In keeping with the tradition of the organization’s previous building designs, an extensive palette of granite is featured throughout the exterior and interior design of the new headquarters for Retirement Systems of Alabama in Montgomery, AL

With business continuing to thrive, it was time for Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) to establish a new headquarters facility in Montgomery, AL. The organization, which is the administrator of pension funds for state, local and public education employees in the state of Alabama, had already constructed five well-designed state office buildings throughout the city that showcased a palette of natural stone. In keeping with tradition, the same variety of stone material was employed for the design of the new headquarters, but in a fresh way. In total, nearly 124,000 square feet of granite, marble and slate was utilized in the construction of the new RSA headquarters facility, which was designed by PH&J Architects of Montgomery.

“We did the original RSA headquarters building about 35 years ago,” said John Gandy of PH&J, lead architect for the project. “The new building is much larger. It’s about 300,000 square feet. We also have done four other major office buildings in Town for RSA. The first was the Plaza Building — that was the original start of all this. We only used granite and precast concrete for the curtain wall. It set the tone for all the rest.

“For the new headquarters, we really used the same stone over and over, but in different ways,” Gandy went on to say. “We repeated some detailing that I like with stone that had been used in the previous buildings. For example, I like to come to the base and kick it out a degree and a half. It puts a slope on it, and it reflects really nice. It’s a nice accent.”

The site wall and exterior cladding of the new building consists of Carnelian® granite from Cold Spring Granite Co. Of Cold Spring, MN. The same material was also used for plaza walls, benches and piers, as well as interior flooring. Cold Spring Granite Co. Supplied more than 70,000 square feet of granite in a mix of colors, finishes and patterns that was used extensively for both exterior and interior applications.

Gandy explained that he was drawn to granite for its timeless appeal as well as Other attractive qualities. “I like the shine of it, for one thing,” he said. “It’s permanent. The grain is good, and it’s not so busy. The original building is made of Lanhellin, a medium blue granite from France. We used some inside the new building.”

A STATELY ENTRANCE

The elaborate stone palette found throughout the new RSA headquarters was chosen to sustain the architectural integrity of the existing RSA structures. An impressive statement is made at the entrance to the new facility with large pilasters and steps fabricated from Mount Airy White® granite — supplied by the North Carolina Granite Corp. of Mount Airy, NC. In total, 15,000 square feet of Mount Airy White granite was utilized in the design of the new RSA headquarters, according to Dale Marion, the company’s General Manager, Cut Stone Division.

The pilasters are highlighted by the red and brown tones of Carnelian granite, which is featured on the exterior facade.

Further con tributing to the striking entryway is the deep-toned red and brown blend of Royal Sable and Rainbow® granite cladding — both supplied by Cold Spring Granite Co. In addition to the exterior entry cladding, Royal Sable was also used for site wall facings and caps, exterior paving and paving for the balcony on the eighth floor, while Rainbow granite was specified for courtyard paving and benches, interior facing and flooring, and the floors in the elevator cabs.

As evidence of PH&J’s innovative design style, unique stone patterns are found throughout the building’s exterior and interior design. For the site plaza paving, a “checkerboard” pattern was formed with Mount Airy White and Royal Sable granite bordered by Royal Sable as well as Georgia Grey and St. John’s Black granite — both supplied by North Carolina Granite Corp. “The checkerboard pattern is a really crisplooking design,” said Gandy. “Mount Airy White granite is a good hard stone.”

Moving inside, Rainbow granite makes a grand impression in the main lobby, as it creates a unique book-matched design. “Collaboration between the design team and Cold Spring Granite’s team was imperative to the construction of the book-matched design as well as the new headquarters facility as a whole,” according to Dan Rea, the Senior Vice President of the Commercial Division of Cold Spring Granite Co. “Throughout the design and selection process, Cold Spring Granite worked as a responsive partner with PH&J To ensure quality control. Early in the design phase, we provided timely technical knowledge, product background and samples to assist John Gandy in the selection process. As the project got underway, we supplied estimating, project management, shop drawings and fabrication services.”

Gandy explained that he took a trip to Cold Spring’s Granite Co.’s facilities — along with the installer and General Contractor — to view a mock-up of the book-matched floor design. “Cold Spring laid out the lobby for us to see,” said the architect. “It worked out really well. [Additionally], they furnished numerous samples — large samples — of different stones and finishes, which were great help in our confidence that we had made the right selections. Cold Spring Granite is very accurate, and they realize the importance of going the extra mile.”

The eighth floor lobby of the RSA Headquarters is also a symbol of an elegant space. “On the top floor, there is a big threestory lobby,” said Gandy. “The whole top is a skylight, and there is a chandelier that hangs down from the apex, which is 8 feet in diameter. The floor underneath is a big circle that has granite squares in it. It mimics the hours from a clock.” The large circular floor pattern is made of Sable granite accented by a border of Rainbow granite.

For another area of the interior design, 2,500 square feet of large-format Unfading Green slate tiles — quarried by Vermont Structural Slate Co. Of Fair Haven, VT, and supplied through North Carolina Granite Corp. — were accented by curvy stripes consisting of three types of marble.

“The stripes are like ocean waves,” explained Gandy. “All the walls are glass, and there are some palm trees. There’s an ‘outside’ feel to it.”

COMPLETING THE INSTALLATION

An experienced team was required to install the intricate stonework. As a result, the job went to Intrepid Stone Contractors of Harvey, LA. The company had a 76-member crew on site to get the project Done successfully. In total, more than 68,900 man-hours were expended over the 13-month period that it took to complete the installation, according to Intrepid Stone Contractors.

“A total of nearly 36,000 individual stone pieces were installed,” said Project Manager Kevin Becnel of Intrepid Stone Contractors. “This consisted of exterior walls, pavers, planter walls, copings and stairs as well as interior walls, floors and stairs.”

The exterior building granite at the East and West entrances were cast onto precast panels by Castone Corp. in Opelika, AL, according to Becnel. “Intrepid installed the granite site walls and retaining walls using stainless steel anchors and Mortar,” he said. “The sizes varied from 2 x 2 to 4 x 6 feet.”

For the exterior granite pavers, the installation team relied on two different methods. “Due to varying site elevations, it was necessary to install the pavers using different methods,” said Becnel. “At the East plaza, which is actually the roof of a parking garage, 2-inch-thick granite pavers were installed on top of a Bison Screwjack pedestal system, which allowed for roof drainage. This application was also required at the Level 8 balconies. More than 6,500 pieces were installed using this method.” Additionally, the other granite pavers were installed with a mixture of sand and cement.

When it came to the interior book- Matched floor design, the installation ran smoothly, according to Becnel. “The book-matched floor pieces were cut-tosize and dry set at Cold Spring Granite Co. In Minnesota for myself, John Gandy and General Contractor Brian Slaughter [of Jesco, Inc. in Montgomery, AL] for review and approval prior to shipping to the project,” he said. “They were piecemarked accordingly for installation. There were no problems.”

Careful thought also had to be given to the stone installation in the elevator lobbies, according to Becnel. “Due to the small pieces and repetitive colors used in the floor patterns, it was decided that the pieces be preassembled with fiberglass Backing into larger modules,” explained the Project Manager. “Each module consisted of 11 to 20 pieces, which reduced the number of pieces to be installed from 21,600 pieces to 1,280 modules.”

THE END RESULT

Production of the drawings for the new RSA headquarters took about nine months, and the entire project took several years to build, according to Gandy, who credits the dedication and expertise of his staff of 30 to the success of the project.

“I’d like to think that the RSA Headquarters will set a different tone to the capitol complex,” said the architect. “It’s different in a lot of ways, while maintaining the essence of the existing RSA buildings. It’s a little more modern, and yet, a little more archaic.”

Gandy explained that he made regular visits to the jobsite during the construction process to make sure everything was running smoothly. “I was on site a lot — sometimes twice a day,” he said. “Everything worked out like it was supposed to. It was a lot of fun to design, and RSA really liked it.”