ESI headquarters
Meridian, Idaho
BEST PROJECT
Submitted by IT I
Owner and general contractor IT I
Lead design office Gray Wolf Architecture
Structural engineer Tamarack Grove Engineering
MEP engineer Cator Ruma & Associates Co.
What was once a three-story call center has been transformed into a state-of-the-art headquarters for ESI, optimized to enhance collaboration, inspire innovation, promote teamwork and nurture relationships. The facility spans more than 16 acres and features 19 conference rooms, 17 huddle spaces, five interview rooms, a classroom, an employee gym, a café and an innovation lab with interactive virtual and augmented reality capabilities.
Renovating a 20-year-old building presented several challenges. Several tons of material had to be removed from the building before several tons more could be brought in. Old concrete floors and structural materials were removed to accommodate a new grand staircase and revised floor plan. The new design also included skylights to enhance natural lighting throughout the building. Modifications were made to utilize the skylight openings as access points for moving materials in and out.
Photo courtesy of Slack Media, Tobin Rogers
The MEP teams faced major challenges after removing the raised floors in the building's offices. The electrical team modified thousands of feet of wiring that had to be replaced or rerouted to accommodate the complete overhaul of each floor's floor plan. The electricians worked closely with the design team to design and customize the floor plans to meet the design intent while maintaining the functionality of the work areas.
The building's exterior features cross-laminated timber (CLT) columns and canopies, but placing 40-foot-long CLT beams at and around the building's entrances was a breeze—each beam weighed approximately 10,000 pounds.
Recovery and recycling furthered the project's sustainability goals. The old call center had all of the original cubicles, office furniture and fixtures. Instead of hauling all the metal to the landfill, the project team renovated the cubicle walls and cabinets, reassembled them, and installed them in the new office layout. The remaining scrap metal and copper wire was recycled and the proceeds donated to the contractor's charitable foundation, ESI CARES. And the wood for two 18-foot-long conference tables and the 104 steps for the grand staircase came from fallen trees.