Intro
Warren Fabricating
Warren Fabricating, an international steel fabricating company, outgrew their current office space and needed a new building that met their growing needs, and which reflected the company’s precision steel services. Teaming with DeSalvo Construction, Phillips|Sekanick Architects, inc. provided a design-build approach that addressed the Owner’s needs and provided a unique design solution.
Details
Warren Fabricating
Challenge
Focusing on the industrial nature of the site the owners sought a design that was unique to their industry. Exterior materials needed to not only be low maintenance and budget friendly, but also needed to provide more visual interest than metal siding alone could provide. A growing company, Warren Fabricating needed new offices that they wouldn’t quickly outgrow or that could not accommodate change. Siting and orienting the building within the 65-acre site was a challenge due to existing site drainage and the desire to capitalize on natural lighting without excessive solar heat gain.
Solution
The building was designed to resemble the spokes of a wheel in floor plan harkening to the industrial nature of the business. Spokes were constructed as monumental brick walls and rotating building elements were constructed with a complementary color of brick veneer wall. The grey color tones and use of smooth faced brick were selected for low maintenance. Central hub elements were clad in corrugated metal siding and glass and feature a 30-foot-high glass curtain wall entry. The administrative spoke of the wheel was designed as a two-story structure so that the company could grow without the need to cut additional foundations into the principally shale site. With the building floor plan designed, the Design-Build team produced a clear path forward to work around the existing site drainage, limit disturbance of shale sub-soils, and orient solid walls to the south with natural light provided through north facing windows.