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2010 Project of the Year

Johnson Controls Corporate Inc. Corporate Headquarters Campus

   Johnson Control Inc.’s newly transformed corporate headquarters in Glendale, has become a showcase for energy efficiency and environmentally friendly construction that is attracting worldwide attention. The $73 million, two-year project, one of the Milwaukee areas largest in 2009, combined new construction with the renovation of existing buildings. Completed in June 2009, the project involved construction of 150,000 square feet of new building space, renovation of an additional 140,000 square feet of 1960’s-vintage building space and construction of a 160,000-square-foot parking structure on the campus 5757 N Green Bay Ave.

   “This project involved every square inch of our 33-acre site,” said Debrah Vander Heiden, manager of architecture and design at Johnson Controls who served as on-site project manager. Aspects of the project include: the largest solar field in the state; a separate rooftop-mounted photovoltaic system; a major geothermal field, consisting of 272 vertical wells to heat or cool buildings on the property; green roofs to absorb rain and provide insulation; a 32,000 gallon underground cistern used to collect rainwater that is used to flush toilets on the campus; and a parking lot cover in porous pavers that allows rainwater to be absorbed.Also, the four-level parking garage features plug-in ports for electric vehicles.

   Johnson Controls is seeking the U.S. Green Building Council’s highest standard for excellence – a Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating, Vander Heiden said. Johnson Controls is a manufacturer of automotive interior systems and batteries and a provider of facility management systems, controls and services. About 1,200 employees work at the Glendale corporate campus. “The project is part of our mission to create a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world,” Vander Heiden said. “It’s a demonstration for our business. It’s a living lab.” Since the completion of the project, more than 3,000 visitors have toured the site, transforming the property into a “global destination,” she said. The site which also features a restored prairie and a navigable waterway, has become an increasingly popular attraction for wildlife, including blue heron, muskrats, coyotes, wild turkeys, duck and geese.

   Sustainability in construction was still an emerging field when the project was in its conceptual stage, said John Hunzinger, president of Brookfield-based Huunzinger Construction Co., which served as general contractor for the project. “This project was a quantum leap on every level of sustainability,” Hunzinger said. “This is truly a world-class project, a stunning state-of-the-art corporate facility. For many of us, this was a career project.”

Supplier Diversity Goals

   In addition to the physical aspects, the project attained other ideals, including exceeding 20 percent participation by women- and minority-owned suppliers, reflecting the company’s highly successful supplier diversity program. Although the project met its diversity goal, finding local suppliers that were certified minority-owned businesses was a challenge, Vander Heiden said. Renovating existing, occupied buildings presented another challenge, she said. “I’m a proponent of saving buildings,” Vander Heiden said. Weather conditions, such as heavy snow and rain, also created issues for construction crews. “It was the one thing we couldn’t control,” Vander Heiden said. “We had 100 inches of snow and 100-year rains.” Nonetheless, the crews completed the project on time and within the budget, she said. The project began before the economic recession took hold. Had it begun a few months later, it would have been much more difficult to complete, given the size and scope of the project and the financial commitment, she said.

   “We kicked it off at the right time,’ she said. “We ordered a lot of materials early. If it had been eight months later, it would have been a different story.” The Johnson Controls site will serve as a “prototype of what standard design will be in years to come,” Glendale city administrator Richard Maslowski said. “The project is an example of Johnson Controls capabilities,” he said. “It’s a clear demonstration of the companies commitment to the environment.” The large-scale project and major financial commitment by Johnson Controls ensues that the company will keep its headquarters in Glendale, a major comfort to city officials, Maslowski said. “This impacts the whole area,” Maslowski said. “It’s a ray of hope for the community.”

-Rich Rovito

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