Schier Products, a manufacturer of grease interceptors for commercial kitchens, was searching for a new light manufacturing home in Shawnee, Kansas surrounded by ample natural area for a park-like setting. GBA partnered with Schier Products to assist in site selection, architecture, interior design and construction administration services. This led to a new 52,500-square-foot facility that would house both manufacturing and office functions on a heavily wooded, 30-acre property.

“Our team partnered with Schier Products early on in the process,” said Molly Oller, GBA Architect Project Leader. “They are proud of their products and wanted the same commitment to quality reflected in a new facility.”

The Process

When creating the design elements, GBA kept in mind that Schier Products needed a facility that could take the company into the future. To allow for growth, GBA created a series of large knockout panels in the expansion wall that are designed to open the existing building up to a future expansion. This will maintain the wall’s structural integrity while creating continuity between the expansion and the original structure.

It was also important to have a building that would be as durable as the goods produced inside. From its people to its product, Schier Products is built to last, and the new facility needed to reflect that. Schier Products was looking for a simple, honest, industrial aesthetic. The structure of the building would highlight this aesthetic with:

• Fully insulated tilt-up concrete wall panels with bright white paint for a modern, minimalist feel. The interior of the panels is left unfinished to showcase the construction lift points.
• Exposed raw concrete and steel roof framing in the office to create the spartan aesthetic the client wanted, similar to the warehouse and production spaces.
• Spaces left open to the structure and clerestory windows to bring in natural light to both the manufacturing and open-office spaces.
• Horizontal formliner reveals between the office windows to add texture and frame the large clerestory windows above.

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