Haworth Renovation Proceeds

Sept. 28, 2010

Work is currently under way for the Haworth Center Renovation project in Holland. Haworth, Inc. is an office furniture manufacturer. The Holland facility includes office space and manufacturing. Homrich, Inc., of Carleton, is the demolition contractor and Turner Construction, of Detroit, is the general contractor.

Work is currently under way for the Haworth Center Renovation project in Holland. Haworth, Inc. is an office furniture manufacturer. The Holland facility includes office space and manufacturing. Homrich, Inc., of Carleton, is the demolition contractor and Turner Construction, of Detroit, is the general contractor.

The overall project began in May and it is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The cost is approximately $35 million. Demolition of Phase I began in June and it was completed in September. Phase II demolition will begin in the fall of 2007. A total of 255,000 square feet of existing office space will be stripped to the structural frame and rebuilt.

The demolition work has included removal of precast concrete panels that were on the façade of the building and interior strip-outs. The intention is to make it a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified facility.

"We have to recycle at least 95 percent of the demolition material in order to meet the LEED requirements. We've actually achieved 99 percent so far," Tim Homrich, project manager for Homrich, Inc., said.

Homrich used manual labor to remove carpet tiles before beginning the interior strip-out. The carpeting was recycled. Fiberglass ceilings were given away to local homeowners and approximately 10 tons of glass was recycled. The glass will be used in masonry products, primarily concrete block. Steel and other metals were also recycled.

Phase I demolition included part of the office space in the facility. "They moved the offices in Phase I to temporary offices. Once the Phase I renovation is completed, then we will start on Phase II," Homrich said. Phase II demolition will also include office space. Homrich used its Komatsu PC400LC excavator equipped with an ultra high-reach boom and a DemoPro 450 hydraulic shear manufactured by Genesis for the structural demolition work.

"In one portion, we took a 30,000-square-foot section out of the middle of the building. We used the high reach with shears to precisely cut steel members and remove floors so that we didn't disturb adjacent areas," Homrich said.

Homrich, Inc. owns most of its equipment and rents equipment when it is more efficient to do so. The decision to rent is based on the duration of use of the equipment, Tim Homrich said.

"If we're only going to use it for one or two days, then we'll usually rent the equipment," Homrich said. Homrich, Inc. gets its equipment from a variety of dealers.

The Haworth Center Renovation includes 55,000 square feet of new construction, which features a three-story glass perimeter atrium and a green roof. The atrium will add architectural features to the office space. "The main purpose for this project is to make their offices into a world-class facility that they can not only house their people in, but also showcase their products," Matt McSweeney, project superintendent for Turner Construction, said.

Turner is using a raised floor system, which is a Haworth product. The new floor will be 18 inches off of the concrete deck. There is no ductwork involved in the project. The space under the floor serves as the ductwork space. The raised floor system allows Haworth to easily change its electrical and mechanical system and update its offices as needed.

Subcontractors on the project include Allied Mechanical, of Kalamazoo (heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and plumbing); Al's Excavating, Inc., of Hamilton; The Bouma Corporation, of Grand Rapids (studs and drywall); Brigade Fire Protection, of Belmont; Dan Vos Construction Company, of Ada; Glass Enterprise Contracting, Inc., of Holland (glass and glazing); Roossien Masonry, Inc., of Grandville; Steel Supply & Engineering, of Grand Rapids (structural steel); and Universal Wall Systems, Inc., of Grand Rapids (metal wall panels).

The engineering firm for the project is Engineering Plus, of Kalamazoo, and the consultant is Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr & Huber, Inc., of Grand Rapids.

 

Project

Haworth Center Renovation in Holland

Cost

Approximately $35 million

General contractor

Turner Construction, of Detroit

Demolition contractor

Homrich, Inc., of Carleton