Home > Articles By Issue > Space Planning & Interiors > Article Sept. 2002

For The People

By Jill Aronson-Korot

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., officially opened its world headquarters campus on November 15, 2000. Located in the southeast area of Memphis, TN, the complex provides 1.1 million square feet of office space set on 89 acres. The campus's eight buildings house about 3,300 employees.

Emphasizing, "people first," FedEx Express' business philosophy drove the ambitious program for the world headquarters campus. Consolidation of employees to a single location had to prove a significant long term cost savings and a demonstrated increase in efficiencies and productivity.

Carter Lehman, senior manager of facilities management and construction, says the purpose of the project was more practical than that. The primary goals were to consolidate leases and to locate key personnel and major components of the headquarters in an easily navigable distance. An additional benefit of the project is tighter security in an owned facility.

Community Development
Project management teams from FedEx and HBG toured the campuses of many high profile companies to determine what makes up a state of the art corporate campus, and then they toured and analyzed FedEx's own existing facilities. This included 45 leases in 75 buildings across the metropolitan area. What resulted was an understanding of current and future workspace needs.

From mail room clerk to executive, all employees were encouraged to give their input. During this investigative phase, planners discovered the need for flexibility, connectivity, and community. FedEx felt that it had to be a productive member of the surrounding community because most of the people who work there live there, too.

In response to those requests, the team came up with a solution that promotes interactions and vitality while meeting business objectives through key elements, including open floor plans, access to exterior views, and interior visual contact with other departments, opportunities for increased interaction and ease of connectivity throughout the campus.

In a further effort to foster community relations, thoroughfares onto and off of the campus were evaluated in terms of their intrusion on neighboring residences and roadways. Mike Williams, AIA, NCARB, senior project manager of corporate facilities design and construction, explains the other exterior issues that related to the facility. "We did two traffic studies during the planning of this facility. They both indicated that lights were warranted and the widening of one of the roads was necessary in order to facilitate egress and entrance to the campus. We met with accounting, county, and economic development folks with a pilot program on site. All of the improvements were ultimately done by the city and the state. A state program called TIIP (Tennessee Industrial Improvements Program) contributed $750,000 in improvements for this kind of project. Fed Ex supplemented the costs with an additional $129,000, but at the end of that project, we got a check back. It ended up costing us only about $100,000."

Overall Building Design
According to Alan New, AIA, project architect and associate at HBG, the flow of the building contributes to the breaking up of the space. Meeting rooms are located at either end of each building and can be seen from the corridors in both directions. While there are some meeting rooms inside the floor plans as well, the primary conference spaces serve as book ends to the corridors.

Lobbies and atria also flank the corridors of each of the eight office buildings, as do the glass enclosed stairwells. This contributes to the modulation of the office spaces and corridors with open access to sunlight.

"We designed a direct route on each floor that carries the people from building to building without touching the elements," says Graham Reese, IIDA, lead interior designer for the project and member of the HBG team.

"But there are all access views from those walkways of the water environments, the golf course, etc., so the people can be touched by the elements," adds New.

"We also only made the buildings three stories tall, because we found that is the extent of how many flights people are willing to walk up in one shot," says Dan Elias, AIA, principal in charge of this project and principal architect at HBG. Of course, there are elevators in each building (Otis Elevators with Forms+Surfaces packaged cab interiors), but the idea was to encourage employees to walk into the open spaces of the grand stairwells and experience the sunshine whenever possible.

Environmental Management
The infrastructure of the FedEx Express world headquarters addresses operational and maintenance needs. Rather than having eight separate central plants, the site is designed with one central physical plant that supports the underground distribution of chilled and hot water piping to most buildings. Centralizing the control of heating/cooling generation and distribution to one location minimizes the building area needed to house equipment.

The distance from the central plant to the most remote office building is 800'. Booster pumps were added to four of the buildings to ensure the proper delivery of conditioned water. Not only did the single central plant solution save FedEx valuable square footage, it also reduced operational, maintenance, and initial construction costs associated with the use of additional buildings.

"Designing a campus of this size, it was important for us to minimize the remote locations of the mechanical equipment and centralize these functions in one location," says New. "Operationally, it simplifies the maintenance of the systems, and aesthetically, it frees up roof space and keeps a clean sight line across the tops of the buildings."

The Fed Ex Express project posed a number of environmental issues for Douglas Mass, P.E.–president of New York, NY-based Cosentini Associates and mechanical engineer for the project–particularly with the under floor air conditioning concept.

According to Mass, the company wanted a cooling and ventilation system that was efficient and comfortable for the user, flexible to address employee issues, and environmentally superior to conventional overhead distribution systems, which are inherently more difficult to trouble shoot.

Additional challenges arose in regards to the 12' high angled or vertical glass at the perimeter of the buildings. Williams and HBG did not want any type of enclosure or air grille below the glass. Cosentini needed to find a way to heat 12' glass from above (instead of below). If under glass grilles were installed in these spaces, furniture placement would be limited. With the grilles above the glass, the executives get their requested unobstructed perimeters, providing them with the flexibility to place furniture flush to the window walls without obstructing air flow. The ceilings in the work areas were 10' high. This is actually beneficial to under floor cooling, because there is more opportunity for stratification of heat.

Because Memphis has both hot summers and cold winters, the environmental treatment of the facade was critical to the project's success. In responding to these issues, Mass built a full scale mock up of a perimeter office with the curtain wall in place, and various HVAC options were tested, using a heating/cooling chamber to simulate outdoor conditions. An overhead cooling/heating system at the perimeter was used, with a slot diffuser over each window.

During this testing process, the air slot design, air flow direction, air capacity, temperature, and location of the return grille were manipulated. Over a dozen tests were run to optimize the configuration in both winter and summer climates and to ensure a vertical air flow with minimum mixing of air in the space, which was provided with under floor supply.

The final layout achieved the owner's goal , which was to provide a comfortable work environment (no drafts and a stable temperature in the space). The mechanical system designed by Cosentini was implemented by Shappley Design Associates, a Memphis company.

A year after the project was completed, Mass returned to the Memphis campus–a standard Cosentini practice–to make operational recommendations to the original commissioning procedures During his visit, he discovered that the system was using 100% fresh outside air to regulate the indoor environment. This process required more energy to dehumidify and cool than what was necessary or practical. Consequently, Cosentini modified the set points, made some airflow changes, and undertook other minor adjustments to the typical floor air handling system. These adjustments allowed the facility to adhere to the original design values.

The equipment specified for the project also added to the efficiency of the building. Johnson Controls Metasys® building automation system operates the Trane CenTraVac chillers, Cleaver Brooks boilers, McQuay Vision air handlers, Wattstopper automated relay pack lighting controllers, and the Simplex fire alarm system. Support functions at the facility such as payroll and accounting have also been moved to a Web server environment, using the Metasys as the common interface for the FedEx intranet.

The Vision air handlers feature a dual path design that helps to reduce energy costs at the FedEx Express facility. The smaller incoming air path filters, cools, and extracts moisture from outside air, while the larger path filters and cools return air. Because the units are sized for different airflows, the smaller incoming air path conditions outside air more efficiently than a single path design. The air streams are combined and fed through a plenum fan to the facility's underfloor air distribution system.

People Friendly Outdoor Environments
One exterior concern regarded the walking/jogging path surrounding the campus and the multiple outdoor seating environments. The design of the outdoor lighting was accomplished for the people who would be using it.

Employees expressed a desire to have a scenic and safe exercise path that encompassed the buildings. The campus is adjacent to the southern boundary of the Tournament Players Club golf course, so it was important to preserve the visual landscape to some degree. The path is lined with ALLscape LL31 cast aluminum, vandal resistant, louvered bollards with 70 watt metal halide lamps. On the side of the campus facing a residential community, FedEx outfitted these bollards with internal house side shields to control light trespass. This was FedEx's way of being responsible neighbors without sacrificing the safety of the employees who wanted to walk at night.

According to Williams, another reason for the spcifying of this product was because of the slotted design that directs the light downward, so not to interfere with night driving.

The complex merges seamlessly with the surrounding area and takes advantage of outdoor views for building residents. Angled glass sides on buildings (the exterior walls are canted at 7û from vertical to minimize reflections and glare both inside and outside the facility) were designed to make both the employees and neighbors more comfortable.

The primary exterior surface of the buildings is glass curtain wall, outfitted with "lowE" glass (named for low emissions of light, heat, and/or radiation). HBG selected Viracon's lowE glass because its insulating properties can reduce the amount of reflectivity in the glass surface, therefore allowing more transparency for those looking out and in.

Supporting the glass structure are aluminum mullions and horizontal fins from EFCO. Limestone and metal panels alternate and contrast with the glass curtain walls throughout the exterior. These materials were chosen because they require minimal maintenance over the life of the buildings.

People-Friendly Indoor Environments
According to Reese, lead interior designer for the Fed Ex Express project, the primary goal in designing this people heavy environment was figuring out how to get employees together in a campus setting and have them still feel like they were integrated. Meanwhile, the interior space needed to capture and maintain a certain flow.

Reese believes whenever there is a large building, the human factor dictates that breaking up the workspace–both with windows and with places for spontaneous interaction–is vital to the success of the environment. To create an environment that encourages spontaneous interaction, Reese designed coffee bars and located them strategically in the major intersections between corridors. These structures are set up to be oversized transaction areas with ample counter space for breakfast or an impromptu meeting.

Reese integrated his design scheme with methods of accommodating and facilitating rapid and frequent turnover. Reese accomplished this goal by installing state of the art raised access flooring. Tate access floors are covered by Milliken carpet tiles and equipped with Nailor swirl diffusers that serve as private access registers for each user. These allow each person to control the air vents in his/her individual work space.

The 18" x 18" carpet tiles atop the access flooring facilitate the reconfiguration of office space. The tiles just need to be flipped up to accommodate voice, data, power, and air through the underfloor system. Running the HVAC under the floor also increased efficiency as air vents up from the floor (as opposed to down from the ceiling), cooling the equipment and carrying the heat up to the ceiling.

According to representatives of Milliken, the company supplied more that a million square feet of carpet to the eight buildings that comprise the campus. The carpet tiles were selected for two reasons: compatibility with the access floor and long-term availability of the pattern for replacement when necessary (Milliken guarantees availability of its patterns for 10 years).

Another innovative design technique Reese employed was the incorporation of lowered ceilings and recessed T5 lighting fixtures in corridors. "This way, when employees enter the work spaces, atria, or stairwells, there is a feeling of arrival. Everything opens up to them," explains Reese.

USG hard gypsum board ceiling tiles were employed to mirror the tile floors. The Eclipse tiles were selected for the corridors because of their high noise reduction coefficient (NRC) and acoustical properties–to reduce the transmission of chatter into the work spaces. Radar ClimaPlus tiles were selected in other areas for their anti-sag characteristics–critical during steamy Memphis summers.

In the work areas, there are large expanses of glass–just like in the lobbies and atria–to maintain the most natural light possible and increase comfort and productivity.

The private offices are on the interior of the building, relegating the coveted window offices to the workers housed in cubicles. "This was key to the success of the building," says Reese. The employees were the clients the team was designing for, after all.

Another people friendly element of the product selection and design of the spaces was the uncarpeted areas. The hard floors in the bulk of the buildings is Terrazzo flooring, a poured marble chip product with metal edgings. These floors are especially friendly to the maintenance staff, because they have no seams for dirt to accumulate. That makes them easier to clean and take care of.

"We at FedEx want things that can take care of themselves," explains Williams. "Things might not get cleaned up or fixed right away, so we need low-maintenance products–things that require less attention."

Williams continues, "We could've found cheaper flooring system providers than Milliken or Terrazzo, but maintenance didn't want to go that route. They insisted on things that would be easier to take care of, so they could address more important things."

The conference and training spaces also highlight the concept of employee comfort and enjoyment. The third floor of building G is home to the bulk of the training rooms, and the second floor houses the training staff. The furniture in these areas is all wired for voice/power/data capabilities, thus making them easily adaptable to this function.

New Communications Hub
The new FedEx corporate campus is equipped with cutting edge communication tools capable of transporting vital information to employees world wide. HBG integrated a state of the art, theater style auditorium and an internal TV station, FXTV–two vehicles that allow FedEx to communicate messages effectively to all of its employees.

With almost 500 seats, the FedEx auditorium is outfitted with the most comprehensive audio/visual capabilities currently available. All of the Concerto Enhanced gang seating in the theater was manufactured by KI, and rows two through seven are equipped with voice/power/data connections. This way, the area can also serve as a training room.

The room is designed as much for televised presentations as it is for live ones. There is TV-quality lighting for both the presenter as well as the audience. An array of cameras provides coverage of all areas of the room–stage and audience. Camera images can be projected live in the room as well as carried live or by tape via satellite all over FedEx's corporate world. Features include a 35' long projection screen, a "green room" for presenters, and a control booth that both supports the presenters in the auditorium and serves as a remote production studio for FXTV.

Another impressive feature of the campus is its accommodation of a fully equipped television production facility. Referred to as FXTV, this internal TV station contains two large recording studios and several additional supporting studios with loading docks. All of the studios feature full-grid lighting and walls that aid in audio/visual production.

Safety Features
The safety of the employees played an important role to the project team than is their comfort. To this end, intumescent paint (a fireproofing agent) is used in the HVAC duct work in addition to all exposed structures in the buildings and fire doors. This thin coating provides the same fireproofing protection as spray on fireproofing foam, but it is less intrusive and obvious, blending into the background design of the facility.

The facility's addressable Simplex® electronic fire detection and alarm system is networked over fiber optic cabling to protect the eight building campus, including a graphic command center that monitors all of the buildings. SimplexGrinnell also designed and installed a similar networked system at the Collierville campus, which is networked to the headquarters' system.

Project Challenges
FedEx Express needed to house all corporate functions–marketing, communications, FedEx TV, finance, legal, Express executives, aircraft acquisitions, public relations, corporate security, site security, ground operations, planning, procurement, and other miscellaneous but important departments–in a central location where they could interface when necessary with ease and timeliness.

For example, the facility recently experienced a churn rate of approximately 75 to 80 people. This occurred when these employees were moved from building D to building H for strategic planning reasons. This shift in corporate functions and responsibilities necessitated this centralization of core functions.

In terms of the process of building the facility, the contractors, project team, and architects/designers went through the bidding process as an unrelated project. The better deals were identified, and that information was given to the procurement department (strategic sourcing).

For this particular project, the requirement was that the general contractor had to solicit bids from those vendors whom FedEx Corp. recommended, but those vendors did not necessarily end up involved in the project. The project team, led by Williams, was given a good degree of flexibility in the selection process, and it paid off–literally. The project was budgeted at $175,900,000, and the entire campus was built for $175,300,000.

Outcomes
"This campus demonstrates the commitment of FedEx to its employees and the Memphis area while exemplifying, in its architecture, the dynamic spirit that makes FedEx Express a global leader," says Dave Bronczek, president and CEO, FedEx Express.

"Companies are increasingly striving to improve communications, build a satisfied work force, and streamline operations," Elias adds. "The FedEx World Headquarters achieves all of those and successfully positions Fed Ex Express for the next century."

Project Information:

• Project: FedEx Express World Headquarters.
• Type of Facility: new.
• Function of Facility: corporate headquarters.
• Owner/Manager: FedEx Express.
• Broker: Commercial Tennessee.
• FedEx Express Project Management Team: Graham Smith, vice president of properties; Carter Lehman, senior manager of construction; and Mike Williams, project manager.
• Location: Memphis, TN.
• Square Footage: 1,106,000 SF.
• Budget: $250,000,000.
• Timetable: from design to move in, three years.
• Cost Per Square Foot: Construction $158 per square foot.
• Architect: Hnedak Bobo Group (HBG) of Memphis, TN.
• HBG Project Team: Kirk Bobo, executive oversight; Dan Elias, project director and principal in charge; Rob Lee, project manager; Alan New, project architect; and, Graham Reese, project interior designer.
• Electrical Engineer: Liles Engineering of Memphis, TN.
• Mechanical Engineer: Cosentini Associates of New York, NY; Shappley Design Associates of Memphis, TN.
• Structural Engineer: Uzun and Case Engineers of Atlanta, GA.
• Civil Consultant: Reaves Sweeney Marcom, Inc. of Memphis, TN.
• General Contractor/Construction Manager: Holder Construction Company of Memphis, TN.
• Lighting Designer: Oxford Lighting Consultants of Oxford, MS.
• Landscape Architect: SWA Group of Houston, TX.
• Security System Engineer: Mark Ellis (of FedEx Express).
• Security System Installer: Access Control Integration (ACI) of Memphis, TN.
• Roofing Contractor: M.A.C. Co., Inc. of Memphis, TN. Elevator Contractor: Schindler Elevator.

Product Information:

• Furniture: Steelcase, Brayton seating; KI Concerto Enhanced seating in auditorium.
• Wallcoverings: Designtex. Flooring Systems: Terrazzo, Tate Access Flooring.
• Ceramic Tile: Floor Gres, American Olean, Metropolitan Industries, Mannington.
• Carpet: Milliken. Ceilings: tiles and suspension systems from USG.
• Fabrics/Textiles/Upholstery: Steelcase. Light Fixtures: Lightolier, Corelight.
• Outdoor Lighting: ALLscape.
• Outdoor Furnishings: Keystone Ridge.
• Surfacing: Formica.
• Acoustical Wallcoverings: Gilford, Singer Wallcovering, Designtex Hardware, Knoll Textiles.
• Additional Wallcoverings: Marlite. Window Treatments: Levolor, MecoShade.
• Rest Room Fixtures: Kohler.
• Rest Room Equipment/Supplies: Bobrick, Georgia Pacific, Zern.
• Drinking Fountains: Haws. Storage Equipment: Steelcase.
• Security System: Radionics 9000 Series Communicators.
• CCTV: Pelco PTZ/Fixed Cameras, Switchers and Multiplexers.Silent Witness V25 Armor Dome cameras, Sony Monitors, Gyyr DVRs. Oasis GUI, Winstead Consoles, Fiber Options
• Transmitters/Receivers: Altronix Power Supplies. Stentophone Intercom System. Casi-Rusco Picture Perfect w/Micro 5 network controllers, and Amtech readers on gates.
• Door Locks: Locknetics, Von Dupren, Best.
• Crash Rails: Korogard from Koroseal. Safety Equipment: SimplexGrinnell Fire System, Adams Rite
• Fire Doors. Sensors: Johnson Controls Metasys.
• HVAC Equipment: Nailor access registers, Trane CenTraVac chillers, Cleaver Brooks boilers, McQuay Vision™ air handling units, Owens Corning Duct Wrap.
• Building Management System/Services: Johnson Controls Metasys.
• Power Supply Equipment: Catapillar Generators, Control Systems, Inc. universal power supply units, GE Spectra Series switchboards, GE 8000 Line Motor controls.
• Roofing System: Johns Manville SBS Modified Bitumen.
• Conference Room Equipment: SMART Technologies smart boards, Polycom projectors, Da-Lite screens.
• Lighting Controls: Automatic Relay Packs (ARP) from The Wattstopper.
• Ballasts: Corelite. Lamps: OSRAM Sylvania.
• Wayfinding: MidSouth Graphics of Memphis, TN, White Graphics of Collierville, TN.
• Wiring: Regency Electric (subcontractor).
• Windows/Curtain Walls/Skylights: EFCO Curtain Wall. Glazing: Viracon.
• Elevators: Otis Elevators with cab interiors packaged by Forms+Surfaces.

For more information about this project, visit the Web at www.fedex.com. To learn more about Hnedak Bobo Group, visit www.hbginc.com.