Headquarters of the United Community
Greenville, SC
BEST PROJECT
Sent by: Harper General Contractors
Owner: The Furman Co.
Main design company: McMillan Pazdan Smith
General contractor: Harper General Contractors
Civil and structural engineer: Britt Peters & Associates
MEP Engineer: RMF Engineering
Landscape architect: Designed and developed by Sexton
To build the 117,000-square-meter United Community headquarters, crews partially excavated a rock outcrop so the structure could be etched into the ground. The cast-in-place concrete structure houses four floors of Class A executive office space with a flagship branch extending from the footprint of the main structure.
The skin consists of curtain wall, storefront, aluminum composite material, terracotta panels, corrugated panels and a vegetation screen. The office tower also features rooftop terraces that include paver patios with landscaped planters. The interior is highlighted by a grand monumental staircase built with mahogany steps and glass railings that connects the fourth to the sixth floor.
Photo by Brian Knox Photography
From the start of the project, challenges arose that Harper General Contractors had to mitigate. There were unforeseen and inadequate site conditions that forced the team to change the structural foundations during construction. The design team, the structural engineer, and Harper decided to incorporate rigid inclusions and micropiles, and adjusted the foundation design with shotcrete and soil nailing. The overall schedule was affected by four weeks, but the team was eventually able to bring the project back on schedule.
The team faced delays in the arrival of material and equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The HVAC units arrived three months late, which affected work on the millwork, flooring and ceilings. The transformer was delayed by six months. Harper hosted weekly calls and reworked site logistics to mitigate project impacts. During construction, Portugal’s terracotta manufacturer closed its doors. Harper worked with his business partners and design team to identify a new manufacturer. Despite all these challenges, the project was delivered on budget and on schedule.
“[Harper’s] the execution of the construction process, the attention to detail and the high-touch communication process gave us the confidence we needed during an uncertain time,” recalls Robert Poppleton, vice president of The Furman Co., the project developer .
