Vaisala to break ground on new Louisville headquarters June 1

LOUISVILLE — Vaisala Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of a Finland-based provider of weather, environmental and industrial measurements, will break ground June 1 on its new North American headquarters building in Louisville. The facility, first announced in April 2018, will encompass 38,000 square feet.

The building will be located at 152 S. Taylor Ave., adjacent to the company’s current leased building at 194 S. Taylor Ave., eventually creating an indoor/outdoor campus for customers, employees, researchers and partners, according to a press release from OZ Architecture of Denver and Boulder, which is designing the structure. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2020.

OZ described the building as “paying homage to Vaisala’s Scandinavian headquarters with crisp, modern, minimalist spaces.” The project also will be net-zero-ready, due to its sustainable-design elements.

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Vaisala’s new building will house the majority of the company’s 150 Colorado-based employees, and it will serve as Vaisala’s new regional conference and training center, where customers and researchers will visit from around the world.

The topography of the Rocky Mountains inspired the building’s exterior design, with an expansive sloping roof feature oriented to bring mountain views throughout the building. The facility also will include a rooftop patio, allowing access to the outdoors. A pocket park to the rear of the building will provide employees and guests with additional options to access the outdoors.

The building will include high-tech conference and training spaces, a board room, employee break rooms and hoteling spaces for flexible work stations. Interiors will include natural elements of steel, wood, sunlight and earth.

OZ said the building will be sustainably constructed, foregoing steel for the floor assembly in favor of cross-laminated timber — a wood-based sustainable material. The building also will include a highly efficient heating and cooling system, extra insulation, low-e glass throughout the building’s extensive windows and glass walls and advanced water-saving fixtures.

“The new building that expands our Louisville campus is an extension of our brand and our business: technologically advanced, highly sustainable, steeped in natural elements, welcoming and modern,” T.J. Mattimore, president of Vaisala Inc., said in a prepared statement. “OZ’s design expresses our corporate values while delivering an inspiring atmosphere for employee productivity and customer interaction. We’re excited for Vaisala’s future in Colorado.”

Jen Furnoso, project architect for OZ, said the building drew from Vaisala’s “commitment to sustainability and modernity.”

“We’re excited to have designed one of the state’s most energy-efficient buildings, and Vaisala is the perfect occupant because this ethos is part of their core values, while they are dedicated to providing wonderful spaces for employees and customers alike,” Furnoso said.