This design-build project is a $65M, 230,000 SF five-story Class A office building that houses 800 employees and features a 200-seat auditorium, meeting spaces, public counters, loft-like open offices with high ceilings and lots of natural lighting. Designed for a LEED Silver rating, the project offers employees work spaces that are never more than 37 feet from the building perimeter or the four-story interior “canyon” which brings in natural light from south facing clerestory windows.
Project delivery for the state project was a stipulated sum design-build competition. The successful team invited the precaster to join its team early on to help develop the most costeffective solution available: a total precast system. At the end of the day, the total precast solution beat the two competing steel structures and was the only one of the three designs to meet the stipulated sum mandated by the
state while delivering the program laid out by the state.
The “All-in-One” total precast approach which applies high-quality architectural finishes to exterior exposed precast structural frames was decisive in the design-build team’s win. This cost-effective approach eliminated the need for fireproofing and a secondary facade system, sped up the construction schedule and, through the additional application of the structurally resilient Precast Hybrid Moment Frame
(PHMF), helped deliver the wide open and well-lit interior spaces that are the hallmarks of this showcase project.
Large Open Space Allows for Light and Air to Filter Throughout the Facility
The genesis for this building’s design stems from three basic ideas articulated by client/tenant and the surrounding community: the facility should be user-friendly, sustainable, and respond to the community-at-large. The client/tenant specifically wanted a healthy building filled with light and air that cultivates collegiality between departments. The building was aligned to take advantage of its east-west long axis, ensuring that every workspace is within 37 feet of natural light. Another unique feature
is its 4-story interior “Canyon” which harvests natural light from south facing clerestory skylights.
The HVAC system features a nightly air purge that exchanges warm interior air with fresh evening air, cooling the interior and concrete structure. The electric lighting is controlled by occupancy sensors and dimmers at perimeter zones adjacent to the building’s exterior which features clear, high-performance
glass, further reducing heat gain/loss. Other sustainable design strategies include: access to public transit, building massing, building orientation, reduced water consumption, use of “right” materials, recycling construction waste, and acoustical control.
