Kraft Headquarters

With an aggressive work schedule, Kraft Construction Company, Incorporated desired an efficient, “timeless building” for its 111,134-square-foot headquarters in Naples, Fla. It was determined that Tilt-Up would allow for a clean, contemporary look, as well as increase the ability to utilize the latest technologies throughout the facility. To meet these goals, special products were used, including self-consolidating concrete and fiber-concrete tubes. In addition, expansive pre-construction Tilt-Up planning included a 4-D design of the facility.

Features of the floor-plan include a 90,138-square-foot office, an 800-square-foot fitness center, a 20,996-square-foot warehouse and 2,380 square feet of communicating spaces. A variety of specially mitered Tilt-Up panels and L-shaped panes were utilized to make up the unusual angles.

The plans also called for large panel openings. To remain on schedule with construction of panels, two steel beams were specially made for the job. One was bolted to the panel being lifted, which would keep the window opening rigid. The other was used to set up for the next panel lifting. Tilt-Up forming techniques were tested to the max to meet the architectural design of cast-in-place walls, columns and stairs.

A minimal amount of treatments were used to illuminate the purity of the structure and signify its light white color-scheme. Spandrel glass was included in the design to match large openings. The communicating spaces include a 40-foot-high architectural concrete wall, cantilevered main stair, architectural concrete reception desk and columns. Connecting the communicating space of buildings one and two is a 30-foot-by-10-foot walkway on the second floor.