Kincaid Henry Headquarters

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Situated in the heart of downtown Lansing’s Clark Street neighborhood, the new headquarters of Kincaid Henry Building Group and New Enterprise Opportunities (NEO) Center started as a very different kind of project. The building’s transformation is an excellent example of adaptive re-use, as this old building is reinvented, yet again, into a new space. The redeveloped building is an economically viable and environmentally sound alternative with the legacy and history of its earlier lives intact.

Built in 1913, the three-story commercial building was originally a bakery with an efficiency apartment upstairs and storage space downstairs. During the Second World War, the building was used as an engineering facility, and then became Lansing Lithography for 60 years before falling into disrepair. Lansing Lithography was the principle printer for Oldsmobile during that time.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality eventually designated the building as a Brownfield site. The Ingham County Land Bank had purchased the site after it went into tax foreclosure, and aided with the cost of the Brownfield clean up plan. When Kincaid Henry and NEO executives came to see the site for the first time, they were greeted by an array of old prints, pieces of steel, chemicals, paper, batteries, and even hockey sticks.

Since its founding in 2005 by cofounders Ryan Kincaid and Ryan Henry, Kincaid Henry has always been dedicated to distinctly different ideas. Their projects contribute to their surroundings well after construction is finished. In working with NEO, a private incubator group for entrepreneurial businesses, Kincaid Henry recreated a building to serve people and the environment alike, infusing Practical Environmental Stewardship™ into each aspect of the project.

As renovation began with designers Studio Intrigue Architects an addition on the back of the building was removed to provide parking space and wheel- chair access. All of the masonry from the addition was salvaged andre-used to repair the entirety of the south wall and 70% of the east wall. The maple wood flooring was re-used throughout the new building to replace damaged boards.

Steel beams were discovered in the basement of the building, used for when the weight of the printing presses needed to be supported. Names of all the prominent steel companies of the day were printed on the sides, such as Jones and Laughlin, Carn- egie, Inland, and Cambria Steel. These historic beams were integrated into the reception desk, into the wall as additional supports, in the patio screen wall and most prominently on the building’s back awning with all the names visible – a tribute to the continuing legacy of the building.

Aside from the creative inclusion techniques that were brought to the building, Kincaid Henry and NEO made sure that their new facility was ben- eficial to the surrounding community. As a small business incubator situated in a residential area, the building provides an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs to establish themselves at a very affordable price. Ample and well-kept affordable housing within walking distance enhances the site’s location for entrepreneurs.

The new building provides a young business with dignity, validity, a professional identity, and a support system between people with similar experiences. Shared kitchens, break rooms, and bathrooms throughout the building offer common space for the entrepreneurs, and avoided duplicity and additional waste. The rest rooms are all fit- ted with low flow toilets and automatic sinks, and the windows throughout the building are energy star rated.

Concrete was used in the parking lot, which has a longer life, better temperature control, has a substantially higher solar reflective index than asphalt. Unlike asphalt, concrete is not a pe- troleum-based surface and does not need to be resealed or removed every few years. All of the lights around the parking lot are LED lights, and are all aimed at the parking lot – preventing any light pollution in the neighborhood.

The finishing touch on the building is a spiral slide in the middle of the reception area, which occupants may use to get from the second floor to the lobby. This whimsical feature highlights the creative atmosphere of the workspace.

The new Kincaid Henry headquarters build- ing in Lansing has integrated Practical Environmental Stewardship™ into every aspect of their design, and it makes a great state- ment by being in the heart of a neighborhood – amplifying the words of cofounder Ryan Henry, “What better supports Lansing by moving right into a neighborhood? It’s a great neighborhood and we’re happy to be here.”

For more information contact: Ryan Henry of Kincaid Henry Building Group 517-332-8210 • R.Henry@kincaidhenry.com.