Projects of the Year: High-end finishes highlight new Berkshire Hathaway offices
By Julie Conner
Jul 23, 2021, 6:00am EDT
When Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty decided to expand its footprint to new offices at 1617 N. Waterfront Parkway, Snodgrass and Sons Construction signed on to complete the $1.5 million project.
Located at the existing Hinkle Law Building at The Waterfront, the company finished shelled space on the first, sixth and seventh floors for offices, conference rooms, kitchens and reception areas for both Berkshire Hathaway and Security 1st Title Company.
The renovation consists of high-end modern finishes including level 5 drywall finishes, glass curtain-wall office fronts, granite counters, crown molding and high-end LED light fixtures.
According to Jake Boxberger, Snodgrass & Sons chief financial officer, a notable feature – and challenge – for the project was a 28-foot glass operable wall located on the sixth floor.
“We meticulously coordinated and planned the layout of this wall to miss the existing post-tensioned cabling in the floor slab,” Boxberger said.
At the southwest corner of the sixth floor is a “masters-of-the-industry” conference room overlooking The Waterfront and Wichita skyline with an illuminated rotunda ceiling cloud.
Estimator Cory Borel says the company faced many unique challenges with the project.
“Being cognizant that we were working in an occupied setting with tenants on the first and fifth floors was important,” Borel said.
Snodgrass also coordinated the crane lifts necessary for getting building materials that would not fit in the existing elevator to the sixth and seventh floors. The complexities of the building’s existing mechanical and electrical systems, and the time constraints to complete the project on time, were also challenges.
“The Covid-19 pandemic came full swing when we were about eight weeks from completion and this caused its own unique challenges with manpower,” Borel says. “Covid-19 created a unique challenge for everyone involved in this project to follow safety protocols and keep the labor force intact to complete the job.”
Other companies involved with the project included LK Architecture, CM3, Empire Drywall Systems, Fire Protection Services, Hartwood Painting, Loper CI Electrical, Precision Glass Inc. and Stuart & Associates.
“Our company is known throughout the community as a civil/government contractor,” Boxberger said. “This project highlighted that we are capable of performing in this sector of the construction industry.”
“The building is an architectural marvel and to say that we had our hands in the interior beauty of this project is an honor,” Borel says. “The interior finishes chosen for this tenant fit-out were high-end finishes that really speak to what the standard of Class A construction looks like.”
Conner, Julie. “Projects of the Year: High-end finishes highlight new Berkshire Hathaway offices.” www.bizjournals.com, 23 July 2021, https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2021/07/23/berkshire-hathaway-homeservices-penfed.html
