2025 Midwest Best Projects
Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration: Catalyst Omaha
Catalyst Omaha
Omaha
Award of Merit
Submitted by Boyd Jones
Owner: Koelbel & Co.
Owner/Developer: GreenSlate Development; University of Nebraska Medical Center
Lead Design Firm: Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture
General Contractor: Boyd Jones
Civil Engineer: Olsson
Structural Engineer: TD2 (Thompson, Dressen & Dorner)
MEP Engineer: Morrissey Engineering Inc.
An adaptive reuse project at the historic Omaha Steel Works site, established in 1906, has transformed deteriorating structures into a premier hub for medical innovation and entrepreneurship. The project team integrated two existing vacant buildings into a single 170,000-sq-ft, three-story facility. The revitalized space integrates preserved historic architectural elements, including original exposed brick, steel columns and industrial accents, into a modern design.
Catalyst Omaha was designed for interdisciplinary use, featuring flexible workspaces, retail spaces, state-of-the-art amenities and community-focused spaces. Plans are underway to incorporate a restaurant and brewery, coffee shop and research support center.
Given the site’s history, unknowns were inevitable. To work past the unknowns, soft subgrades and the absence of as-built drawings, the team turned to virtual design and construction (VDC) technology, including building scans, coupled with detailed hand measurements to navigate the building’s existing conditions.
Once demolition exposed the building’s skeleton, crews installed temporary bracing and cabling throughout the structure to provide stability. The team removed and rebuilt several walls and discovered an additional 8 in. of existing flooring. Careful vibration monitoring during soil compaction protected the remaining structure—including the original brick—from damage, and old steel columns were carefully reinforced.
