IN-SITU CORPORATE HEADQUATERS
The In-Situ Corporate Headquarters development project started when the company outgrew it location in Laramie, Wyoming and required additional manufacturing space as well as the need to be closer to its vendors. After searching numerous locations, including Boston, Seattle, Denver, and Boulder, the company decided on Fort Collins for its new headquarters due to the strong focus on careful development in the city and the lifestyle that the Front Range offers.
One of the major criteria for selection a site for relocation was to be close to the Old Downtown center of Fort Collins so that employees could walk to lunch and ride bicycles to work. Another consideration was the proximity to the river and natural spaces, which aligns well with the company’s core business of environmental monitoring and protection.
After interviewing multiple potential architectural and construction firms, VaughtFrye Architects and Dohn Construction were selected for the project’s design and construction. The concept for the design of the building had the following key considerations:
- Use of “Colorado Contemporary” design concepts
- Creation of state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities
- Use of the motif of the sloping hills of the Front Range for the roof panels
- Create a multi-story glass atrium for the entrance
- Have a view of the river as you climb the stairs to the second floor
- Have the sound of rushing water from a fresh water feature in the entrance that you would have to step over when entering the building
- Build an 800-gallon saltwater aquarium with live marine ecosystem
- Make large and small conference areas with wall-sized drawing spaces to encourage collaboration and on the site brainstorming
- Use colors, light, and sound to help stimulate creativity
- Reclamate the natural areas and trials adjacent to river
- Install on-site water wells for product testing and training
- Construct second-floor decks for meeting and rest areas that would have views of the river and mountains
McKee Brothers, LLC was incorporated on November 29, 2003 as an offshoot of the In-Situ business to develop this project and to develop other residential and commercial projects with imagination and care for the natural surroundings.
