project focus
Facing an already aggressive
schedule, Skender Construction
brought expertise, collaboration
and commitment to deliver Whole
Foods Market ® an inviting and
sustainable Midwest Regional
Office – under budget and three
weeks early.
While Whole Foods Market has proven experience in developing
retail facilities and suburban greenfield sites, this 36,000 square
foot tenant fit-out needed to be executed within three months
and within an occupied urban high rise – without compromising
the mission-driven company’s well-defined aesthetic and brand.
Whole Foods Market entrusted Gensler as architect and Skender
Construction to bring their expertise in the office market to the job.
Michael Sweatt, Whole Foods Market’s executive construction
coordinator noted, “With our new Regional Office, we made
significant improvements in every category, from spatial and
functional relationships, and ample daylight, to special areas such
as our community kitchen that supports team members. We have
an inviting, team member-friendly office on par with our stores –
a workplace that says a lot about our products. Everyone worked
together to deliver the project ahead of schedule, with a quality
look and feel.”
Skender project manager Tim Rogers concurred that collaboration
set the framework for success. “A project as quickly and intensely
executed as this depends upon great teamwork. Whole Foods Market
is a knowledgeable client. Gensler went above and beyond to make
decisions and work with us to expedite accordingly. We put our
expertise and experience on the line, and committed to meeting
the schedule.”
Freshness and quality are essential
to the food industry. Mix in customer satisfaction,
team member support and caring for the environment
and community, and the result is a recipe for explosive growth.
Austin-based Whole Foods Market is the world’s leader in natural
and organic foods, and one of Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to
Work for in America.”
When Whole Foods Market’s Midwest Regional Office moved to a new
leased space at 640 North LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago, these
same ingredients – the company’s core values – became the touchstones for the design and construction team. The regional office had
grown considerably over the past twenty years, surpassing capacity
of existing space. The LaSalle location met criteria of proximity to
an existing store, a central Chicago area address, and access to mass
transit. It also offered opportunities to align the workplace with retail
facilities, achieve a higher level of sustainability and flexibility for
future expansion, house team members on the same floor, and create
areas for large group meetings.
10 | ELEVATION
The design for Whole Foods Market’s Midwest Regional Office
connects approximately 100 office-based employees – buyers,
financial, team member services, IT, marketing, construction
and real estate, leadership and support – with stores and brand.
With experience on Whole Foods Market’s Chicago Lincoln Park
store, Gensler became embedded in the culture, and worked
closely with Whole Foods Market’s in-house design, branding,
and construction specialists to share resources and bring the
company’s story into a highly collaborative workplace through
product accessibility, story-telling points, and truth in sustainability
and materiality.
Gensler senior associate Kate Clemens Davis said, “The LaSalle
space lacked the loft style we originally intended. Instead, we took
advantage of location and windows to connect employees to the
fabric of the city, and create an aesthetic in keeping with the stores.
Through careful sustainable selections, we expressed the unique
duality of the Midwest – rural and urban – to raise Whole Foods
Market’s branding of farm-to-table up a notch.”
In discussions with Gensler, Whole Foods Market made the decision
to select the general contractor early on and involve them in the
design process. Skender was invited to respond to general conditions
and interview, and was selected based on reputation, experience, and
knowledge of construction type. Michael Sweatt recalled, “Skender
Whole Foods Market Headquarters
©2012 Eric Laignel
ELEVATION | 11
“With our new
Regional Office, we made
significant improvements
in every category, from
spatial and functional
relationships, and ample
daylight, to special areas
such as our community
kitchen that supports
team members.”—
12 | ELEVATION
Michael Sweatt, Whole Foods Market
project focus
stood out with the positive confidence of hands-on experience and
knowing what they could do for us.”
With open communication as the foundation on which to build,
Skender worked closely with Whole Foods Market and Gensler to
uphold integrity of design, including special areas such as kitchens,
communal space and sustainable components. Careful estimating and
value engineering helped bring the project in under budget. Recycling
and repurposing surplus furniture put sustainable values to work and
kept costs down. Best green practices included reutilizing equipment
where possible, such as the air conditioning unit, and coordinating
with millworkers to secure locally sourced materials. Whole Foods
Market brought a number of suppliers and subcontractors familiar
with its retail facilities to the job, integrated through strong team
relationships and cooperation.
Greg Huette, associate at Gensler, cited examples of attention to
detail, such as the design-build wood ceiling in the lobby, and exposed
ceiling over the community table. “When we needed ideas, Skender
offered suggestions that did not add extra expense. They understood
what is best for the project, and were attentive to details that were
important to the finished product.” Without typical ceilings in which
to hide infrastructure, installations relied on neat organization,
placement at right angles, and deliberate spacing of conduit runs
to attain the desired aesthetic as well as functional results.
Another element requiring extra care was polished concrete flooring.
Tom Hall, senior superintendent for Skender, pointed out, “We did
what it takes on the front end to protect surfaces during construction.
We used sheets of hardboard and foam to safeguard the finish and
not have to touch up the floor later on.”
When construction scheduling was compressed by a month to meet
the client’s adjusted targets, the team was quick to make every day
count. For example, lead time associated with getting materials
on the job site for installation could have been a major obstacle.
Procurement is generally a 1-2 week, back-and-forth process among
architect, contractor, and suppliers involving a sequence of shop
drawings, submittals, internal reviews, and approvals before release
and shipment. Ramiro Trevino, Skender’s project engineer, recounted
the effective response to compress procurement. “We did not have the
luxury of time. We all came together at the table to review, approve,
and expedite submittals on the same day for each trade, from lighting
to mechanical equipment.”
Andy MacGregor, Skender project executive, underscores that quality
was never sacrificed for speed. “We invested in understanding project
scope at the front end to make things were successful and smooth
on the back end.” With Skender overseeing daily review of progress
and Gensler on the job site weekly, items were handled in the
field as an integrated team. Construction activities were carefully
coordinated with the building landlord and staged during evenings
to avoid disruption to other tenants. And because construction
finished three weeks ahead of time, the punch list was turned in
100% complete – another factor contributing to quality control.
Whole Foods Market’s construction services group built enthusiasm
for the project among employees by sharing Skender’s construction
status reports as an internal communication tool. These weekly
updates aligned progress photography and descriptions with way
points marked on floor plans. For Michael Sweatt, weekly face-toface meetings and the photographic updates were “very helpful in
keeping us advised of the progress, evaluating the next tasks ahead,
and who needed to be involved.”
Since opening, Whole Foods Market’s story is being told within the
new office, and already word is getting out. The Regional Office is
hosting other regions as they tour stores in the Midwest, and setting
the new workplace example, company-wide. Expansion within the
remaining 9,000 square feet of the floor plate is next to be served.
For now, the main course has been fulfilled. ±
clientWhole foods market//architect
Gensler//EngineerMcGuire Engineers,
Inc.//
Lead time was also critical to Whole Foods Market’s IT group and
getting their network up and operational. Skender worked closely
with McGuire Engineers, Inc. to seamlessly interface HVAC, power,
and security requirements, and complete the Intermediate Data
Facility space well ahead of the substantial completion date.
ELEVATION | 13