Looking to both reduce its environmental impact and create a stylish and comfortable workplace, Thompson & Knight selected our firm to provide construction management services for its new 180,000sf space in Dallas. The five and a half floors provide: executive and general offices, secretarial workstations, a conference center with 16 rooms ranging in size from four person touchdown spaces to a 150-person multi-purpose room with a catering kitchen and prep area, "mother's rooms" with lactation equipment and other amenities for working moms, four high-density filing rooms, and a vendeteria for the company's employees. Seeking LEED Silver status, the procurement of materials and finishes, environmental control of the site and materials storage and documentation were paramount.
LEEDing By Example
To support the firm’s environmental commitment and enhance its brand image, the office was built to LEED Silver criteria. This required a highly skilled subcontracting team that was carefully prequalified and selected based on its capabilities during the preconstruction phase, understanding that the subcontractors would need to pay careful attention to quality and detail. Pursing LEED certification requires early coordination and planning with the trades to ensure delivery of the materials and finishes while honoring the environment at the site and the proper project documentation. Our staff worked closely with all subcontractors to ensure that material selection, installation and documentation met LEED criteria and our project standards.
Thompson & Knight recognize that a healthy, productive workplace can reduce operating costs and environmental impact, therefore the following LEED features were incorporated into the project:
- daylighting and energy efficient lighting options, including glass fronts, low wattage lamps and occupancy sensors, helped the firm reduce energy costs
- low volatile organic compound (VOC) materials, including sealants, paints, carpets, adhesives, and furniture, significantly reduced the amount of harmful chemical compounds vaporizing and entering the atmosphere
- an indoor air quality (IAQ) management plan was implemented requiring all duct-work to arrive completely wrapped until installation to prevent dust and dirt from getting inside
- 52% of the demolition and construction waste was sorted and recycled avoiding being sent to the landfill
Preconstruction=Savings
Our staff worked closely with the design team and during the value engineering stage, and brought the client alternate product selection options that were money-savers, without compromising the integrity of the design or LEED criteria. With our extensive global purchasing power, we were able to procure these different fixtures and furniture and save the client $1.4 million. Also during preconstruction, in order to truly depict these changes so that Thompson & Knight would be comfortable, our staff constructed two model offices to assist the client in finalizing the selection of finishes and furniture before the full construction phase began.
| Best Interior Renovation/Tenant Improvement Best of Awards Texas Construction Magazine |
