The BASKET Building

LONGABERGER HOME OFFICE

The Story Behind the Basket Building

The official groundbreaking for the Longaberger Home Office was in October 1995, but the planning for the building began way before that, as the company's founder and CEO Dave Longaberger started envisioning in his mind the building he was going to build. There was much discussion with Longaberger and Jim Gimeson, Longaberger's vice president of Construction, and architects from various firms. Many different structures and designs were presented to Longaberger but none that symbolized the heritage or culture The Longaberger Co. was built upon. He wanted people passing the Home Office to recognize that it was a Longaberger property.

Then, Dave Longaberger sat a Longaberger Medium Market Basket down on the table in a meeting with Longaberger construction architects and Columbus-based architects and said, "This is what I want the Longaberger Home Office Building to resemble. We have been trying to design something that is right in front of our noses. Our handcrafted baskets will always be the signature of our business."

From that meeting, The Longaberger Co. construction division ­ along with architects from NBBJ and Korda/ Nemeth Engineering ­ began to draft plans for the new corporate office building in Newark, Ohio. The building was designed to resemble the basket right down to the wooden washer and copper rivets, attaching the basket handles. For those who said it couldn't be done, Longaberger's reply was, "If we can send a man to the moon, we can build an office building to resemble a Longaberger basket."

"As you're driving up and first see it, the handles reach above the treetops, and it's just like, 'Wow!'" says one of the project's architects, Nikolina Georgievsha of NBBJ. "It's different than anything I've ever worked on. It's very novel."

The building "is a monument; it's a piece of pop art; it's a gigantic billboard," gushes Friedrich K.M. Bohm, chairman of NBBJ. "The trick was to make it elegant but not kitschy ­ and it could have gotten kitschy very easily."

"The US $30 million basket building is a brilliant exercise in corporate advertising by Longaberger . . . it gives the headquarters an indelible, instantly recognizable image," writes Steven Litt, an architecture critic for The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

"This is one of my dreams come true," said Longaberger. "I am proud of the company's heritage and that we were built on a quality handcrafted product ­ each one-of-a-kind, and the Longaberger Home Office Building is no different."

Fact Sheet ­ Longaberger Home Office

Longaberger is not your average CEO, and he didn't want your average corporate headquarters. That explains why he and the 500 people employed at The Longaberger Co. now report to work every day in the world's largest basket-shaped building.

The US $30 million steel-stucco structure ­ a 180,000-ft2 replica of one of the company's trademark handwoven baskets ­ rises more than seven stories and is crowned by two massive handles.

The biggest challenge, by far, was recreating the basket handles in the upright position. Korda/Nemeth Engineering designed a workable solution. The handles ­ weighing 75 tons each ­ are constructed of 13 sections of welded galvanized steel with internal reinforced trusses. Each measures 320 feet long ­ about the size of a football field ­ and is designed to withstand 80-mile-per-hour winds. At their base, the handles have eight-inch diameter solid steel pins that rest in saddles. The handles were lifted into place by two cranes. One handle was lifted into place and supported temporarily by cables attached to cranes and bulldozers. The second handle was erected the following day, and then, the two were connected by welding them together in the center, touching each other in the "up" position. The handles are heated by a sensor which prevents ice from forming in winter and falling through the glass atrium.

"The installation of the handles was a very interesting process," recalls Jack Prydor, building official for the city of Newark. "They (the construction crew) had a number of different pieces of equipment working simultaneously to raise and stabilize the handles."

The unique exterior is equally matched by an interior of masterful grandeur. Two glass elevators greet employees and visitors in this elegantly adorned atrium with a grand staircase, rich American cherry wood accents and a grand piano. Dover Elevator Co. of Columbus, Ohio furnished and installed two 3,500 geared passenger elevators and one 4,500 geared service elevator operating at 350 fpm. Passengers are treated to premium American cherry wall and ceiling panels, bronze handrails with Julius Blum #3145 end caps, Muntz front return with etched center-opening doors and glass back with a bronze sash finished with solid cherry trim. Making deliveries is a delight, since the service unit is finished identically ­ minus the glass back. This signature structure leaves a favorable impression on even the most informal visitors. The cab exterior is finished with American cherry accents and a painted aluminum frame to complement the cab interior. Basement machines made the placement of counterweight ropes a challenge due to sensitive atrium design. Dover engineers concealed the ropes by relocation to the corner ­ another challenge resolved.

Like a real Longaberger basket, the building gets wider as it goes up, so each floor had to be designed independently. That adds up to a lot of extra space; the seventh floor has 25,000 square feet compared with 20,000 on the second floor.

Natural lighting was a problem because the windows could only be placed in the vertical splints of the basket. So architects made the windows as large as possible ­ 16 feet wide by six feet high ­ and built an atrium that floods the building with light. Lines etched into the glass ceiling cut the glare.

The building exterior walls are designed to resemble the "weaves" or "splints" of an actual basket. They are constructed of 6-ft by 30-ft panels covered with an exterior insulation and finish (EIFS) system.

Two 750-pound tags bearing the name "Longaberger" ­ similar to brass tags found on some of the company's baskets ­ hang from the sides of the building. Each is gold leaf painted to prevent tarnishing.

Longaberger was right; if they can send a man to the moon and bring him back, there is a way to build a basket-shaped building. The "Great Basket of Newark," as it was referred to in Columbus Monthly magazine, is sure to weave its way into building construction history.

Longaberger® National Home Office ­ Newark, Ohio

At The Longaberger Co., we are very proud of our heritage and that our company was built on a quality handcrafted product ­ each one-of-a-kind. No matter what endeavors our company gets into, our handcrafted baskets will always be the signature of our business.

I. Building Statistics

Property Size: 25 acres

Building Capacity: 500 employees

Building Footage: 180,000 square feet

Total Wt. of Building: 8,000-9,000 tons

Total Wt. of Handles: Approximately 150 tons

Number of Windows: 84

Concrete: 7,640 cubic yards of concrete

Cost of Project: Approximately US $30 million

II. Building Location

The corporate office is situated conveniently to both Columbus and Dresden, providing easy access to the Columbus airport and offers an additional employee resource pool.

- Situated between Marne and Dayton Road in Newark on State Route 16

- Approximately 29 miles west of Dresden; 35 miles east of Columbus

III. Dimensions of Building

- Seven stories

- 192 feet long, 126 feet wide at grade, widening to 208 feet x 142 feet at the roof

- The building is 160 times larger than the Medium Market Basket.

IV. Points of Interest

- The Longaberger Co. managed the entire project, and over 50% of the building was constructed by Longaberger personnel.

- The building was completed in December 1997.

- Move-in for employees took place in December of 1997.

- The company designed the exterior and interior of the building.

- NBBJ and Korda/Nemeth Engineering administered the design process.

- The addition of the facility in the Newark area will add 500 jobs in addition to generating additional tax revenue benefiting the Licking County school system, local organizations and the community as a whole.

- The building was awarded the 1997 Build Ohio Award.

V. Outstanding Features

- Offices are situated around a seven-story, 30,000-ft2 atrium where employees and guests can enjoy the natural daylight from the skylight.

- Two basket handles are attached to the building with replica copper and wooden rivets and are heated to prevent ice from forming.

- Landscaping design and installation was coordinated by Bassatt and Associates with an exclusive design that will be fully irrigated.

- A 142-seat, theater-style auditorium is on the first floor.

- Two Longaberger 725-lb, 23-carat, gold-plated tags are attached to both sides of the building. The tags are 25 feet by seven feet by three feet. Brass tags are placed on Longaberger Feature baskets, such as the Christmas Collection.