Cover story: Building Up Downtown

After years of research and planning, the Loews Kansas City Convention Center Hotel completed construction in March 2020 and opened to the public in June. It is the first new full-service convention hotel to open in downtown since 1985. The 800-room hotel is in the heart of downtown and connects to the existing convention halls with a pedestrian walkway, improving the viability of Kansas City as a potential convention site to organizations across the country.

Meeting milestones

When the project broke ground in January 2018, the JE Dunn team was working toward an aggressive finish date—in time for the 2020 Big 12 men’s college basketball tournament and ready for the already-booked, first major convention for the new hotel: the national Shriners convention.

“We focused a lot of effort on doing work early on that would help streamline the process down the road,” Adam Cox, project executive at JE Dunn, said. “One of the most significant schedule impacts was the development of room mock-ups in nearby Bartle Hall. These mock-ups gave the owner the opportunity to make decisions and changes to finishes early on, which was a big reason we kept on schedule as the project progressed.”

The mock-ups also gave the construction team the chance to test and plan for sequencing to fine-tune their own schedule.

“Building the mock-ups gave us a chance to create a better plan on how to approach the project on a large scale,” Pat Lichte, general superintendent at JE Dunn, said. “We were able to identify solutions early and work out any kinks before detailing final systems. It had a significant impact on the success of this project.”

	“One of the most significant schedule impacts was the development of room mock-ups in nearby Bartle Hall. These mock-ups gave the owner the opportunity to make decisions and changes to finishes early on, which was a big reason we kept on schedule as the project progressed.” Adam Cox Project Manager JE Dunn
Above: Loews Hotel's spacious bar lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to the city. Photo by Alistair Tutton.

Staying on track

For such a complex project with lots of moving parts and pieces, the JE Dunn team simplified their construction approach into 11 modules. With an aggressive end date and labor concerns, the entire construction team had to buy into the plan and commit to adhering to deadlines. This included right-sizing teams to maintain a steady pace and creating consistent hand-off metrics. As the groups moved up the building, finishing a floor at a time, they created and maintained a steady rhythm of work.

Early design-assist coordination also helped remove redundancies and kept the entire construction team on the same page. “With key players at the table early in the preconstruction phase, we were able to help the owner limit risks,” Cox said. “Not only that, but with so many big projects going on across the Kansas City metro, we were able to secure partnerships early on to help avoid potential labor force pitfalls further into the project.”

	“I had never used FaceTime in my life. Suddenly we were doing inspections with city officials through video conferencing.” Pat Lichte General Superintendent JE Dunn
		Above: The Loews Hotel uses its space to display artwork to create a modern ambiance throughout the building. Photo by Alistair Tutton.

Finishing strong

As the March 2020 deadline approached, the team found themselves facing an unexpected challenge: a pandemic. With many of the core team, as well as the owner, based outside Kansas City, in-person meetings halted and everything moved digital.

“I had never used FaceTime in my life,” Lichte said. “Suddenly we were doing inspections with city officials through video conferencing.” However, close communication and frequent meetings throughout the project made the digital transition easier. While the original schedule drivers, the Big 12 tournament and the national Shriners convention, were canceled due to the pandemic, the hotel reached substantial completion on time and opened to guests on June 1.

Shaping the skyline

Kansas City has spent the last two decades making significant investments in its infrastructure, and the Loews Hotel and Convention Center is a testament to that.

Both Lichte and Cox are proud to be a part of this project and its impact on the city.

“This is my hometown, and to be given the chance to have a hand in such an impactful project is incredibly fulfilling for me,” Cox said.