When the Delta Dental executive team sought the most appropriate architectural firm for its $85 million project – which will bring an estimated 150 new knowledge-based jobs such as actuaries, accountants, and technology specialists to the site over the next 10 years – it surveyed many local firms, and the Kahn name kept coming up. Though Delta Dental thoroughly reviewed numerous other options, Kahn became its obvious choice – though not just because headquarters buildings and data centers have become one of its niche specialties, or because it had already created a master plan for an insurance company in nearby DeWitt Township, Michigan, or even because a shared client had recommended Kahn without reservation.

“The key from the very beginning was that Kahn was inspirational,” says Charles Floyd, the Delta Dental Executive Vice President overseeing the project. “Their work resonated with us, and it gave us confidence that they could create the structure we wanted. We came to believe they had the ability to create a timeless design.”

Strategic and Surprising

It may please Kahn to know it instilled such confidence and inspiration – but that’s not necessarily what it was after.

“We want our planning and design to create strategic advantages for our clients in meeting their business goals,” explains Alan Cobb, Kahn’s Senior Vice President and Director of Design, Architecture and Sustainability. “Delta Dental has experienced solid growth but it expects continued significant expansion, both regionally and nationally. We wanted to build facilities with natural efficiencies, but with the kind of environment a knowledge-based workforce expects. The office setting needs to respond to what drives them. It must meet their needs without encumbrance.”

Kahn’s design focused on creating a campus that would attract the best and brightest employees – a flexible plan permitting both incremental growth and downsizing potential, and one that would enhance Delta Dental’s image, connect it to the community, and be built in an environmentally sensitive manner, incorporating the best sustainability practices. Its team of architects and engineers has given the location a campus-like feel, and they’ve implemented a phasing strategy to minimize disruption and enable relatively normal operations throughout the construction period.

“The most surprising part of this process has been the number of design and construction options they’ve brought to the table,” says Floyd. “They’ve got some incredibly creative people, and every time I sit down with them I’m impressed by their ability to understand our needs and desires and translate them into creative ideas. They’re a great team, and they’re a very diverse team. What I like is we can get in a room and we can have some discourse, but it’s always in the best interests of Delta Dental. I’ve just enjoyed working with these folks immensely.”

Floyd also recognizes what Kahn and Delta Dental have in common.

“We both under-promise and over-deliver,” he says. “We’re in an industry that is somewhat mature and Kahn is in a difficult commercial construction climate and we both understand and appreciate that taking care of existing customers is critical. The way they deal with their customers is what keeps their customers.”

Genuine and Everlasting

Kahn knows that good corporate citizenship is part of Delta Dental’s core. In 2006 alone, Delta Dental – through its community benefits programs – gave more than $1.4 million to initiatives that improve health and strengthen communities. Since 2000 it has administered Michigan’s Healthy Kids Dental program, which provides dental coverage to nearly 300,000 at-risk young people, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Community Health.

“Part of the Delta Dental ethic is to invite the community in,” says Cobb, and the Kahn team yearned to solidify Delta Dental’s reputation as a community cornerstone by creating even more opportunities for people to share in the beauty and opportunities the campus could offer.

“This is a wellness company,” says Cobb. “The idea of creating an environmentally-friendly campus appealed to them in every way.”

A storm water management system – including a green roof, bioswales, and rain gardens – will filter and reuse rainwater for the irrigation of a sustainable habitat rejuvenated with indigenous Michigan prairie grasses, wildflowers, and trees. And a native wildlife habitat will be developed and maintained.

Walkways aplenty promote employee wellness, and selected building materials and design systems and solutions improve employee health by reducing pollution, increasing exposure to natural daylight, improving ventilation, and generally providing a work environment that is both healthier and more stimulating.

“This building is in many respects a statement on Delta Dental’s presence – and our permanence,” says Floyd. “We want people to feel confident when they drive by our headquarters that we’re a substantial company that will be here tomorrow and that we’ve made a commitment to the State of Michigan and to the local community and its people.”

Kahn is providing master planning, schematic design, design development, construction documentation development, commissioning, construction administration, and field representation services for this project.