Sauk Trails Plaza II

In January,  NSI, a division of West Bend Insurance Company, moved into their state of the art office inside Sauk Trails Plaza II on the west side of Madison. The new five-story, 160,000 square foot office building was designed and built by Iconica. The building sits on one of the few remaining parcels of land in Old Sauk Trails Park at 1255 Fourier Drive. It is timelessly clad in granite and glass and is the sister building to Sauk Trails Plaza, completed in 1997.

The five-story office building sits on one of the few remaining parcels of land in Old Sauk Trails Park at 1255 Fourier Drive. It is timelessly clad in stone and glass, and is the sister building to Sauk Trails Plaza, completed in 1997. Over the course of the last two years, many of our staff have been part of the project; engineers, architects, project assistants, superintendents, interior design, to the project manager.

“I have been working with The Gialamas Company for over twenty years. We’ve designed and built a variety of commercial and tenant spaces through the years. I was thrilled to be part of the sister building to Sauk Trails Plaza. We took some of the design elements from prior buildings in the office park and incorporated them into the new Sauk Trails Plaza II. Glass and stone banding, repeating symmetrical shapes, large open lobby spaces, and as much window space as possible for tenants are some of the features we used.” – Jeff Eaton, Architect

NSI is the major tenant of the building, taking 75,000 sf. 215 employees will now call the new offices home. Iconica designed to accommodate future growth through the next 15 years.  The sophisticated office has 10ft ceilings, contemporary furniture, creative lighting groupings, sound masking technology, and a variety of conference and meeting rooms. Creative detailing provides additional conversation nooks, work enclaves, and mother’s rooms for privacy and impromptu meetings. On the third floor is a 3000 SF work café and a servery with commercial kitchen, chef, and coffee bar.

“It was great fun collaborating with NSI on their new office space, creating an environment that exudes flexibility, modernity and connectivity. Over the course of almost three years, we worked together as a team to create diverse workplace settings that allow their teams to work in a place that is built upon community, collaboration and knowledge sharing, where staff can find different spaces to suit their needs – whether formal, informal, quiet or lively.  Bright pops of color complement the primarily neutral scheme, with bold lighting fixture groupings that start to blur the line between function and art installation.  The project turned out beautifully, and I hope that they enjoy their new space for many years to come.” – Steve Carbin, Interior Architectural Designer

The 3 story office space boasts wide open floor plans so that every office has natural lighting. A large interior monumental staircase is the centerpiece of the office and connects all floors and departments. The staircase has white terrazzo treads, no risers, and is held with only one line of steel. The staircase and the 20×30′ opening has a clerestory roof extension at the top creating a fifty foot natural light well. From the ceiling, a 72-light OCL glowStick fixture is installed. These lights extend from the ceiling all the way down the 3 story staircase and are programmed for various lighting patterns.

“The lighting reinforces the centerpiece of the office spaces. I see this as an area for all NSI staff to come together. It plays off of the open nature and speaks to the client’s culture of teamwork. The result is dynamic and powerful.” – John Seamon, Director of Design Strategy

The office building has a spacious fitness facility and an outdoor patio area with landscaping designed to complement the curvature of the building. Sustainability was thought of throughout the project; VRF system, perimeter heat, use of all LED lighting along with many design features to save energy, water efficiency and improve air quality. An aggressive goal of diverting 80% of construction waste to be diverted from the landfill was met with help from the superintendent, project managers, and sub-contractors.

Iconica was selected as the designer and builder for the project and worked closely with both the tenant and landlord. The team worked on architecture, engineering, interior design and construction services. “This was a great team project,” said Tony Blum, superintendent, “From drawings, structural and architectural work, to working with the client’s needs and vision, I believe we gave the client something I think they are very proud of.”