Whole Foods Market
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GOLD MEDAL AWARD WINNER
The Building of America
Facts & Figures Owner: Whole Foods Market Properties, Inc. Developer: Planned Community Developers Type of Project: A new market Size: 49,500 square feet Construction Time: February 2007 - December 2007 The Need: A Whole Foods Market in the Sugar Land area The Challenge: Keeping the design concept simple, and staying on budget and on schedule
Gold Medal Award-winning Team Members STG Design, Inc. Architect (Conceptual Design) Hermes Architects Architect (Shell & Exterior Plazas) CTA Architects/Engineers Architect (Tenant Improvement/ Interior) EMJ Corporation General Contractor RONPARCO - Ronzani, Inc. Plastering & Exterior Wall Cladding/EIFS Tri-Tech Building Products, LLC Doors/Frames/Hardware Supplier
Photo courtesy of George Craig Photography
texas edition
gold medal award winner
Photo courtesy of George Craig Photography
Sugar Land, Texas
Whole Foods Market Foods
travel through the site’s intersec-
events in natural and comfortable
said. “Whole Foods Market offers
Market stores in Texas, Louisiana,
While
most
Whole
tions of U.S. Highway 59 and
settings by creating two shaded
exciting and interesting product
Oklahoma and Arkansas have
State Highway 6, which are major
exterior plazas — one at the front
around every corner — the design
urban locations, the new Sugar
arteries into and out of downtown
of the store and the other at the
of the store had to reinforce the
Land store serves as an experi-
Houston, the surrounding south-
west side of the store.
product as opposed to competing
ment to further the development
west Houston suburbs, and the
According to Jeff Ervin, designer
of Whole Foods Market stores in
booming Fort Bend County area.
and associate for STG Design, Inc.,
“The owner wished to have a
other suburban markets.
with it.”
Additionally, the Sugar Land loca-
the conceptual design architect for
unique building with an open-
selected
tion enabled Whole Foods Market
the project, the greatest challenge
ness and inviting appeal to the
because it is considered to be the
to adhere to its commitment to
to the design was to keep the
public,” added Marc Boucher,
crossroads for main traffic com-
providing public spaces in and
concept simple. ‘“The food is the
AIA, architect and designer for
ing into and out of the city. As
around its stores for guests to
architecture’ was used as a ver-
Hermes Architects, the architect
many as 300,000 cars per day
dine, lounge and host community
bal parti to weigh decisions,” he
for the building’s shell and the
The
property
was
continued on page 7
gold medal award winner
texas edition
The Owner’s Perspective with Louie DeVillier, Construction Project Manager, Whole Foods Market Properties, Inc. Q: What is the most innovative aspect of the project (or of the design/ construction process, financing, environmental)? What could others learn from? LD: As commonly found in the retail industry, most store design processes go through many revisions during the design process, and unfortunately even during the middle of the construction phases. This leads to major interruptions during the building process, costing valuable time and money. We took this into consideration during the Sugar Land creative process, spending more time on development, reducing revisions and obtaining signoffs on the floor plan before interior construction documents began. This cost Whole Foods Market considerably more on A&E fees, but the benefits were outstanding. We only made minor equipment and fixture changes, but no physical changes were ever made to the departments or the building structure.
Q: What were the greatest challenges encountered on this project? How, specifically, were they overcome? LD: The availability of and time required to install special sections of “rolled� steel. These had to be fabricated and shipped to the site as quickly as possible. The two outer sections of the main clearstory leaf shape of the center roof had to be delivered in large sections and braced into place before being welded and bolted together to form the long, oval roof pattern.
Q: If another owner was about to commence work on a similar project, what advice would you offer from your experiences that he/she may not be aware of? LD: Pay special attention and cater to the consumers and community your facility will be serving. Develop strong partnerships with your outsourced designers, equipment vendors, and most especially, your general contractor. Also be conscious of special neighborhood design restrictions and standards that may be above and beyond the municipality or landlord requirements.
1105 N. Lamar, #200 Austin, TX 78703 512-391-8400 www.wholefoodsmarket.com
The Architect’s Perspective with Jeff Ervin, Designer, Associate, STG Design, Inc. and Marc Boucher, AIA, Architect, Designer, Hermes Architects Q: Describe the project in relative detail, incorporating what you think makes the project unique, innovative, important or sets it apart. How does the design complement the overall mission of the facility/owner? JE: The most unusual element of this project is the location. Whole Foods Market traditionally seeks to develop urban blocks that allow for autonomy or infill projects with a lot of public transportation. This site, a retail development in a regulated suburban city, has limitations in terms of material selection, building location and corporate identity. The design solution challenges the limitations and breaks the mold of traditional strip retail. The given material palette, brick, was challenged by changing the scale and application. Brick was used on a small scale as an interior finish. Landscaping was used per code in the parking lot, however, the front entry wall has a variety of landscaping including an active garden. WFM’s mission is to be a leader in sustainable food as well as an example of good stewardship in the development of their structures. The design of the Sugar Land store allows for natural light through most of the store as well as definitive sight lines between departments. Both of these concepts are antithetical to traditional store layout. Photo courtesy of Rachel Lockwood
Q: What were some of the drivers behind the design? What design materials or concepts were used? JE: The most unusual feature of the design [is] the “leaf” on the roof. This object works functionally to provide natural light, environmentally to capture rain water, and practically as an organizational element. Furthermore, the oversized leaf identifies the WFM store and marks the entry to the store.
STG Design, Inc. 4330 Gaines Ranch Loop, Ste. 100 • Austin, TX 78735 • 512-899-3500 • www.stgarchitects.com
Q: Describe the project in relative detail, incorporating what you think makes the project unique, innovative, important or sets it apart. How does the design complement the overall mission of the facility/owner? MB: The building was designed with an open-structure roof and a raised and tilted roof area with clerestory windows in the center of the building. This area is a leaf shape, which reflects the Whole Foods logo and was used as a method to present this. The raised leaf was also designed to be viewed from the U.S. 59 freeway overpasses adjacent to the site. The window systems were unique in their framing and random patterns, which allow a more interesting view of the building walls.
Q: What were some of the drivers behind the design? What design materials or concepts were used? MB: The exterior wall finishes are face-brick veneer in two colors and Arriscraft, which is a manufactured
Photo courtesy of Hermes Architects, Inc.
stone. All in warm and inviting colors. There is an area screen wall in front of a portion of the building with random openings, which partially screen a lush garden area with walkways, seating areas and several fountains. There is a fountain and cistern at the entrance, which collects roof water from the leaf, which is stored in an underground storage tank. This water is used for irrigation.
Hermes Architects 1177 West Loop S, Ste. 500 • Houston, TX 77027 • 713-785-3644 • www.hermesarchitects.com
continued from page 3
exterior plazas. “The building was
viding a maximum emphasis on
Furthermore, the team designed
Retail projects commonly go
designed with an open-structure
colorful fresh floral and produce
a corner alcove bordered by an
through many revisions during
roof and a raised and tilted roof
products,” he said. A “boule-
overhead floating soffit band to
the design process and/or the
area with clerestory windows in
vard” concept with real trees and
create a “store within a store”
construction phases, leading to
the center of the building.” The
contemporary street light poles
for the Whole Body department,
major project interruptions that
shape of the glass roof structure
was also implemented to iden-
the market’s “boutique” for skin
cost valuable time and money.
is a leaf, which reflects the Whole
tify the main artery through the
care, vitamins, supplements and
In
Foods logo and symbolizes the
store, simulating a public street
hygiene products, in order to sepa-
from happening, Whole Foods
company’s commitment to the
and allowing visual access to sev-
rate Whole Body from the empha-
Market
environment.
eral departments from one van-
sis on food products throughout
on development, reducing revi-
tage point.
the rest of the store.
sions and obtaining signoffs on
There are many unique fea-
After
reviewing
the
order
to
prevent
spent
ample
this time
tures of the facility, according to
A decorative volcano-shaped
Louie DeVillier, construction proj-
waterfall fountain with a 2,000-
demographics,
ect manager on the project for
gallon underground cistern flows
Market realized a large portion of
began. “This cost Whole Foods
Whole Foods Market Properties,
continuously and serves as a deco-
the population was young chil-
Market considerably more on
Inc. “A massive, 25-foot by 25-
rative focal point at the entrance to
dren. “This necessitated another
[architectural
foot, square-shaped vestibule was
the store. The water stored in the
‘first’ for catering to the area,
ing] fees, but the benefits were
designed to highlight a ‘market
cistern is equipped with a pump,
which was the inclusion of a 500-
outstanding,” said DeVillier. “We
hall’-type concept with floor-to-
which provides irrigation to the
square-foot indoor/outdoor super-
only
ceiling windows separating the
landscaped areas around the store
vised kids’ play area called Sweet
and fixture changes, but no
outside/inside transition and pro-
in lieu of using city water.
Peas,” said DeVillier.
physical
Whole
area’s
the floor plan before interior
Foods
construction
made
documents
and
minor
changes
engineer-
equipment were
ever
continued on page 10
Photo courtesy of George Craig Photography
gold medal award winner
texas edition
The General Contractor’s Perspective with Larry Davis, Executive Vice President, EMJ Corporation Q: What is the most innovative aspect of the project (or of the design/construction process)? What could other owners learn from for their future projects? LD: Innovated steps were taken in the design of the space in order to harvest natural resources and use them to minimize the impact of the building on the environment. Other owners could benefit from Whole Foods’ use of design to diminish environmental impact, as well as reducing operational cost through the use of natural lighting and rainwater harvesting.
Q: What were the greatest challenges encountered on this project and how, specifically, did you overcome them? LD: The greatest challenge that we faced was the aggressive schedule and low budget put forth by Whole Foods. All parties involved, including EMJ Corporation, Hermes Architects, CTA Architects and Whole Foods, all worked tirelessly together in order to meet the demanding schedule and keep within budget. This challenge was overcome by holding weekly meetings with the architects, engineers, contractors and Whole Foods in order to bring everyone onto the same page and minimize field issues, which could jeopardize the schedule and the budget.
Photo courtesy of Drymalla Construction Company, Ltd.
Q: How did you work with the architect and owner to save time and/or money on the project? How was value engineering applied to your responsibility? LD: Before we broke ground we held several meetings and reviewed our previous Whole Foods project, Whole Foods-Forest Lane store, and brainstormed on how we could reduce construction costs and how we could prevent previous problems ahead of time, resulting in schedule and cost savings. As a result of these meetings, value engineering items were captured and building design was altered prior to the start of construction.
5525 N. MacArthur Blvd., Ste. 400 Irving, TX 75038 972-580-1210 www.emjcorp.com
Photo courtesy of George Craig Photography
continued from page 7
made to the departments or the
dows were installed throughout
piping, additional electrical wiring
together tirelessly to stay on sched-
building structure.”
the tops of the exterior walls to
and panel boxes, and roof deck
ule. “This challenge was overcome
One way costs were reduced on
reflect natural light through the
work, which would have been
by holding weekly meetings with
the project was by not extending
back room prep and storage areas,
required otherwise.
the architects, engineers, contrac-
the sheetrock walls of the soffits
reducing the need for artificial
all the way up to the roof deck,
lighting and unnecessary energy
budget
the
to bring everyone onto the same
thus saving on extensive drywall
consumption.
six
greatest challenges faced by EMJ
page and minimize field issues,
and painting costs while allowing
portable, prewired remote refrig-
Corporation, the project’s gen-
which could jeopardize the sched-
an almost unobstructed view to
eration racks were installed atop
eral contractor, according to Larry
ule and the budget.”
the exterior perimeter walls of the
the walk-in coolers. This saved
Davis, executive vice president of
RONPARCO - Ronzani, Inc. per-
building. Instead, clerestory win-
considerable amounts of copper
EMJ. All parties involved worked
formed the project’s plaster work.
10
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Additionally,
An aggressive schedule and constraints
were
tors and Whole Foods in order
gold medal award winner
Photo courtesy of George Craig Photography
“We contributed to the project’s
to expedite materials and respond
48 days of rain-outs! The work
Despite the challenges, the proj-
success not only with the quality
to change requests and change
schedules had to be accelerated
ect was completed successfully in
of our work but also with our great
orders quickly ensured there were
in order to still meet the store-
a little less than a year.
track record in making the general
no delays to the schedule, accord-
opening
rain
Whole Foods Market’s mission
contractor’s schedules,” said Flavio
ing to Tri-Tech management.
and mud really slowed us down
is to be a leader in sustainable
Ronzani, COO of RONPARCO.
to
DeVillier,
The
the
(and our landlord’s portion of the
food as well as an example of
Tri-Tech Building Products, LLC,
weather also posed a challenge.
work) on the critical paths of the
good stewardship in the develop-
the project’s doors/frames/hard-
“We had to deal with one of
shell construction, which were the
ment of its structures, according
ware supplier, provided materials
the wettest winter and spring
pad and parking lot, underground
to Ervin. This project is a definite
quickly to also help meet the
seasons in recent Texas history,”
utilities, slab pours, and masonry/
demonstration of that mission. n
schedule. The company’s ability
he said. “We did not plan for
steel erection.”
gold medal award winner
According
window.
— Stacey Nathanson
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