Seattle-Based Security Firm WatchGuard Gets New Headquarters

DPR kept a close eye on the schedule of the interior buildout of the 82,000-sq.-ft. headquarters for WatchGuard Technologies, a company that protects businesses and guards their transactions and communications. DPR delivered three floors in 87 days, 10 days earlier than the client had originally requested—all this, despite some “up and down” coordination challenges at the 10-story 505 Union Station building in downtown Seattle. “After the project started, the move-in date got pushed up,” said Joel Rohrs, DPR Project Manager. “The client asked what we could do to complete the project sooner than 97 days without disturbing their people and flow of operation.”

DPR’s single greatest test—and critical to its cutting 10 days from the original schedule—was to work with the general contractor of the shell and core to coordinate access to the freight elevator for DPR crews. As it turned out, DPR and its subs, which were responsible for new lighting, mechanical, fire protection, framing and drywall, and finish carpentry, had access only between 5 and 7 a.m. and after 2:30 p.m. DPR conquered that challenge with its communication and negotiation skills and completed the substantive portion of the 14-week job in 12 weeks.

Adding to the difficulty of the project was the absence of plumb walls. That challenge was alleviated somewhat by the upbeat and quirky design, which provided the crews with extra motivation. “The guys were not used to framing like this, but the fun part of doing the drywall and framing was to see how quick and creative we could be,” said Rohrs. Working on an inventive but informal project with the owner and the designer, Scott Cameron of Paper Scissors + Stone, was a rewarding experience for the DPR crew. “The cooperative team spirit led directly to a successful and beautifully designed space,” added Rohrs. The end result was a vibrant expanse of color and energy, sprinkled with islands of calm and set off with imaginative accents.

WatchGuard, which provides products and services that protect computer networks from intruders, also offers user authentication and data encryption software for virtual private networks. Providing for its large server room, LAN and quality control room meant significant structural upgrades. Crews had to reroute systems within the building, coordinate upgrades on all three floors (access to the fourth floor was from the third) including the placement and layout of girders to support the new infrastructure, and coordinate with the fire protection contractor on the installation of the company’s FM 200 fire system.

Impressed with DPR’s ability to shave 10 percent off the original schedule and deliver the completed three floors early, WatchGuard retained DPR to build out a fourth floor. “We also got positive feedback from the owner and designer on our preconstruction services,” said Rohrs. “We had weekly meetings the month before the project started, and our customer satisfaction survey showed these were a major factor in the success of the project.”