Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Jennings Tire
Jennings Tire wanted a big, open space that is also energy efficient – a space that can accommodate high-tech, industrial equipment, but is also low-maintenance. By utilizing a pre-engineered frame, Carden Company met Jennings Tires special needs on a tight schedule.
Jennings Tire of Murfreesboro sells, fixes and retrofits tires – the ones for large trucks, tractors and industrial equipment, as well ones for automobiles. When they decided they wanted a new combination building that would include space for their central office, service and distribution areas, they turned to Carden Company and Butler Manufacturing to provide a spacious, high-quality, energy-efficient building in a short amount of time.
Jennings Tire’s space requirements called for specially engineered construction. Service bays big enough to accommodate industrial equipment require very wide roof spans and the minimum of support columns cluttering up the workspace. By working with a Butler Manufacturing pre-engineered frame designed to Jennings Tire’s specifications, the architect and Carden Company were able to construct a wide-span structure in just 6 months.
A big, open building with enormous doors for the service bays makes for an energy-efficiency challenge. Another difficulty was Jennings Tire’s new tire re-treading facility, which involved special ovens adding heat and ventilation issues to the mix. The combination of a CMR-24 insulated standing seam roof system and Thermawall wall panels helped provide climate-control for personnel and expensive equipment.
Though working with a pre-engineered frame allowed Carden and the architects to meet Jennings Tire’s special construction needs with speed, the project still had to overcome the usual difficulties with weather, soil conditions and inspectors.
Architect Wayne Oakley, of Whitehead+Oakley+Dunlap+Bumpus, LLC, remembered another potential slowdown: “We also had to deal with the Tennessee Department of Transportation because where this property is located they were going to be constructing a new interstate interchange.” So getting TDOT approvals was an additional hurdle, but the interchange – exit 80 on I24 – now provides excellent access for semis and big equipment to get to the Jennings facility.
The result is an energy-efficient, low-maintenance facility with spacious work areas. Owner H. B. Willis noted, “I think their workmanship is good – they gave us a good product.”
“The superintendent was very good; the project manager was very good. They do a really good job compared to other contractors I’ve worked with, that’s for sure.”
– Wayne Oakley, Architect