Compiled by Facility Executive
From the February 2023 Issue
Throughout 2022, facility executives and managers have built and renovated state-of-the-art buildings that have made a significant impact for their organizations, and for building occupants and tenants. Facility Executive focused on five types of industrial and commercial facility projects—in manufacturing and commercial headquarters, educational facilities, business and professional services, healthcare and medical, and hospitality—for executives to draw inspiration from for future projects.
Manufacturing – American Nitrile
Medical glove maker American Nitrile worked with Contegra Construction Co. to create a manufacturing facility that produces four billion medical research lab gloves annually. The renovation of 527,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Grove City, OH fortified infrastructure to support a highly complex automated manufacturing process with 12 production lines. This included:
- Water system upgrades to support the robust water demand needed to make gloves;
- Installing a new wastewater treatment system and sanitary sewer upgrades including a multi pump lift station to treat and discharge wastewater;
- Engineering and installing a new electrical service with multiple substations to power the advanced manufacturing process;
- Installing exhaust fans in conjunction with supply air fans capable of five air changes an hour to stabilize temperature and humidity in the facility;
- Installing two large air compressors and air piping for the production process
The facility also includes 15,000 square feet of remodeled office and lab space.
American Nitrile is a Grove City, OH-based privately held company focused on manufacturing medical and research/lab gloves for healthcare, government, and industrial use.
Education Facilities – The Webb Schools, Hooper Community Center
The Webb Schools, a boarding school for grades 9 through 12 on a 150-acre campus in Claremont, CA, recently completed its Hooper Community Center. This center preserves the building’s historic architecture while “transforming the facility into a modern, inclusive hub for the school community with a bright, airy feel that maximizes the use of natural light,” according to The Webb Schools.
Webb has a worldwide community of students, alumni, parents, faculty, and staff, but while campus is the center of the Webb community, there hasn’t been a campus center for them all, until now. After more than a year of renovations, the Hooper Community Center [became] a dynamic center for students and the entire Webb community.
“Webb has a wonderful campus, with so much great architecture,” states Head of Schools Taylor Stockdale, “but it hasn’t had an entrance—a presentation—for people coming to campus, and it hasn’t had a center for the whole Webb community.”
Another major goal was to blend old and new, says Ken Rosenfeld, Dean of Campus Life for The Webb Schools.
“The original building was built the same year as the Golden Gate Bridge, by a Scottish architect as a gymnasium and a home for drama and plays,” adds Janet Peddy, Director of Finance, Planning and Operations for The Webb Schools.
After originally being built in 1931 as a gymnasium, the Spanish Revival style building has been reimagined by the design team led by architect John Lesak, principal-in-charge of Page & Turnbull’s Los Angeles office. The design adapts its two-level footprint by expanding and reorganizing its spaces to reflect the ways students and faculty gather and work. The space is flexible and inviting, accommodating one-on-one interactions, small-group activities, and community events.
The 6,500-square-foot redesign celebrates the original architectural elements. It includes Café 1175, clusters of gathering spaces, a welcome desk, and a large video wall for multiple gaming contests or community movie nights. The architects salvaged and reclaimed the maple gym flooring for built-in furnishings, new finishes and as flooring at different areas. “We also relocated and reused some of the non-historic art glass and designed the front of the welcome desk as an homage to the building’s roots as a basketball gym,” says Lesak.
For facility managers considering a similar project, Lesak recommends to “think holistically when approaching existing building projects and involve the whole community—you never know where a great idea may come from.”
Business/Professional Services – Brown & Brown HQ
Brown & Brown, Inc., the fifth-largest insurance broker in the U.S., unveiled its new 11-story, 225,000-sq.-ft. headquarters in Daytona Beach, FL.
“We think it’s going to do a tremendous amount for the downtown community as well as the broader area,” says Andy Watts, Brown & Brown’s executive vice president, CFO and treasurer. “We’re very excited about what this means for the community.”
Designed by RS&H, the new headquarters can accommodate up to 900 employees (or teammates, as the company says), and is designed to handle an increase in workforce levels and help recruit top talent to the area.
Not only will the new headquarters be able to handle the growth, but RS&H designed the building with both aesthetic and practical considerations to attract new teammates to the company.
“We wanted to keep the space consistent from floor to floor,” says RS&H senior project manager Kris Bolt. “You’ll have centralized elevators, restrooms, conference areas and even break spaces. There is also a lot of flexibility in spaces, such as the café and commons area —which can be utilized all day, not just during the lunch hour. “You don’t see a lot of single-function spaces.”
The new Brown & Brown headquarters includes the high-rise office building, related site work, and a 700-car surface parking lot. The office building features curved glass walls that offer unobstructed views of the Halifax River. Building core elements, including elevators, staircases, and other infrastructure, are located inboard to the west with deep, open floor plates to give every teammate an eastern 180-degree water view.
The open floor plan with few exterior offices gives teammates a chance to take advantage of the building’s proximity to the water—the neighboring Riverfront Esplanade, Halifax River, and the Atlantic Ocean. The clear, coastal views can be taken in from almost anywhere inside the building. The RS&H design team utilized a curtain wall system with five different glass infills: clear, insulated glass, shadowbox glass, insulated metal panels, and louvers. Even the restrooms have natural light pouring in through the opaque glass.
“This facility is a centerpiece for Brown & Brown and serves as a location to train our teammates and share our culture,” Brown said. “The open design helps facilitate collaboration and new ways of working for our teammates.”
Senior Living/ Healthcare – La Secoya de El Castillo
La Secoya de El Castillo is a senior living community that promises an “oasis downtown” thanks to aesthetics inspired by the surrounding desert vistas and the city’s multicultural, artistic heritage.
Designed by Dallas-based national architecture firm, three, La Secoya de El Castillo comprises nearly 200,000 sq. ft. of development on two and a half acres, including 68 one- and two-bedroom independent living apartments, with on-site healthcare settings and vibrant amenities. The community was completed and residents began to take occupancy in May 2022.
The residence sits atop a 55,000-sq.-ft. underground parking facility for up to 150 vehicles (plus 47 resident storage units) presenting seniors with easy access to everything Santa Fe has to offer. For example, La Secoya is less than ten minutes walking distance from the Lensic Performing Arts Center.
“On-site some of the most popular amenities are in the units themselves, each featuring an open plan with a kitchen island. In units and throughout the complex, there is an emphasis on connection to the outdoors that is uniquely Santa Fe: all units have glass on both the front and back sides—plus either a balcony or patio—and the communicating corridors between buildings are open air,” according to Rockland Berg, AIA, principal with three. “The community offers a variety of courtyards, each with a different personality, plus a dog run and fire pit. The community also offers three different dining options on-site, plus a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a beauty salon.
“Off-site amenities are just as important, so La Secoya offers vehicle parking so that residents can take advantage of everything Santa Fe has to offer,” he adds, ‘But even residents without a car are just a ten-minute walk from offerings like the Lensic Performing Arts Center, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the El Dorado Hotel & Spa, and many options for dining and shopping.”
An adjunct of the El Castillo Life Plan Community about a mile south (where three previously designed an expansion and upgrades) La Secoya is the first ground-up project designed by the firm for nonprofit owner-operator El Castillo Retirement Residences, in partnership with management consultancy Greystone Communities. Working closely with El Castillo CEO Al Jahner, Berg and his team applied three’s signature design approach, developing a concept that captures Jahner’s vision for a unique resident experience.
The primary takeaways from the pre-design engagement sessions emphasize the region’s natural beauty, especially the sequoia trees on the site for which the new community is named.
“These days seniors want to live in an environment that inspires and invigorates,” says Rocky Berg, AIA, architect and principal with three, an acknowledged national expert on senior living trends who writes and speaks frequently for professional audiences. “They also seek out communities with on-site and nearby amenities that support leading a purposeful life, at any age. Our design for La Secoya combines these elements in a setting that celebrates Santa Fe’s culture and scenery.”
Hospitality – Lake Nona Wave Hotel
With a striking façade of curved glass inspired by a wavelength of energy, the Lake Nona Wave Hotel situated in the heart of Orlando’s Lake Nona neighborhood features 216 guest rooms, 16 one-bedroom suites, and two penthouse suites. Guests and visitors alike can bask in an experience elevated by technology yet grounded in well-being; immerse in a tropical Sculpture Garden brimming with a collection of eight world-renowned sculptures plus a collection of vibrant art throughout the hotel; find inner peace and fitness at the nearby, first-ever Dr. Deepak Chopra’s Mind-Body Zone and Spa as well as Lake Nona Performance Club; soak up the sun on the colorful pool deck; savor artful plates and cocktails at three destination dining concepts; and more. Boasting an extensive roster of technology partners, the hotel is home to Well+ech by Wave, a collection of accommodations with an ever-evolving showcase of the latest innovations in wellness.
In March 2022, the hotel installed floor-to-ceiling View Smart Windows in all guest rooms, which use artificial intelligence to automatically adjust in response to outdoor conditions, keeping guests cool and comfortable without the need for blinds.
According to James Tattersall, Director of Marketing for Lake Nona Wave Hotel, the technologically advanced hotel works to make the stay easier for guests. It also has a custom-built mobile app for guests to use throughout their stay.
Lake Nona Wave Hotel’s use of technology includes one of the world’s largest fleets of autonomous shuttles, the largest single-use facility of TOTO smart toilets, voice-automated in-room controls, and Rosie, the hotel’s robot butler, who complements food and drink delivery for events.
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