Renfrow

Summarize the project's program, features and achievements?

This project is the new office headquarters facility for Renfrow Industrial. The project scope included the site development, stormwater management, and utilities required to support the infrastructure. The new building encompasses 23,000+ SF of office space, fully upfitted with full MEP, metal framing, ceilings, and high-end finishes. The owner opted for a tilt-up office building with Cast-In-Place concrete panels.

This new office marks the first building on Renfrow's new campus park, aimed to consolidate multiple facility locations into a centralized campus. Not only does this new building establish the benchmark for future campus developments, but its presence along Interstate 85 distinctly sets it apart from other tilt-up projects in the area, completing Renfrow's goal of achieving visibility. From the outset of the project, Renfrow's primary objectives centered on achieving prominent visibility from interstate 85 and ensuring cost-effective construction methods; both, while cultivating a modern, contemporary aesthetic design.

Using a two-toned paint scheme, the darker executive wing contrasts boldly against the lighter grey “box" that allows the vibrant orange accent of the trellis to stand out. Although the original design included stacked stone veneer accents, a cost-saving exercise led to the use of stone form-liners to keep the textural depth of the stone, while keeping costs efficient. Additionally, the interior design strategically showcases two-story concrete panels from the executive wing, serving as striking focal points in the boardroom and break area, highlighting the inherent beauty of exposed, cast-in-place concrete.

Additionally, the design accounted for an industrial-feel in the interior, with lots of exposed MEP systems in the building's ceiling. To show the owner what this would look like, we brought in our Construction Technology team to model the entire building. We then produced a 3D model to show off the aesthetic that our team was looking to achieve so that the installation was streamlined and to the owner's standards and expectations.

What obstacles were overcome related to the schedule, budget, program, specification, site, etc. on this project?

One of the initial challenges our team encountered was assuring that the owner's level of desired visibility was met, which proved to be difficult given the slope of the site and its position on Highway 85. Improving visibility involved early collaboration between Renfrow and Harper, which led to productive meetings with SCDOT. Additionally, the site had SCDOT-owned fiber and water lines that needed relocation to allow for the necessary grading and roadway adjustments. Together, we secured approval to grade the right-of-way (ROW) of the interstate, enhancing visibility and made a plan to relocate the necessary utilities. This approval came after the permits were submitted, resulting in a six-month project delay, but our team was able to finish the project a month early based on contract due to our plan to early release purchased material while we were working with SCDOT.

Our team faced high material escalation and delivery time issues during the pricing phases in preconstruction, with no contingencies available in the construction phase. We tackled this by advancing procurement of all materials, mitigating the impact of lead time issues and cost escalation. Favorable dry weather in the spring also allowed us to gain time early in the project.

Throughout, exceptional teamwork was critical to managing cost and allowed us to complete the project over a month ahead of schedule, even with the delays encountered. Our proactive approach in dealing with the SCDOT and early procurement were key factors in our successful and timely project completion.

Please communicate any engineering complexities or unique features of the panel design for this project?

The architectural design accommodated a larger, expansive, open office "box" and the prominent main entry/executive wing feature. The "box" was meticulously crafted to optimize panel dimensions, boasting heights and widths of 25 feet each. Panel joints were used to breakdown the scale and mass of the panels, while also providing linear shadow lines that were carried to the executive wing's design. To achieve the different materials looks on both the box and wing of the building, we used form liner.

Additionally, the small site presented challenges, particularly for construction logistics. To manage space constraints, we implemented a casting bed for the unique and complex tilt-up panels, which included wide spandrel sections and a distinctive rectangle entryway.

What is the potential for this project's impact on the community and/or environment?

Community Impact:

As a company, Renfow's mission is to help build the community around them by using their business as a platform to ministry. This new office building was also designed to have large open meeting space that can be used to bring the community together in a wide variety of events.

Sustainable Features:

The building is oriented in an east-west solar orientation with solar control on the south facing facade with the decorative trellis.