Many visitors to our office have been curious about our conference room names. And like most things at Iconica, those names are the result of creativity, collaboration, and a full understanding of the intent. We’re happy to share the thoughts behind the labels, to give you some insight into the people and spaces we call Iconica. When we meet to discuss your needs, expectations, and desires it will likely be…
“HVAC and Lighting are the biggest power users of a building” The national average of complaints to landlords are about heating, and cooling problems is forty eight percent. Adding to that, "Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) account for approximately 40 percent of a commercial building's energy use. Smart system design or upgrading can be a very effective way to reduce energy costs and /or increase comfort." HVAC systems can…
Over the years, Iconica has designed and built literally millions of square feet of office space – dozens of ground up, multi-story, multi-tenant buildings and many hundreds of individual tenant buildouts and remodels. We have our clients to thank. They’ve been our best teachers, providing rich insight to their operations, cultures, and preferences. The feedback they provide strengthens us in our quest to deliver the easiest building experience and the…
After almost 35 years, Iconica’s Fehrman still learning on the job By: Jessica Stephen, Special to The Daily Reporter Scott Fehrman’s attachment to the trades started early. “My dad was a sheet metal worker,” he said. “I remember being in kindergarten — our school was right down the road from where he worked — and every day after school I would stop in to see him. “I remember…
In our organization, over the past several months, we’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching. We talk a lot about why we do what we do. Why we design. Why we engineer. Why we build. What we do for our clients that others can’t or don’t. That conversation has expanded to why our clients do what they do. What makes them tick. What drives them to offer the products or…
Without a doubt, everyone on our team loves one or both: designing and building. The passion shows in how we speak, how we operate, and even in what we have sitting around on our desks. Some of us have legos, some little models, some have samples of interesting materials, and others keep small building parts. So, it wasn’t a big surprise when I got a tremendous response to the internal…
You may have heard the grumblings throughout the construction industry about the difficulty in finding skilled laborers – from design all the way through construction – and the issues that this shortage causes. Challenges that have dramatically increased following the recent recession such as missed deadlines, lower quality workmanship, and increased errors are now forcing us to reevaluate the approaches that we take in hiring our own talent, selecting subcontractors,…
In our last post, we discussed why we feel so passionate about predesign. Here we take a look at some game-changing examples where clients asked us to step in and help them plan their spaces, and then we helped them to clear obstacles to project success. Dental Office A dentist client wanted to gain momentum in her new practice by opening in January, when her clients would be using their…
Well-conceived architectural design allows you to create energy or instill calm, hones your operational footprint, and supports your biggest asset – your employees. It probes from every angle in order to preserve options for future business growth and change, and it is ever-cognizant of cost. The crucial first step is the seldom seen, holistic analysis that sets the stage for exceeding expectations: predesign. Predesign is where your architect gains an…
Site Selection involves much more than where. Today we were thinking about some of the factors that go into site selection and what you should consider – especially if you’re not using the services of a broker. Cost – Obviously! Cost of land, cost of site improvements, cost of relocation, cost (including time involved) of entitlements (the dreaded approval process) Demolition of existing structures above and below ground including any…
