Mayfair Woods - An Environmental Approach to Design

[ By Jaclynn C. Walsh ]

Almost 20 percent of total building materials were manufactured from recycled components. Photo courtesy of Plunkett Raysich Architects

In the heart of Wauwatosa, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sits a new addition to the pristine wooded area. Mayfair Woods, a 163,350-square-foot, five-story office building located within the 175-acre Milwaukee County Research Park (MCRP), incorporates green design principles and diversity in technology and innovation.

While the location offered a stable surrounding community, easy access to highways, public transit and nearby research institutions, the building had to enhance the existing topography. “As leaders in the development industry, Irgens wanted to be proactive in implementing the green initiative. Not only do we try to be good stewards in our developments, but we want to try to do our part in maintaining the natural beauty of the City of Wauwatosa,” comments Tim Gasperetti, vice president, design & construction at Irgens and the technical lead on Mayfair Woods.

Existing Topography Fosters Creative Building Design

Irgens Development Partners has been one of the main developers in MCRP since 1995. Mark Irgens, manager/president of Irgens, saw potential in MCRP when others were focusing on working with the county on how to structure the deals. Irgens understood that the county needed to be at the center of the deal, but also realized the more important issue was finding the right tenants to begin the research park. There are now 12 commercial buildings totaling nearly two million square feet within the park, eight of which Irgens developed, and a Technology Innovation Center that is home to over 80 high-tech start-up companies.

Irgens Development Partners, LLC relocated its corporate headquarters to the ground level of Mayfair Woods.

In 2007, Irgens decided to focus their next project at the highly visible gateway to MCRP. The property had been contemplated by many over the years, but project feasibility remained challenging. Although well located, the property was heavily wooded, had drastic elevation changes and bordered a waterway. The project team focused on preserving large portions of the green space areas. Fortunately, all of the necessary infrastructure and utilities were already constructed in the park, so construction could begin immediately.

Understanding the challenges, Irgens assembled a design team that engineered a building to accommodate the site rather than to engineer the site to accommodate the building. This creative approach allowed the civil and architectural designers to integrate the elevations offered by the topography and other unique features of the property into their vision. Examples include a partially exposed lower level and a parking structure without internal ramps.

Irgens Development Partners, LLC relocated its corporate headquarters to the ground level of Mayfair Woods.

Finding the Right Tenants

Based on the goals set by the MCRP to advance technology uses, City of Wauwatosa zoning restrictions require that 60 percent of the tenants be of a specifically defined, preferred use. The preferred uses are geared to technology and research and related professions.

As Irgens was making plans for the prospective project, a rapidly growing technology firm entered the market in search of new offices. Zywave, Inc. became the anchor tenant for the project. Zywave is a leading provider of web-based software solutions to employee benefits and property and casualty insurance brokers and their clients. Established in 1995, Zywave has grown from a handful of employees to become a major employer of high-tech professionals in the Milwaukee area with over 110 personnel. “We had been experiencing a yearly growth of 25 to 30 percent and needed a property that could accommodate our technology needs and support our growth. Mayfair Woods offers this flexibility in a great location,” describes Dean Koenig, senior vice president and chief financial officer of Zywave, Inc. “This project allowed us to design a space to suit our needs and supports our expansion efforts as our workforce continues to grow.” Financing the Project

Mayfair Woods was financed in part with developer-funded tax increment financing. The project is located in a tax increment financing (TIF) district created for the development of the Research Park. The City of Wauwatosa supported the sustainable design efforts of the building and invested $3.5 million to encourage the development of the parking deck. The balance of the project was financed with traditional debt and equity. Johnson Bank of Racine, Wisconsin, and M&I Bank of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, provided the debt financing.

Project Design Elements

Mayfair Woods embraces a whole project approach to sustainable design including sustainable site development, water management, energy efficiency, renewable materials and indoor environmental quality. About 40 percent of the total building materials were regional materials from vendors located within 500 miles of the project site. Also, nearly 80 percent of total construction waste was diverted from local landfills by recycling these components.

Exterior
While site preservation was a priority, the team also addressed sustainability on a variety of levels to produce a cost-effective and efficient design. The exterior façade of the building consists of brick veneer on a steel stud back-up with punched window openings, glass curtain wall and a combination glass storefront and composite metal panel system. The window framing system consists of natural aluminum with high-performance clear glass throughout. High-energy efficient glass, low-impact materials with recycled content and the extensive use of daylighting were incorporated to support the long-term goal of lower operating costs. Shared amenities for tenants include an upscale lobby, break area, state-of-the-art conference room, showers and locker rooms. Alternative modes of transportation are encouraged through bike racking, mass transit stops and preferred parking for hybrid cars.

The project required accommodating approximately 665 cars. While the site can afford the space in surface parking, it would have required clearing the entire site. The impact to the existing environment would have been detrimental. Instead, the plan was to structure about 548 stalls and provide a limited number of surface stalls – only 117. This allowed for better storm water control with limited runoff and allows on-site filtration. Incorporating these concepts provided a higher quality project and substantially enhanced the overall development.

State-of-the-art conference rooms were designed with technological diversity for delivery of communications along with a closed conduit network.

Water Efficiency and Energy Use
Careful consideration was taken to reduce water consumption for both the interior and exterior of the building. The landscaping at Mayfair Woods was designed to thrive without the use of an irrigation system. In addition, a variety of native and drought-resistant plants were used.

Building plumbing systems were engineered to use 43 percent less water than buildings of similar size, occupant loads and use. To achieve this goal, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, waterless urinals, and dual-flow flush valves at water closets were used.

Energy-efficient fluorescent lighting and long-life, low-power lamps are used for interior and exterior lighting throughout Mayfair Woods. Additionally, automated building management systems minimize unnecessary power consumption by monitoring occupancy and turning power consumption equipment off when it is not needed. Tenants at Mayfair Woods receive monthly statements of their power usage, allowing them to fine-tune their operations to minimize power use. Efficiencies translate into lower operating expenses which offset costs associated with implementation of design features.

Simple Decisions Create Positive Results

Mayfair Woods’ groundbreaking took place in April 2007 and the first tenants gained occupancy in February 2008. The project was delivered ahead of schedule and within budget. Mayfair Woods was built to showcase how sustainable design decisions can create a positive impact on indoor and outdoor environments.   Irgens knows that even greater progress can be made and will continue to incorporate sustainability principles into future developments.  By doing so, their hope is to provide future tenants and owners with a practical “green” option when choosing their building and the community at large with forward-thinking, environmentally responsible developments.