New Building in Dow’s Corporate Headquarters Replacing the Willard H. Dow Center 2020 Building
July 17th, 2015
Overview
Dow is focused on driving a strategy that will deliver sustainable, long-term earnings growth through investment in a market-driven portfolio of advantaged and technology-enabled businesses. Delivering this strategy requires a commitment to staying on the forefront of innovation by enabling growth and productivity in the workplace. Aligned to this commitment – and the Company’s long-term commitment to Midland and the Great Lakes Bay Region –Dow will construct a new building in its global headquarters campus in Midland, Michigan, to replace the current 2020 Willard H. Dow Center (WHDC 2020) which is being demolished.
This development is part of a broad, ongoing Company initiative to drive increased collaboration, growth, and innovation-aligned business practices. The open-plan design of the building and technology upgrades reflect Dow’s focus on engagement and streamlined communication to propel the Company’s culture forward. The building’s sustainable and adaptable design is further expected to advance employee productivity that will benefit customers and the markets Dow serves.
The new building will include a visitor reception area, customer conference rooms, and a cafeteria with an outdoor patio space overlooking a pond feature and natural area. Construction will begin in third quarter 2015 and the building is expected to be occupied and operational by the end of 2017.
Construction Advantages
Over the last decade, Dow has made several major upgrades to aging facilities in Midland, and constructed new buildings including the Business Service Center and Michigan Division Headquarters.
Demolishing the obsolete WHDC 2020 Building and constructing a new facility has multiple advantages, offering greater efficiencies in energy, land and water use, and will improve operational costs over the long-term including:
- 20% lower construction costs compared to revitalizing the WHDC 2020 building
- 63% reduction in energy consumption compared to the WHDC 2020 Building
- 43% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the WHDC 2020 Building
- 38% utilization improvement (square foot per workplace capacity)
- 46% less gross building square footage
Building Profile
The six-story, open-plan building will include space for approximately 600 employees and contractors, and will be developed using both Dow materials and recycled resources from the WHDC 2020 structure. The building is targeting LEED certification when complete.
Sustainability and technology features include:
- The latest in audio visual and internet technologies to enhance productivity and innovation
- Flexible office space, meeting rooms, media centers, huddle rooms and break rooms to foster greater collaboration and efficiency
- Open work environments designed to embrace collaboration and enhance the well-being of employees in the workplace
- Industry-leading office design standards will be implemented to ensure the most efficient, productive, and cost-effective use of space
- Green (vegetative) roofs will provide energy savings, mitigate heat island effects, and dramatically reduce storm water runoff
- 20,000 tons of material from the demolition of WHDC 2020 will be designated for recycling
- More than 10,000 tons of concrete from the WHDC 2020 building will be recycled and used for various substructure elements and temporary roads
- 20% of building products will be from recycled materials
Project Partners
The new facility will be developed by KIRCO, a company based in Troy, Michigan, with more than 40 years of experience in energy efficient construction and corporate project management. Kirksey Architecture of Houston, Texas, will act as architect on record for the facility, bringing their experience in sustainability that has led to more than 27 million square feet of LEED certified projects.