Point Berkeley
Office Building | Duluth, Georgia
THE HEROES
Architect: G Six Design, LLC – Atlanta, GA
Contractor: Ordner Construction Company, Inc – Duluth, GA
THE CALL
The owner of this office building wanted what most owners want: maximize interior flexibility and exterior attractiveness while minimizing cost and construction timeline.
PERFORMANCE
The total precast concrete building system eliminated interior perimeter columns, providing clear space for the interior finishes. The exterior architectural precast finish provides a handsome building with very low future maintenance costs. Erection of the precast shell in 60 working days allowed the contractor to marshal the other subcontractors for an early completion. And the costs of the total precast structure at $28 per sq. ft. came in under other building systems.
PROJECT DETAILS
- Total precast seven-story mid-rise office building
- Double tee floor and roof system
- Precast stairs and landings
- 175,475 sq. ft. of precast double tee floors, roof, and architecturally exposed walls
- Three precast colors for spandrels and columns
- Clear span, open floor plan offers interior flexibility
- Erected in 60 working days (shortening the construction schedule by 3 months!)
ARCHITECTURAL FINISHES
Three architectural precast finishes were developed using sandblasting techniques along with liquid pigments:
- A light limestone finish was used for the majority of the precast spandrels
- A middle tan color was used on the vertical column elements
- A brown color was used for the center spandrels over the entry
SUSTAINABILITY HIGHLIGHTS
The large amount of thermal mass of load-bearing precast wall panels and precast structural elements has three advantages over other building systems:
- Thermal mass damps down the peak energy requirements, thus reduces heating & cooling costs
- Thermal mass causes a lag of the peak energy requirements, moving the demand to off-peak utility rates
- Thermal mass reduces the interior temperature range, providing more comfortable space for occupants
