BUCKNER COMPANIES HEADQUARTERS

Graham, NC | Photography by Jim West

The new headquarters for a crane leasing and steel erection business was a long-contemplated update to a venerable, family-run enterprise. Existing space was cramped and poorly arranged, and increasing competition demanded better teamwork. The Buckner Companies’ building in central North Carolina is a showplace for the steel erector’s trade, a study in material salvage and reuse, and a model collaborative work environment. More than half of the structure needed for the building came directly from steel and wood beams salvaged from the crane-rigging “boneyard.” Direct reuse of materials already widely appreciated for having high recycled content eliminated the energy costs involved in re-fabricating, going, in effect, “beyond green.”