A (Very Brief) Tour of 125 Years of CSHQA Architecture

The 2014 Calendars are in the mail! 



Celebrating a major milestone in 2014

For those who know them, they are a much anticipated annual tradition.  This year is a little different as 2014 marks the 125th birthday of CSHQA!

Six projects offer a brief tribute to our founders and predecessors, plus a look into the future of design.  From a one-man practice in Idaho Territory to 90+ professionals in six Western states, and from the turreted and storied Idanaha Hotel to the sleek lines of CSHQA Boise, CSHQA designs new and renovated buildings to be lived in, worked in, played in.  Simply... we design spaces for people.

The Idanha Hotel (1900) • Boise, ID

The Idanha was designed by CSHQA's founder William S. Campbell in the French Chateau style, visible in its spires and turrets as well as its notched roofline. The building is architecturally unusual in Boise and is one of the most storied buildings in the city. Three presidents have stayed there (Theodore Roosevelt, Taft and Harrison) and actress Ethel Barrymore. Singer Roger Miller composed the American classic "King of the Road" while staying at the Idanha.

Central Fire Station (1903,1987) • Boise, ID

The Central Fire Station is listed on the National Historic Register. Originally designed by William Stewart Campbell (the founder of CSHQA), it was renovated by CSHQA for our company offices in1986 using the original construction documents. CSHQA received the 1987 Orchid Award from the Idaho Historic Preservation Council for this project.

Boise State University Pavilion (1982) • Boise, ID

Seating 12,000 and featuring numerous amenities, the BSU Pavilion is a regular stop for major attractions and regional sporting events. A true multipurpose facility, the 265,000-sf Pavilion houses the main arena, physical training and players locker rooms, a jogging track on the mezzanine level, student intramural athletic areas, and offices. In the arena a multiple-control lighting system allows selective use of tiered seating.

Boise Art Museum (1998, 2007) • Boise, ID

BAM has been a distinctive Boise landmark for many years. The museum retained CSHQA to develop plans and visual information for a capital campaign outlining their immediate expansion needs and a master plan for future needs.  The expansion added 13,300-sf and converted 3,325-ft of existing space to new uses. This enhanced the museum’s exhibition and educational services and provided administrative and storage space for new activities as well as displayed art collections. CSHQA’s 2007 redesign included an art storage vault and climate control equipment to ensure the appropriate strict levels of air filtration, temperature and relative humidity needed to preserve sensitive works of art.

CSHQA Boise Office (2013) • Boise, ID

CSHQA renovated a 19,745-sf, 1950s, brick and CMU warehouse property into a modern, state-of-the-art space. Significant sustainable design elements include: radiant slab heating and cooling connected to city geothermal system, extensive daylight harvesting, automated lighting and dimming systems, 27 different LED fixture types, sustainable landscaping and permeable paver storm water management, low-use water fixtures, bike storage and shower/locker facilities, and a highly energy efficient building envelope. The project is LEED registered with the goal of achieving LEED platinum.

Idaho State Capitol Building Historic Renovation (2009) • Boise, ID

After a century of use, neglect and countless modifications which eroded the historical character of the building, CSHQA brought the 200,000-sf building back to its former grandeur by restoring the historical elements of the building, preserving the integrity of the existing materials and rehabilitating the spaces for contemporary uses. Exterior, interior and site work stabilized the building and its systems, and infrastructure was upgraded addressing life safety and accessibility. The former dark and dreary basement was transformed into a light-filled space now serving as the primary public entrance. The project connects the Capitol to two, new 50,000-sf underground wings which complement the original building while providing additional office and meeting space for legislators, staff, and citizens without changing the overall appearance of the Capitol from the street. This was the largest non-highway public works endeavor in state history.

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8 Very Cool Things about CSHQA Boise



CSHQA Boise Entry and Front Desk

We've settled in, learned the ropes and nearly dialed in the control systems for heating, lighting, ventilation and even the alarm system. What an amazing space of sophisticated and sustainable design and brilliant engineering. Here’s a quick tour of my favorites:

1. Cool foyer.
2. All of our work stations are on one floor in a big, open, collaborative space. Makes you feel truly connected and part of the energy.

3. Our ‘deli’ is bright and sunny and a nice place to eat lunch or take some time away. Come spring the patio will be extra nice.

4. The Big Kahuna – CSHQA Conference Room. It’s the largest of 5 meeting spaces.

5. Cool, filtered water that tastes great! A counter shows how many plastic bottles we have saved from a landfill.

6. Lavender plants – still blooming in November! Along the western wall of the access ramp.

7. Green and then some! This is one of five greens to be found on the northern interior wall. It's our own custom color. 2b is shorthand for Second & Broad Streets.

8. My total geek out room – the Mechanical Room. These five pumps help circulate glycol through 4.6 miles of pex under the concrete slab floor to warm or cool our space.

Thank You to Our Partners on 200 Broad St.

Almost one year ago to the day (9.27.12) Kent Hanway invited the CSHQA staff to meet at an old warehouse about three blocks east of our then current location. It wasn’t much to look at – concrete floors, warehouse doors and a few odd walls, pink insulation and bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, and concrete columns encased in banged-up bumpers. He explained the decision to make this space our future office and told us “This is our opportunity to transform a space and show what we can accomplish with our skills and creativity.  It's up to us.”

Today we still have concrete floors and columns, but WOW! 2│b has come a long way!  As we finish the final touches, we have many people to thank.  This very cool, very sustainable office is the result of a lot of hard work by CSHQA designers and staff, plus our construction and vendor partners led by general contractor Jordan-Wilcomb Construction, Inc. Thank you all! –

Reducing Our Footprint II - Space Planning Decisions Focus on Daylight and Collaboration

The CSHQA space plan is driven by three organizing factors:  (1) The most advantageous entry sequence originates on the corner of 2nd & Broad Streets.  (2) Workstations take first priority in natural and day-lighting considerations.  (3) Everything has to fit within 19,100 sf.

The covered patio doubles as an entry sequence and outdoor space for staff.  Adjacent spaces (lobby, front desk, conference rooms, break room, restrooms, and interior design library) radiate from this corner to take advantage of natural light from south and east.

In a decision made by the full ownership, only corporate officers have private offices – and they’re not aligned along windows as one might expect in outmoded, hierarchical thinking.  The row of three offices and two conference rooms serves to delineate ‘front of house’ public spaces and the main working area.  Skylights, clerestory windows and glass walls ensure these spaces have ample natural light.

The second entry/egress near the windowless west wall [lower left on plan] became the second jumping off point for adjacent spaces.  Non-occupied storage, equipment and restroom spaces hug the west wall.  The plan/archive room totals about half the size of our former copy/storage space in the basement of CW Moore. 

The final part of the space plan, about which everything revolves, is the open work space.  Natural light flows through the entire space.  Openness and stimulating collaboration were high priorities for the design team.  The ownership determined that all workstations would be one size, reducing the space of about 40% of our current cubicles.  This choice enabled the plan to accommodate a build-out of 80 cubicles, five informal meeting tables and a hoteling station that accommodates up to 12.  It was also decided to eliminate the overhead bins to further strengthen the open work concept. –

'2|b' Space Plan Legend

Work Stations—80 work stations, 5 informal meeting spaces (tables for 6), hoteling station (plug & play for 12)

Offices/Conf. Rooms—Offices and conference rooms, interior design library with meeting space

Main Entry—Patio, entry, front desk, lobby

Amenities—Staff break room, secure bike storage, restrooms, lockers, showers, telephone rooms

Support Spaces—Mechanical room, telecom/electrical room, covered trash, storage, print and archive

How CSHQA is Reducing Our Footprint Part I

If your office went (almost) paperless, how many trucks of recylable paper might you fill?

On the eve of our move to new offices at 2^nd & Broad I am both excited and amazed.  The choice to remodel a 50+ year-old warehouse was gutsy – kudos to our leadership.  But the steadfast commitment to this sustainable choice and all its ramifications borders on the epic.  Walking the talk involves three stages:  Reduce what you have, design for smaller, work smarter.

Reducing What You Have

Purge the archive.  When you’re pushing 125 years old you have some stuff in storage.  We wish it could have been a treasure trove of antiques.  It was a behemoth of paper.  Files, drawings, documents.  Sorting, scanning and shredding these documents was a nearly full time job for two people for more than a year.  2 man years.  That didn’t include the paper in everyone’s desk or personal flat file.  We each worked on that bit-by-bit for several weeks.

Recycle.  We have a paper-recycling cart nearly the size of a Mini Cooper.  At the peak of the office purge it was full every day for a month.  A typical dump truck holds 27 cubic yards of material.  I think it’s safe to say, including the archives, we filled the equivalent of three or four dump trucks with recyclable paper, magazines, files and drawings collected over several decades.  I think it’s also safe to say we will never repeat this feat.  Digital applications, storage hardware and the cloud are finally catching up with the reflexive tendency to hit the print button.  We truly are thinking twice.

Repurpose.  Admin set up a give-away table.  The only caveat – the new owner had to take it home, NOT to the new office.  House plants, dishes, paper goods, carpet samples, books, binders, jewel cases, small lamps, foot rests, posters, pictures, funky awards, and a crock pot(!) all found new homes.  Excess furniture, chairs, desk lamps, shelves, monitors, old computers…they found new homes too, by donation or contribution to the party fund.

Go paperless.  For some time CSHQA has made a concerted effort to print only when needed, edit in digital, store final copies on the server, and skip in the in-house copies on everything from timecards to proposals.  More software, more training?  Perhaps.  Greater efficiency?  Absolutely.

It’s been a liberating experience, seeing the nearly ‘empty’ desks poised for moving day.  It’s a good thing, too, because space-wise our new office definitely has to do more with less.  Today we have a staff of 70 in about 18,800 sf, plus an additional 12,000 sf of shared building amenities that include bike storage, lockers, trash room, server room, conference center and penthouse patio.  So, roughly 30,000 sf of accessible space.  The new office of 19,100 sf will accommodate up to 90 and still include conference, bike, trash, server, and patio amenities.  Learn how we designed for this smaller footprint in Part II. 

Design Leaders for 2nd & Broad Office are on the Move!



Design Leaders for CSHQA's new Boise office at 2nd & Broad



Project Leaders for the New CSHQA Office:  Mandie Brozo, Architecture; Nicole Cecil, ASID, Interior Design; Ted Isbell, AIA, Project Architect; Dan Pirc, Electrical Engineering; Jeff Ward, PE, Civil Engineering; Jay Romlein, RCDD/OSP, Telecommunications Engineering; Russ Pratt, PE, Mechanical Engineering.  Not pictured:  Kyle Hemly, ASLA, Landscape Architect, Tim Higley, PMP, Project and Relocation Manager Extraordinaire!

Moving day is almost here.  Our scheduled day is Friday, July 19 and the people pictured above are very busy seeing to the last details.  A six-month retrofit schedule is coming down to the wire with experienced builders, vendors, utilities employees and permitting authorities all doing their part.

We started with a rough and ready warehouse with good bones and now we’re less than a month away from a high performance office building with outstanding features.  Cosmetic surgeons have nothing on this team!  I asked the design leaders what element they are most looking forward to seeing and using in the new building:

Ted – The daylight, the environment and bringing everyone together in one space.

Mandie – Daylighting, and a more open space for collaboration.

Russ – Radiant heating and cooling!

Dan – Daylighting and dimmers on lamps for every-day energy efficiency.

Jay – The ‘El Commo Cave’, the electrical and telecom room to delight any engineer!

Jeff – Permeable pavers that improve drainage on Broad Street and reduce water added to the public sewer system.

Nicole – The opportunity to showcase creative materials and work in a sustainable, healthy environment.

Kyle – Indoor bike storage, showers and locker room.

Tim – 90 fully functional work stations with nothing more to move, store, stage, archive, auction or give away… –

Retail Trends, Part III – Hispanic Shopping Malls



Hispanic Shopping Malls provide event spaces as well as entertainment and shopping experiences.

In Part I Craig Slocum, AIA covered general trends; in Part II I introduced the fastest growing segment – Hispanic Shopping Malls.  In Part III we delve deeper into how successful developers are responding to the Hispanic trend.

Demographics.  Smart developers study the local demographic and adjust days and hours of operation to reflect the culture.  In Hispanic culture extended family units spend time together and of the 50 million Hispanics in the US today 25% are under 18.  The younger population especially enjoys "domingeo" or hanging out.  Hispanic malls are open late, until 9 or 10 pm, and definitely on Sundays.

Culture.  Mall owners pay for entertainment and host community events.  They observe and celebrate Latin holidays and customs in plaza spaces built for entertainment, music, dancing and participatory activities.  Pool tables, foos ball and big slides entertain multiple generations, and ample benches and chairs are provided for customers to sit and linger.

The right retail mix.  In Phoenix, Arizona at the Desert Sky Mall Hispanic-centric stores are mixed with major retailers with training available for mainstream retailers to learn more about Latino preferences and purchasing styles.  An empty 77,000 sf Mervyns was re-purposed into a traditional Latin Mercado housing 220 small shops.  These shops include fast-food and bakeries, beauty salons and flower shops, carnicerias or meat markets, and many other retailers.  Short-term and temporary leases are offered and the Mercado acts as an incubator for new stores to get their footing before moving to the regular mall.  The mainstream theater company was replaced with Cinema Latino.

Ideal locations.  Many Hispanic malls have been situated in older malls where the previous management failed to acknowledge changing demographics and then lost market share.  These ‘distressed retail’ locations may not be poor locations after all.  Sometimes all they need is the right vision.  –

Jorge Pierson, AIA, LEED AP is an Associate with CSHQA and Regional Manager of CSHQA's Phoenix office.  He has practiced architecture in Phoenix for over 30 years providing planning, design and project management of retail, resort, residential and industrial projects throughout the Southwest.