The Haynes and Boone law firm interior build-out was a landmark project for us. We built the largest law firm in Dallas using high-end materials sourced from around the world–and we built it to LEED Gold specifications. This 180,000sf project spanned six floors and was completed on a very aggressive schedule.
The six-floor office space is divided into four-and-a-half floors of “practice space” and one-and-a-half floors of cafeteria and back-of-house services. The practice space includes offices along the perimeter of the building with paralegal offices and workrooms occupying the central areas. Each floor has flat-panel monitors scattered throughout the space. We also made accommodations for teleconferencing and A/V equipment on each floor.
We built the administrative areas for assistants in a “cluster” arrangement. We installed stretched fabric systems for the ceiling over each cluster which, when used as a ceiling, is an acoustical treatment in addition providing aesthetic value. In this application, it provides additional sound masking for greater privacy.
We also built two food service areas. One of these areas services employees who enjoy catering services on a daily basis. The other is adjacent to the main conference room and is typically used for entertaining clients.
Coordination Was LEEDing-the Way
The first office building in Dallas to incorporate underfloor air conditioning in the base building made this project unique and challenging. This allows law firm employees to control the climate in their immediate spaces without affecting their neighbor’s climate. All electrical services are also provided in the space under the raised access floor.
In addition to the aggressive schedule, we had to deal with the challenge of building an interior space while the base building was still under construction. This affected climate control, vertical transportation and our access to stocking materials. We were also forced to work around incomplete areas of the building. This meant that we had to work closely with the base building contractor to coordinate the construction.
This project is currently seeking LEED Gold certification. During construction, we were able to avoid sending over 50% of waste to a landfill. We also developed and maintained an indoor air quality management plan to acquire LEED points.
Beautiful Spaces
One of the more interesting features of this project is the variety of materials used – and the distant locations from which they were sourced. In order to keep the project on its fast-track schedule while incorporating items from around the world, our staff worked closely with the design team during the preconstruction phase to pre-purchase long lead items. The design team was tasked with creating a contemporary space that would bring a positive and modern change of image for the law firm. This modern look was accomplished through the installation of limestone from Germany, black marble and patterned glass from Italy, koa wood from Hawaii and teak wood from Asia. In addition, the two-story reception area features a backlit onyx wall from Italy. All items were onsite for scheduled installation, keeping the project right on track.
