Gresham Smith's Dave Verner to Join Panel on Ultium Cells at LCI Congress

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Oct. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Key members from the team behind the Ultium Cells project in Lordstown, Ohio, will participate in a panel at the 2021 Lean Construction Institute Congress about their experience developing North America's largest battery plant.

Dave Verner, RA, NCARB, Executive Vice President of Gresham Smith's Industrial market, will moderate the panel. Verner will be joined by Mike Mayra, Construction Group Manager at General Motors (GM); Bruce Rysztak, Vice President of Automotive at Barton Malow; Todd Pugh, Vice President, Design Build Division at John E. Green; and David Norkol, Senior Project Manager at Hunt Electric.

The group's presentation will detail how the team behind Ultium Cells $2.3 billion battery plant in Lordstown, Ohio, used the integrated project delivery method to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and create North America's largest battery plant, which is set to open next year. Ultium Cells is a joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution.

"When you're working on a project of this magnitude with the variety of challenges that we faced, cultural alignment is key," Mayra said. "This team came together to collaborate and deliver on this critical project for the future of the electric vehicle industry."

Stretching across 156 acres, the Ultium Cells plant will occupy 2.8 million square feet of total floor area, and will have an annual capacity of more than 30 gigawatt-hours with room to grow. The Ultium batteries will be used to power the new third-generation global electric vehicle platform that will be used in a number of GM's new electric vehicles.

"Using the integrated project delivery method allowed our entire team to collaboratively harness the skill sets of all parties to optimize project outcomes by reducing waste, cutting costs, improving productivity and maximizing efficiency, all in the middle of a global pandemic," Verner said. "We're proud to have served as the lead designer on the team that's developing Ultium Cell's first battery plant, as GM looks ahead to an all-electric, zero-emissions future."

Gresham Smith is the leading architecture and engineering firm for battery facility design in the U.S. Overall, the firm has designed over 7.5 million square feet of battery manufacturing facilities that will produce more than 90 gigawatt-hours of annual capacity. Learn more about our work and our insights at www.greshamsmith.com/battery.

About Gresham Smith
Gresham Smith is an architecture, engineering and design firm that provides full-service solutions for the built environment with a focus on aviation, building engineering, corporate and urban design, healthcare, industrial, land planning, transportation, and water and environment. Our team of diligent designers, creative problem-solvers, insightful planners and seasoned collaborators work closely with our clients to improve the cities and towns we call home. Consistently ranked as a "best place to work," we are committed to creating a culture that fosters diversity of experience combined with a common goal of genuine care for each other, our partners and the outcome of our work. Learn more at GreshamSmith.com.

SOURCE Gresham Smith

Related Links

greshamsmith.com