October 2012 – Bloomington, Minn. – Krech, O’Brien, Mueller & Associates recently announced completion of a facelift to Thermo King’s corporate headquarters located in Bloomington, Minn. KOMA provided architectural and interior design services for Thermo King, a client for whom they’ve worked on multiple projects. [Read more…] about KOMA Brings New Life to Thermo King Corporate HQ
Newsroom Articles
Here’s to the Next 20 with MOA!
August 2012 – Bloomington, Minn. – On August 11, 1992, Mall of America opened as the largest and hottest retail and entertainment complex in the country. Fast forward 20 years – nearly half of which Krech, O’Brien, Mueller & Associates has spent side-by-side with MOA – and it is still a premier destination for Minnesotans and visitors from across the country and around the world. [Read more…] about Here’s to the Next 20 with MOA!
Hot Stuff
Recently, KOMA Interior Designers Cindy Nagel, Laura Bauer and Angie Rohlen sat down to share their thoughts on the hot trends in interior design. The conversation veered from colors to textures to furniture and fixtures. Below is a portion of that conversation… [Read more…] about Hot Stuff
You Say “Technology,” I Say WOW
August 2012 – Inver Grove Heights, Minn. – Where did all the protractors go? What about the colored pencils, drafting boards and sketch paper? Sketched floor plans or models representing an architectural design are few and far between these days. Instead, when a client sits down to meet with an architect, he or she most likely will find a series of SketchUp vignettes or a photorealistic walkthrough. [Read more…] about You Say “Technology,” I Say WOW
KOHLER Signature Store by First Supply Celebrates Grand Opening
May 2012 – Edina, Minn. – The first-ever KOHLER Signature Store, a kitchen and bath showroom that delivers a signature Kohler experience to designers and homeowners, recently celebrated its grand opening at its new location in Edina, Minn. The 3,000-square-foot store’s arrival was made possible in part by the architects at Krech, O’Brien, Mueller & Associates, and it extends Kohler’s long history of using trusted distributors to showcase their products. [Read more…] about KOHLER Signature Store by First Supply Celebrates Grand Opening
Bühler Food Innovation Center Opens Doors
May 2012 – Plymouth, Minn. – The Bühler Food Innovation Center, a premier food-grade processing facility, recently opened its doors in Plymouth, Minnesota, and did so with the help of engineers and architects from Krech, O’Brien, Mueller & Associates.
Bühler, a global leader in technologies and services for food production, wanted to develop an innovative facility that showcased its various food processing options and equipment. The facility also needed to fully extend the company’s industry-leading Food Safety Initiative, which seeks to give customers the knowledge, equipment and other resources to fully understand and comply with FDA guidelines. To that end, it was important that the facility itself adhere to specific sanitary standards in both design and operation.
KOMA and longtime partner PCL Construction worked as a design-build team to create and execute the Bühler space.
Mike Lisowski, PE, KOMA principal engineer, said, “An area of an existing structure was identified and we developed plans to create both the various processing lab spaces as well as an observation and meeting room on the second floor. Bühler also has a number of state-of-the-art pieces of processing equipment – mixers, extruders, dryers, etc. – and we needed to accommodate these both spatially and structurally.”
He continued, “Because of the various sanitary guidelines that are in place for a facility such as this, we needed to avoid using some traditional elements that might compromise the FDA standards. For example, we used closed-tube members to avoid flat spaces or ledges where dust might collect.”
KOMA worked closely with Bühler and PCL throughout the design-build process. Lisowski continued, “We’ve worked with PCL for many years and complement each other very well. We both bring a particular set of experiences and expertise to the table, and we deliver a better project because of our collaboration.”
Lisowski was also quick to point out the value of having both KOMA’s architects and engineers involved with the project. “Our structural engineering team works well with outside architects – in fact, we do so on a good many projects – but having our own team involved from a design standpoint allows us to realize efficiencies and deliver even greater value to our client.”
Bühler operates in more than 140 countries and employs nearly 9,000 individuals. It is widely recognized as a global leader in the field of process engineering.