Delta Dental of Iowa added onto their existing corporate headquarters at their highly-visible site along Interstate 80. With this addition, company leadership’s intention was that the building itself would become an economic branding and promotional device — architecture as advertisement — aimed directly at the millions of motorists who travel this stretch of interstate each week. The facility is located in a suburban office park with an extensive network of walking paths and is next to a landscaped pond.

Baker Group designed and installed the building’s plumbing, HVAC, and building automation systems.  Highlights of the system include an energy efficient geothermal HVAC system that serves the apartments.  This system helped the client achieve their LEED and sustainability goals while also saving 30%-40% energy usage vs. the ASHRAE baseline. The mechanical design also utilized an ERV to recover the energy from the exhaust systems before they exited the building.