Commercial Construction Showcase: Office Buildings

The new The Around The Clock Freightliner Group, LLC complex features two buildings - the 183,088 SF Building A provides a new home to the retail, service area, parts sales and warehousing, technician training facilities and administrative and executive offices. Building B houses the new and used truck sales department.

The ATC Freightliner complex features a blend of pre-engineered metal and traditional tilt-up construction. The structure and roof are pre-engineered steel systems, and the buildings' two-story walls were created with tilt-up construction.

Key features of the pre-engineered portions of the complex include:

* Both buildings are undocking facilities (continuous beam frames with interior support columns, roof sheeting, roof and wall liner, soffit panels, 26-gage, panel rib panels with Kynar finish and 20 year finish warranty).
* A portion of Building A has a 26-gage Panel Rib Roof and both buildings have a 26-gage Panel Rib Roof Liner spanning the entire roof area.
* The Service wing for Building A includes 20' and 25' projected cantilevered eave canopies with suspended soffit panels that conceal the canopy framing. The 24-gage Flat Profile (FP-12) suspended soffit panels and canopies are totally cantilevered and not supported by columns anywhere, so the large Over The Road (OTR) trucks can park underneath, without interference.
* The Warehouse and Service areas in Building A include three supervisor offices sheeted with 26-gage Kynar finish panel rib walls panels.
* A 26-gage panel rib liner fills the gap between the top of the tilt-up panels and the roof in the service area.
* Building A features interior 26-gage panel rib steel partitions with Kynar finish in the Service wings and Parts warehouse.
* VP provided the large exterior lean-to storage facility attached to Building A for the storage of large truck parts.
* A free-standing guard facility with a 26-gage Panel Rib Roof and electronically controlled gating protects the service area for Building A.

The tilt-up panel walls include numerous punched openings and store front entries. Each building features large entry tours, finished with a stone veneer, Alucabond cornices and eyebrow canopies. Fabric awnings cover all office windows and the buildings are surrounded in accent lighting. The pre-engineered portion of the building, housing the service area, includes main frame structure and roof framing, as well as structural support for the tilt concrete panels.

The ATC Freightliner campus includes a complex electrical system; the primary power is brought directly into Building A, which is located in a separate, secured mezzanine. Electricity is then distributed from there to the rest of Building A and to Building B. In addition, a portion of Building A has a separate generator backup.

The complex is secured through a comprehensive system of keypad entries, gates, surveillance cameras and other site access controls that were incorporated throughout the complex. The facilities also feature extensive voice / data package for phone and computer systems.

Exterior photo of the two-tier stacked block retaining wall with landscape accent beds, from general contractor Bob Moore ConstructionThe original property for the ATC Freightliner campus fell over 50 feet from front to back. This required an engineered stack block retaining wall as tall as 25.5 feet spanning most of the length of the property. The parking areas for the two buildings are separated by two-tier stacked block retaining walls with landscape accent beds. Another 9.5 foot retaining wall runs along the west and north edges of the property.

The 2nd floor walls for Building B were set on top of the cast in place stem walls which make up the basement. The stairs, walls, ramps all cast in place with elevated form work to achieve a balcony look and serve as an awning for first floor. Building B also features an access ramp and staging area for the golf carts employees use to chauffeur customers to the new and used truck parking area.

On the interior, Service area includes sloped floors with 55 work bays in two wings. The Service area features air/water/oil distribution systems and an 8 foot deep cast-in-place lube pit to service OTR trucks and RVs. It is finished with liner panels and is fully heated and air conditioned. Two connected service bays and a training area provide space for sales presentations or training with direct access to OTR trucks.

Adjacent to the Service area are the Parts Sales and extensive warehousing spaces, with a large storage mezzanine.

Between the Customer Service area and Parts showroom are located a large communal shower / locker and lounge areas for drivers. Also in this area is a large television lounge for drivers with theater-styled, fold-out seating. At the end of the first floor is a large retail store, selling an extensive variety of OEM truck parts and accessories for truck drivers.

Interior photo of ATC Freightliner executive office, from general contractor Bob Moore ConstructionAn elevator leads to the second floor where the executive and administrative offices are located. The executive common areas feature wood-covered floors and the textured walls with luxurious wainscoting and chair rails and crown molding in wood over a fine brown glaze. This décor carries in to the executive offices, which feature the wood floors, wainscot and crown molding over glaze; the glaze patina carries up to the tray ceiling with recessed lighting and faux beams.

The executive conference room is carpeted and the walls are covered with a combination of wood wainscoting / textured glaze, wood crown molding and floor-to-ceiling beveled wood panels. The executive reception area is similarly finished with a large beveled wood built-in counter and marble counter top.

The dealership administrative area features open space to support modular furniture, carpeting, built-in office cabinetry and a variety of break facilities. A conference / training room with large stone tile flooring supports up to 40 students in a classroom setup, with a small kitchen attached.