to tear up some of the very old carpets (there were paths worn through the high-trafficked areas) and install new remnants. We’ve installed newer cabinets, and our trade partners O’Keefe built us a nice conference table to replace the old one…which was pretty old.” [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1730748558652{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_images_carousel images=”34307,34308,34320,34321″ img_size=”medium” speed=”3000″ autoplay=”yes” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1730755980149{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

North Loop Green (Minneapolis, MN)- 

KA Field Office: “418 North Third Ave., Minneapolis— The four-story, 10,000 SF 418 building was originally built in 1884 as North Star Storage Company and had a rail spur on the north side of the building where North Loop Green and the Twins stadium now reside.  Placed on the National Register in 2009, the building has seen a variety of uses as the neighborhood has evolved, from industrial and warehouse use to nightlife and more upscale residential spaces. “ 

Funky Facts: “A previous building tenant was a nightclub,” reports Project Director Mark Miller. “There was a two-story dancing pole and glass floor.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”34310″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”right” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1730748583467{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Who used the space during construction? “We did not lease the fourth level but had Hines (the client) on Level 3, KA PMs and Superintendents on Level 2, MEP subcontractors on Level 1 with a large conference room, and our KA field staff in the basement.  We had 12 KA staff, including five PMs, three Superintendents, and one Project Coordinator, as well as Safety, Carpenter, and Labor foremen, plus KA field staff, varying from four to 30 at peak. Hines started with one person and eventually had eight people move out into the new building.  Gephart and MMC had their onsite PMs and Foremen, adding another 10-12 people.” 

Advantages: “Having our client above and key subcontractors below allowed instantaneous communication and worked well for all concerned. The location adjacent to the project, good price for 30 months, room to accommodate many people, easy access to a Twins game, exposed brick, high ceilings, oversized windows, and huge support beams all make this an effective and appealing place to work.”

Modifications for KA use: “We installed internet in the 100-year-old building.  KA’s IT department helped get all that set up and fine-tuned our shared Wi-Fi system throughout the building.  Though we were unable to afford Rody Lageson’s requested shower, we did add new toilets on each floor that were so much better than you get or do not get with trailers.  As part of our lease, we needed to tear out any temporary walls and return the space as we found it, aside from leaving the toilet rooms.”[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1730750143845{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”34311″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=””][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”34312″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=””][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1730757044764{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

White Bear Lake High School, North Campus (White Bear Lake, MN)-

Field Office Location: During the 3+ years of construction, the team was housed in not one, but two existing structures. “We were first in a house that the district had purchased,” reports Project Manager Alex Balsiger. “The PMs were in the house and superintendents in the garage. We had a full kitchen which was great to use! Later we moved into the former bus maintenance garage that had four bays we used for contractor storage instead of renting Conex boxes. This building had originally been built as an armory during WWII.”

Who’s Using the Space? “At one point, we had two PMs, one Project Engineer, two Superintendents, and a Field Engineer.”

Advantages: “The space had a REAL bathroom, complete with running water. Additionally, there was a lot of storage, allowing space for subcontractors to utilize, as well as a large meeting area for KA. There were multiple office spaces, helpful for a team of this size.”

Funky Facts: “It was so large that we started collecting things, including a popcorn machine, an elliptical, a foosball table, and couches.”

Modifications made for KA Use? “We created an opening in a wall, so PMs could walk through a bay to access the Superintendent/meeting side.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_images_carousel images=”34315,34339,34340″ img_size=”medium” speed=”3000″ autoplay=”yes” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1730756138154{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]

02 and Ladder 260 (Minneapolis, MN)-  

Field Office Location: “We were housed in a former tanning salon.”

Advantages: “Location, location, location!” says Project Manager Molly Jutz. “The field office was immediately adjacent to the work area, very convenient for a downtown project. Also, it was handy that the partitions of the former tanning rooms doubled as office workspaces.”

Who’s using the space? “At the busiest point of the project, the field office had four PMs, a Project Coordinator, and three Superintendents. We rented two offices to Associated Mechanical and Collins. The KA field staff, which ranged from four to 10 people, would take breaks in the field office.”

Funky Facts: “The lime green wall paint was funky. Also, we’re in a retail building with tenants that range from a restaurant, coffee shop, yoga studio, and bar. Every morning we can smell the bread baking in Subway. The Crooked Pint restaurant is right next door, so you can hear the music from their space.” 

Modifications made for KA use? “Our labor foreman built offices in the space to accommodate all of us. A few offices were existing, but our foreman built eight more and added a plan table.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1730750199412{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”34318″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1732200404370{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row]