Reflecting a Client's Needs Using the CM Approach
May 10, 2018
When Westland Construction was brought on as Construction Manager for FRG's new home in the South Landing Business Park, the goal was simple: Transparency. For both the design of custom glass company's building and in the construction relationship.
"It's part and parcel to the construction management process," explains Craig Hildebrandt, Westland's Vice President and Project Manager. "When a construction manager is brought on to work from step one all the way through to the building turnover, there is full clarity and trust between the owner, consultant as well as the contractor. It's all open book."
Also involved in the collaboration was Prime Consultant Republic Architecture, who was tasked with designing a space that suited FRG's business needs while also reflecting their signature style. The result is an 18,000-square-foot building that boasts a spacious showroom, office space and production facility that is twice the size of their former 380 Osborne Street location.
According to Brock Klassen, Architectural Intern for Republic Architecture, the entire building is a display of FRG's products and services. "Due to the client's area of expertise, it was our goal to use glass in as many ways as possible," says Klassen. "For example, the offices are all enclosed in glass in various ways, most spectacularly with 12-foot-tall glass panels that hang from the side of the mezzanine overlooking the showroom below."
The extent of the translucent material could have posed a challenge to construction, however, with Westland working in a construction management role, they were able to devote a high level of detail to FRG - now the subcontractor - to ensure the work was scheduled and accommodated correctly.
"It took detailed planning because glass has a longer lead time than most construction materials to order," explains Hildebrandt. "And it also took a lot of planning to ensure that all the openings throughout the building were coordinated in the right size to suit the glass that was ordered because it's not a product that can be manufactured on site to fit."
As of December 2017, FRG has been enjoying its new state-of-the-art headquarters just south of the city.
- This article was published in issue #10 of our BUILDING UP newsletter. Click here to see the full newsletter, along with other issues.
- Click here to see more photographs of this exciting project, or visit our full Projects Gallery to see some of our other projects.
