Boeing Incorporated
PDF Download: Boeing Company
Location: Oklahoma City, OK
Project: Bomanite Company – Vehicle Access
System Installed: Fully Concealed Grasscrete Systems
The new structure, the third for Boeing in Oklahoma City, located near Tinker Air Force Base, houses employees working in engineering, research and development laboratories, as well as some support staff. The 300,000 sq. ft building is also home for legacy aircrafts including AWACS.
Guernsey, the architect employed for building such a feat, earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ 50th annual Engineering Excellence Awards for the Boeing Co. office and laboratory complex.
More than a dozen Guernsey teams worked on the Boeing project: architectural design, interior design, landscape architecture, master planning, sustainable design, civil engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, fire protection engineering, mechanical engineering, cost estimating, environmental studies and investigations, and permitting and regulatory compliance.
Designing a hardened high-tech facility in the bull’s-eye of Tornado Alley presented further challenges. Boeing wanted the building to be able to withstand an EF4 tornado — wind speeds up to 200 mph. That meant limiting the number of exterior doors and windows, especially on the ground floor, designing with precast concrete wall panels for the exterior, and a composite concrete-filled metal deck supported by structural steel framing at the roof level.
The biggest test was meeting Boeing’s timing and hard deadlines. Design was completed in 20 weeks. Sustainable Paving Systems Grasscrete Contractor, Bomanite of Oklahoma worked with the deadlines in installing the desired Grasscrete pervious pavement. Grasscrete was installed for its ability to withstand heavy loads for vehicle access. Placed at the driveway of the bay doors, a fully concealed grassed system was chosen for its cohesiveness with the exterior landscape of clean lines, mimicking the buildings straight line design and strength in exterior concrete structure.
