Valmont HQ: Committed to Sustainability, Expansion, and the Employee Experience

The   new Valmont Industries headquarters is strategically situated on a 6-acre   site of the north gateway to the 500-acre Heartwood Preserve mixed-use   development — which some foresee as the new downtown of west Omaha. Committed  to sustainability, the new global headquarters design achieves LEED Gold   certification for commercial interiors and WELL Gold certification. The   exterior of new office building features sleek metal panels and   high-efficiency glazing system. The east and west curtain wall system not only   captures the great view of surrounding green space and introduces natural   light into interior space, but also showcases Valmont products — custom-made perforated metal panels used as sun screens.

The   tour of the Valmont Industries headquarters will demonstrate to attendees how   a building can be designed in collaboration with several stakeholders to   provide a healthy, active workplace for a thriving company. Issues of code  compliance and life safety will be discussed in regards to the unique   building form the building exemplifies. Natural daylighting and building orientation will demonstrate how   employees’ physical and mental welfare was considered during the design.

AIA Learning Units Pending

Learning Objectives 

• Building Design – The design architect   will discuss how the building form was generated to accommodate owner and   tenant vision for a global headquarters. Attendees will   learn how the new headquarters building fits into the context of the new   development, and how the building helps contribute to the vision of a healthy,   walkable development with shared outdoor amenites.
• Construction Administration – The project   manager will discuss the design and construction process, along with the positive   and negative effects of working with several design and construction   subcontractors during a global pandemic. Strategies for creating   a safe and healthy working condition for the design team during the pandemic   will be discussed in a way for the attendees to learn how to improve their   own design process.
• Environmental Analysis – Several   building components were designed and constructed thoughtfully through   analysis of the environmental conditions of the building site. Attendees will learn how the   shading devices on the building were designed to block direct sunlight yet   still allow air flow through the shades. Strategies for avoiding aero-acoustic   issues with sunshades will be discussed for attendees to apply to their own   projects.
• Materials and Systems – Building   materials found both on the interior and exterior of the building were   selected and designed in collaboration with the building tenant. Attendees will be able to understand challenges and benefits of using   specific construction materials and how those construction materials can be   customized for future projects.
• Code Compliance – An effective   strategy, specifically tailored to the Valmont HQ building form, regarding   building egress and life safety code will be discussed. Attendees will learn how a building’s form   impacts egress travel distance and egress component sizing. Specifically, the   Valmont project demonstrates how two buildings need two egress cores each   (four cores total) to meet life safety code, but combining the two buildings   into a shared oversized central core can eliminate the need for the forth   core – resulting in a celebrated, shared, third core. Attendees will learn how to calculate the required   egress width in the stair core to accommodate the occupant load.