The first trickle of Compuware employees will begin to inhabit the company's new 15-story Detroit headquarters building next month, signaling the beginning of the end of the construction process for a high-rise building that is notable for a number of reasons.

• The $350 million building will bring 3,000 new workers to downtown Detroit by the middle of 2003, and they will be 3,000 new restaurant-goers, shoppers and maybe even residents that could spawn new business and development.
• The building itself sits on a key piece of centrally located real estate, on the old Kern Block along Woodward Avenue, adjacent to the old Hudson's site. It is the centerpiece building in what is hoped will be the revival of the city's central business district.
• In a city of diverse architecture, the Compuware building won't disappoint, with beautiful exterior pre-cast sandstone/granite panels and a design that fits nicely on the wedge-shaped site that it occupies.
• And as the home base for a worldwide computer software and professional services company, the headquarters building will be among the most wired in the state, containing more than 1,400 miles of low- and line-voltage wire.

Construction began in September 2000 and has progressed rapidly, with nearly 1,000 construction workers currently on site toiling on two shifts. The first substantial move of Compuware employees is expected to take place in February

"The construction process has been a fantastic experience," said Doug Kuiper, manager of corporate communications for Compuware. "Walbridge-Aldinger the general contractor has been extremely cooperative and flexible in meeting deadlines, which have occasionally evolved over time

"The subcontractors have been true professionals and have shown extra commitment. And we have a great deal of respect for the workforce that is putting the building together. They have been amazingly professional and have put this building up with great skill and safety."

Kuiper said the new headquarters will allow Compuware to consolidate nine facilities in the Detroit area, which save money and give employees easier access to each other. "It's going to be an advantage to having the vast majority of employees under one roof, able to talk to each other face to face, rather than having to drive 20 minutes to a meeting," he said.

The Compuware Building encompasses 1.1 million square feet, which includes about 60,000 square feet of retail space. East of the building is a 2,700-space parking structure with 10 above-ground stories and two levels below the surface. Last month, about 1,400 pre-cast sections for the parking deck of the eventual 2,070 had been installed.

Walbridge-Aldinger Group Vice President E.G. Clawson said in addition to the fast-paced schedule - seven months have been shaved out of the construction timeline - the biggest challenge they faced in erecting the Compuware Building was figuring out and working around what was under it. Generations of old buildings dating to the 1840s made drilling for the foundations a real adventure.

"I think anybody who had anything to bury in the city put it here," he said. "There were old railroad tracks, old steam tunnels and all kinds of old foundations under here. When you're drilling caissons, those bits don't like to go through steel."

The foundations were eventually installed, but what really will make the building tick is behind and under the scenes. The building will feature about 600,000 square-feet of raised floor, which is basically a 15-inch stage on floors 3-14 that will allow for the easy, under-foot installation and movement of electrical, computer cabling and HVAC services. And with so many computers, monitors, network servers and other related heat-shedding equipment throughout the building, the need to generate heat through mechanical means was significantly lessened.

As befits such a large technology company, the building will have four separate power supply systems: two different main electrical feeds, a generator, and a universal power supply that utilizes new technology, and works similar to a flywheel on an exercise bike. If power is completely lost, the flywheel will continue to provide power for a period of time, allowing the computer systems to be powered down.

"It's really going to be a neat building," Clawson said. "There's going to be a 150-foot atrium in the front that's going to let a lot of light into the building and it will have a spectacular water feature.

"If you'll excuse the expression, it was a real ballsy move by (Compuserve CEO) Peter Karmanos to come downtown, and he should be applauded. It's exciting to be a part of what he's doing and the revitalization of Detroit."

HEFTING A SPOOL of Category 6 computer network cable at the Compuware Building is John Rodgers of of IBEW Local 58 and GSI Systems Cable. "These raised floors make it a lot easier to install this stuff," Rodgers said.