Construction Update: Richardson Sports
Construction is in full swing for the expansion of the Richardson Sports corporate headquarters in Springfield. A nearly 10,000-sf addition will create a new street frontage that updates the growing company’s presence on International Way. The new addition includes open office space, individual offices, two conference rooms, and communal gathering spaces for sales and administrative staff. The addition will also add a second story to the existing one-story structure and provide occupants with views of the surrounding landscape and hills to the east.
McKenzie Commercial was brought on as CM/GC for this project, and they have been great collaborators and an invaluable resource to the RBA team through design and into construction. McKenzie Commercial is currently finishing the installation of the exterior sheathing and waterproofing details. USG Securock sheathing (bright green) was selected for its moisture- and mold-resistance and ultra-lightweight properties, which support material longevity and more efficiency in transport and labor during installation. On the facade facing the street, structural steel protrusions will support a horizontal sunshade to protect the ground-floor office space from direct sunlight during the warmer months of the year.
Inside, the steel structure for the stair allows access to the second floor during construction before wood treads are installed, later on. Above, a swath of sky reveals where skylights will span the open office—the skylights will provide ample natural light in the center of the open office and balance the daylight that comes from floor-to-ceiling windows along the south wall. Eventually, the temporary wall seen to the right of the stair will be removed to connect the existing and new open offices (the existing office is fully occupied and in use during construction).
The addition is structurally independent of the existing building and will include a seismic expansion joint along the “seam” between the two structures. Other details unique to this type of building addition include the new structure (gray columns) mirroring the existing structure (red steel), the existing building’s clerestory windows (painted black) to be left in place as new walls are constructed, and the existing building’s roof parapet (yellow insulation) that has been extended to meet the addition’s new bordering wall and parapet (green). The new interior wall and floor finishes will generally match those in the existing office for a sense of continuity between the two spaces, while new office furniture, soft seating, and collaborative workspaces will update and enhance the overall interior work environment.