Entertainment and Recreation
Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem

Butz Enterprises, Inc. served as Construction Manger for the casino, restaurants, gaming salon and parking garage.  The retail area and event center are separate phases of the development and are currently being completed.

The former home of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the 126-acre site is the nation’s largest brownfield, with an industrial history dating to 1861. The site contained a mix of mill buildings, blast furnaces, office buildings, cranes, trestles and historic structures. The scope of work included preservation of some of the most significant Bethlehem Steel buildings.

New construction reflects the architecture and industrial heritage of the former Bethlehem Steel site. Structures are composed of steel trusses, steel frames with brick infill, concrete, corrugated metal sheathing and gabled roofs with clerestories and light monitors. Interior spaces employ wood block floors, exposed skeletal steel, backlit perforated metal screens and soaring transparent glass monitors.

Butz Enterprises, Inc. completed the following components of The Sands Casino Resort | Bethlehem complex:

• Casino – in addition to the gaming floor, the 3-level, 457,000 square foot casino includes retail shops, offices, security and support areas. It is constructed of steel and concrete with a brick veneer and metal panel façade. Interiors feature wood ceilings, tile floors and carpeting. An existing monumental ore crane is incorporated into the casino entrance, along with a new gabled brick and steel porte cochere. The casino has the capacity to expand to 5,000 slots in the future.
• Parking Facility – a 1,318,000 square foot garage provides a total of 3,231 spaces on 7 levels. Constructed of steel and post-tensioned concrete slabs with perforated metal panels.
• Retail – a 2-level, 250,000 square foot mall offers a variety of service retail, destination retail, restaurants, a nightclub and food court. Constructed of steel and concrete with insulated metal panel and brick façades, stone floors, wood ceilings, skylights and a glass elevator.

Sitework involved demolition of unused structures, removal of existing concrete foundations, building site preparation, erosion control and landscaping. Development required new roadways, on-site paving, pedestrian sidewalks and site lighting. Highway improvements included the addition of a new turning lane to a PennDOT bridge traversing the site. Site utilities included sanitary and domestic water service tied into local utilities. Stormwater control measures used during construction included a large retention pond at the northeast corner of the site.

The project employs "Green" building techniques, using many of the criteria outlined by the U.S. Green Building Council.  "Green" building initiatives include the following:

• Recycled concrete and brick from the demolished plant was used in new building foundations.  An on-site recycling program generated 250,000 tons of materal that was crushed and used as fill.  A total of 17,000 cubic yards was put in place between November 2007 and May 2008.
• All of the steel came from domestic companies, including over 22,500 tons that were recovered from the site and recycled for the new construction.
• Construction waste was separated and recycled.
• Indoor air quality measures have been implemented, such as demand-control ventilation, which regulates outdoor air intake based on monitored CO2 levels.
• A central heating/cooling plant, consisting of energy efficient boilers/chillers/pumping systems, distributes water to 40 energy recovery air handlers across the complex, including retal tenant spaces.
• A 59KV substation with 13.8KV site distribution, built using a design-build approach, allows for rate savings and flexibility.