Lerdahl Case Study

Tri-North Builders

With three national offices, and licenses to work in 47 states,Tri-North Builders is one of the largest construction companies in the United States. Tri-North prides itself on its reputation as the “Green Building Leader”, and recently built a state-of-the-art Gold LEED Certified corporate headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.

Design Challenge

Lerdahl was asked to execute a comprehensive furniture design for Tri-North’s brand new, state-of-the art Gold LEED Certified corporate headquarters. Their task was to implement furniture designs and finishes that complemented the build-out, and enhanced Tri-North’s “green” aesthetic.
A major portion of the design challenge involved developing two types of private offices—one for project managers, and the other for accounting staff. Tri-North wanted a design that fit together as a cohesive whole, but at the same time had unique functionality for the very different day-to-day work needs of each office type.

The Lerdahl Advantage

Focusing on complementing Tri-North’s Gold LEED Certified building, an emphasis was placed on using wood veneer furniture in the offices, and sourcing products from suppliers within a 500-mile radius whenever possible.  In order to tie the two office types together, open-table desks, and two-toned wood and metallic finishes were used consistently. Implementing the Footprint system from Kimball Office, Lerdahl was able to allow for customization as individual needs dictated. In the project managers’ offices, Lerdahl recommended custom angled work surfaces for the laying out of project plans, teardrop desk surfaces for additional meeting space, and custom storage areas for rolled project drawings. In the accounting offices,
wardrobe storage cabinets replaced plan storage units, and more flat worksurface was provided for equipment. Textured glass overhead doors were also used to set them apart from the project managers’ offices. Xsite workstations from Kimball Office complemented the design in open work areas. From private office furniture, to lounge, break, task, conference, and training room furnishings, Lerdahl’s predominant philosophy was to provide highly functional solutions, complement the aesthetics, and at the same time enhance the “green” principles used in the building design.