In 1999, Tennessee concrete company Smyrna Ready Mix started off with just three trucks. Since then, it has grown to 5,400 employees in 16 states. Last year, the company moved from its small office in downtown Nashville to its new corporate headquarters on an 800-acre site.
Designed by EOA Architects to showcase various concrete processes and applications, the five-story, 85,000-sf building’s vertical layering mimics the patterns in the company’s stone quarry, located on the opposite end of the campus site. The building’s glass and concrete bands are meant to mirror the quarry’s natural contours and striations.
Inside, the helix of the building’s circulation patterns draws inspiration from the shape of a concrete mixing truck drum. Exposed concrete walls extend unobstructed from the first through fifth floors. The shear wall, the elevator, and the stair cores are 18-inch-thick poured walls with a custom radius, minimizing the amount of finishing work needed post-pour.
The interior design also references the company’s brand and industry. Custom-designed light fixtures echo the forms of concrete drums. The steps’ curved underside nods to the supply chutes used to pour concrete from the mixing drum. In the training room, the wet bar’s backsplash has been made with repurposed test cylinders, which are used to determine the strength of a mixed concrete batch. Furniture and textiles incorporate the red, white, and blue colors of the company’s logo.
The project also features corporate amenities for onsite staff and drivers, including dining, a fitness facility, training and community rooms, and a daycare center for 100 of the company and community’s children. Future plans for the campus include walking paths.
On the Building Team:
Owner: SRM Concrete
Design architect: EOA Architects
Architect of record: EOA Architects
MEP engineer: I.C. Thomasson Associates
Structural engineer: EMC Structural Engineers
General contractor/construction manager: DPR Construction
Here is the design statement from EOA Architects:
Smyrna Ready Mix is a family-owned and operated concrete company founded in Smyrna, Tennessee in 1999. Beginning with only three trucks, the company has grown to 5,400 employees in 16 states. This dramatic expansion meant it was time to move from a cramped office in downtown Nashville to a new corporate headquarters on an 800-acre site near an interstate interchange just south of the city. Here, the new building will help anchor a new mixed-use development, provide a landmark for a new corporate campus and help definite this gateway to the town of Smyrna.
Office Building as Billboard
Designed to showcase the varied types of concrete processes and applications, the vertical layering of the five-story building mimics the rhythms found in the company’s stone quarry, also located on the site. The building profile rises at the opposite end the site from the sunken quarry, creating an inverse relationship that guides the design. The building’s floor plate pushes and pulls to create an organic form with glass and concrete bands mirroring the quarry’s natural contours and striations.
Full glazing takes advantage of surrounding views and showcases the structural components, including numerous types of concrete and finishing styles. Slender 16-inch diameter columns made of a high-strength concrete mix balance on elegant bases tapered to 10 inches at the first floor and do the work of a typical 24-inch column. Cantilevered post-tension slabs demonstrate the material’s sculptural possibilities. The building contains no 90-degree edges; everything is rounded, creating a dynamic flow that further reinforces concrete’s versatility.
Workplace design uses lightness, movement
EOA steered away from a brutalist concrete expression to emphasize light and lightness and create a warm and welcoming environment. Users enter the building through three large concrete fins that provide the framework for the entry vestibules. The lobby floor is a custom concrete mix developed by EOA and SRM that resembles terrazzo. The lobby’s material palate adds a vertical oak motif complemented by champagne colored metal ceilings and railings. A double cantilevered concrete stair anchored in front of the exposed double-height concrete shear wall cascades gracefully into the lobby space, establishing the sense of open movement that permeates the building.
Inspired by the shape of a concrete mixing truck drum, the design incorporates an internal helix into the building’s circulation patterns. Vertical circulation is highlighted through the use of exposed concrete walls that extend unobstructed from the first through fifth floors. The shear wall, as well as the elevator and stair cores are 18-inch-thick poured walls with a custom radius to soften the edges and minimize the amount of finishing work required post-pour. These elements were left in a natural sculptural state with only a matte finish sealer applied to allow the form-work joints to cast shadows as sunlight moves through the space.
Artful connections to the company's brand and industry infuse the interiors: Custom designed light fixtures echo the forms of concrete drums. The curved underside of the monumental steps is a nod to the supply chutes used to pour concrete from the mixing drum. In the training room, test cylinders, used to determine the strength of each mixed concrete batch, were cut and re-purposed as the backsplash of the training room wet bar. Furniture and textiles subtly incorporate the red, white and blue colors of the company's logo.
Office building supports family business, community vision
The family had a specific and progressive vision for its new home. It was important to them to invite the community into the building and onto the campus, which includes a historic community cemetery. Future plans include walking paths to create a larger, healthy holistic environment. The project also prioritized unprecedented corporate amenities for both on-site staff as well as drivers: the first floor includes on-site dining, a fitness facility, training and community rooms as well as a daycare center for 100 of the company and community’s children.
Related Stories
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Sep 21, 2010
New BOMA-Kingsley Report Shows Compression in Utilities and Total Operating Expenses
A new report from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and Kingsley Associates shows that property professionals are trimming building operating expenses to stay competitive in today’s challenging marketplace. The report, which analyzes data from BOMA International’s 2010 Experience Exchange Report® (EER), revealed a $0.09 (1.1 percent) decrease in total operating expenses for U.S. private-sector buildings during 2009.
| Sep 13, 2010
Triple-LEED for Engineering Firm's HQ
With more than 250 LEED projects in the works, Enermodal Engineering is Canada's most prolific green building consulting firm. In 2007, with the firm outgrowing its home office in Kitchener, Ont., the decision was made go all out with a new green building. The goal: triple Platinum for New Construction, Commercial Interiors, and Existing Buildings: O&M.
| Aug 11, 2010
CTBUH changes height criteria; Burj Dubai height increases, others decrease
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)—the international body that arbitrates on tall building height and determines the title of “The World’s Tallest Building”—has announced a change to its height criteria, as a reflection of recent developments with several super-tall buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
BIG's 'folded façade' design takes first-prize in competition for China energy company headquarters
Copenhagen-based architect BIG, in collaboration with ARUP and Transsolar, was awarded first-prize in an international competition to design Shenzhen International Energy Mansion, the regional headquarters for the Shenzhen Energy Company.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
New air-conditioning design standard allows for increased air speed to cool building interiors
Building occupants, who may soon feel cooler from increased air movement, can thank a committee of building science specialists. The committee in charge of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55 - Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy—after months of study and discussion--has voted recently to allow increased air speed as an option for cooling building interiors. In lay terms, increased air speed is the equivalent of turning up the fan.