BT2’s 11,460 square foot headquarters in Madison was built in 1998 by TJK Design & Construction for $605,000 in only 140 days. Jim Glueck was the architect.
BT2 provides environmental compliance and site assessment studies as well as emergency spill response, surveys and stormwater management plans. It was founded in 1991 and today has 50 staff in their headquarters and remote offices in Lake Delton and Chicago. Clients are governments, developers, agribusiness and corporate landowners.
Its deceptively simple office building is, in fact, a testament to BT2’s promise of creating elegant, effective solutions.
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Absolute fairness of space
The floor plan is simple because BT2 was clear in its thinking. A key goal for both the business and the building was to promote as much cooperation as possible among the entire staff. The plan is organized into four basic zones: the center of the building is the production core. It has immediate access to all office spaces, both the inside office ring where the managers sit, and the perimeter open plan area. The conference rooms, break room, warehouse, bathrooms, etc. fit sensibly around these other three zones.
Cooperation is enhanced when there’s no status-seeking for office space, a sense of fairness that is part of BT2’s managerial DNA. Each workstation and office is 100 square feet. The floor plan shows that the people in the workstations have the best natural light, and the heating and air conditioning work the best in the open perimeter space. The offices “keeps the managers’ egos in check,” jokes Principal and co-founder Ray Tierney.
Follow the idea flow
Tierney says, “I like to show visitors how our layout is organized around the flow of ideas and information.” By having the production area connected to each quadrant of the building, everyone has easy access to information. This means better teamwork, higher quality output and better information to share for the next assignment. The building has a peaked roof, creating high-bay interior spaces: this creates interesting and light-friendly spaces as well as being cost-effective. The central production area is open to the roof above, with a huge skylight made of a fiberglass material that diffuses the light.
Still working after all these years
The ROA of BT2’s building has been outstanding. The simple design not only served deep management principles, but also cost effectiveness. The building cost only $49 per square foot, easily 20 percent less than similar space. Keeping the open space near the perimeter allows air to circulate easily; energy costs are 30 percent less than average — a “green” building well before the idea took root.
More important, though, are the benefits to the business. Since opening, BT2’s retention has been phenomenal: they’ve only lost one employee to a competitor over the past 11 years. The space still works as planned, and business is strong even in today’s economy. The as-yet undeveloped 2,060-square-foot mezzanine is the natural and inexpensive path for growth, guaranteeing BT2’s return on its asset will keep it financially strong for at least another decade. n
