Media contact:
Photos by:
Heather West, 612-724-8760, heather@heatherwestpr.com
Marc Walters Photography
Idaho’s tallest building showcases Wausau’s unitized
curtainwall, a first in the state
Wausau, Wisconsin (Sept. 2014) – Rising above Boise’s skyline to
become the tallest in Idaho, Eighth and Main prominently features
Wausau Window and Wall Systems’ INvision™ Series unitized
curtainwall and ClearStory™ sun shades. The $76 million, 18-story
mixed-use building opened Feb. 15, 2014, and is pursing Silver
certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED®
rating system.
The project’s architect of record, CTA Architects Engineers, not only
designed the superstructure, but also occupies the 8th floor. On the
9th floor are Babcock Design Group’s offices, the architectural firm
that served as the design architect for the overall project and the
building envelope.
Built on a vacant lot known as the “Boise Hole,” the project erased an infamous eyesore from the
city’s downtown. Constructing more than 390,000 square feet of Class A office, retail and restaurant
space, it has brought new tenants and business to Boise’s downtown.
Building owner The Gardner Company, a full service real estate company, prides itself on
partnering with companies that implement the highest of standards. This includes designing and
constructing to LEED criteria, minimizing impact on the environment. To realize The Gardner
Company’s vision, CTA collaborated with Babcock Design Group, general contractor Engineered
Structures Inc. (ESI), plus other key building team members to create a cost-effective, durable and
energy-efficient building.
“Gardner’s vice president of construction, Tom Ahlquist Sr., is very knowledgeable of the building
process and was very hands-on throughout the project,” says Bob Thiede, Wausau’s architectural
sales representative serving Idaho. Respecting Wausau and specialty glazing contractor D&A Glass
Company, Inc.’s contributions to this process and to the all-glass façade, Ahlquist and his team
invited them to participate in the project’s initial design charrette in the winter of 2011.
“This project was the first unitized curtainwall project in
Idaho, and is now the tallest building in Idaho,” adds
Thiede. To better visualize the curtainwall for the Eighth
and Main’s project, Wausau’s team coordinated a trip to
the manufacturing center in Wisconsin and to a similar
installation in New York. Thiede along with Wausau’s
regional sales manager Keith Lindberg and project
manager Dale Cejka, hosted D&A Glass’ owner Denise
Alter and senior project engineer Lester Alter, and
representatives from ESI.
(more)
“The first leg of the tour included an in-depth tour of our LEED-Silver certified manufacturing
facility in Wausau, Wisconsin. We showed them how the unitized curtainwall is engineered,
fabricated and pre-assembled into units. Glazing and sealing in a controlled factory-controlled
environmental ensures that conditions are maintained to achieve the intended performance required
for the project. And the pre-assembled units make the system easy to install on the job site,” notes
Thiede.
In addition to being the first unitized curtainwall application in Boise, it also was D&A Glass’ first
unitized installation. Thiede explains, “Lester started his career in southern California working on
commercial projects, but never had been involved in unitized projects. In addition to witnessing the
installation in New York, Lester traveled to the Phoenix to meet with one of Wausau’s long-time
customers, Dave Tidwell, CEO of KT Fabrication who also has major unitized curtainwall
experience. They discussed logistics and the best practices for setting of unitized panels.”
ESI broke ground on the project in July 2012. By Spring 2013, Wausau’s unitized curtainwall
started arriving at Eighth and Main’s job site pre-engineered and factory-glazed in sequenced
phases. Shipped one lite wide by one floor tall, the interlocking units facilitated speedy installation
by the glazing team. In total, 72,000 square feet of Wausau’s unitized curtainwall, custom canopies
and other finishing details were installed on the building.
“In addition to its aesthetics and performance, we valued the ease of installation and the schedule
enhancement the unitized curtainwall system provided the project,” says David Bowar, ESI’s
project manager.
The southeast corner of the building features Wausau’s unitized curtainwall running the full height
of the building, accented by custom sun shades with integral LED lighting. The remainder of the
tower features the same unitized system in continuous vertical strips installed between glass fiber
reinforced concrete (GFRC) panels. At street level, the first two floors incorporate Tubelite Inc.’s
storefront and entrances.
Supporting the project’s energy-efficient and
environmental attributes, Viracon’s high-performance
insulating, laminated glass was used throughout the
curtainwall, storefront and entrance systems. In addition to
the curtainwall and sun shades, Wausau provided zero
sightline vents, custom interior stools, and other
aluminum-framed architectural building products.
Both Wausau’s and Tubelite’s aluminum extrusions from secondary billet contain at least 70% total
recycled content. Linetec painted all of the aluminum framing in a 70% PVDF finish. This highperformance architectural coating meets the most stringent, exterior, architectural specification,
American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s AAMA-2605. As an environmentally
responsible finisher, Linetec safely captures and destroys the liquid paint’s volatile organic
compounds (VOC) content before the finished material arrives at the job site.
During the project, Wausau’s Cejka and senior engineer Craig Schreiner visited the job site,
conducting inspections to support D&A Glass’ correct installation. “Although this was D&A Glass
Company’s first time working with Wausau’s unit wall, everything ran very smoothly,” said Cejka.
(more)
“It has been our pleasure to work with the Wausau team,” stated D&A Glass’ Denise Alter. “We
could not have made a better choice than Wausau for this project. The expertise, customer service
and true involvement from [their] people have been like no other project we have done. We would
love to do more projects [together] in the future.”
At Eighth and Main’s grand opening
ceremony on Feb. 15, 2014, Boise’s mayor
David H. Bieter praised the building as the
“crown jewel” of the city’s downtown.
Current tenants include: Zions Bank, Holland
& Hart, Parsons Behle & Latimer, A10
Capitol, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Flatbread
Pizza Company, On the Fly Deli and
Zenergy Health Club.
Anchor tenant Zions Bank hosted a free
community grand opening that included
family activities, local food trucks and a rock
concert. Scott Anderson, president and CEO of Zions Bank, noted, “We believe that this epic
celebration is fitting as we close the books on ‘the Hole’ and pay tribute to the beautiful new
building that's taken its place as the tallest in Idaho.”
Eighth and Main, 800 W. Main St., Boise, Idaho 83702
 Owner: Gardner Company; Boise, Idaho; http://www.gardnercompany.net
 Architect of Record: CTA Architects Engineers; Boise, Idaho; http://ctagroup.com
 Design Architect – building envelope: Babcock Design Group; Boise, Idaho, and Salt Lake City;
http://www.babcockdesign.com
 General Contractor: Engineered Structures Inc. (ESI); Meridian, Idaho; http://www.esiconstruction.com
 Glazing contractor: D&A Glass Company, Inc.; Boise, Idaho; http://www.daglass.net
 Glazing systems – curtainwall manufacturer: Wausau Window and Wall Systems, INvision Series
curtainwall and ClearStory sun shades; Wausau, Wisconsin; http://www.wausauwindow.com
 Glazing systems – entrances manufacturer: Tubelite Inc., entrance systems and 400 Series curtainwall;
Walker, Michigan; http://www.tubeliteinc.com
 Glazing systems – glass: Viracon; Owatonna, Minnesota; http://www.viracon.com
 Glazing systems – finisher: Linetec, Wausau, Wisconsin; http://www.linetec.com
 Photographer: Marc Walters Photography
 Video: TreJuice Films, Trevor Atkinson, http://vimeo.com/77342437
Nationally recognized for its innovative expertise, Wausau Window and Wall Systems is an industry leader in
engineering window and curtainwall systems for commercial and institutional construction applications. For
more than 55 years, Wausau has worked closely with architects, building owners and contractors to realize
their vision for aesthetic beauty, sustainability and lasting value, while striving to maintain the highest level of
customer service, communication and overall satisfaction. Wausau is a part of Apogee Enterprises, Inc., a
publicly held, U.S. corporation.
Wausau and its staff are members of the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), the
American Institute of Architects (AIA), the APPA – Leadership in Educational Facilities, the Construction
Specifications Institute (CSI), Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), Glass Association of North America
(GANA), the National Fenestration Ratings Council (NFRC) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
###