POWERGRAMS

12 project provided an economic boon for the city. When the 1.2 million-square-foot facility was completed, it boasted the latest energy-efficient features, including the largest thermal storage system in the world at the time. This technology turned water into 600 tons of ice every night and then used a series of coils, fans, ductwork and computers to melt the ice to cool the building during the day. "The advantage was we were building the ice on off-peak hours when electric costs were lower," said retiree Van Horne, who was then Corporate Facilities manager. "We melted the ice during the day, which didn't take any energy other than the electricity needed for pumping the water. It was estimated the system saved $85,000 a year in energy costs." Other unique features were an open-office design and a movable wall system. Cubicles were set up near windows, providing employees with additional light and a view of the outside world, while private offices were situated at the core of the building. A sound-masking system helped ensure employee privacy in the open office areas. The system used background sound to help block low- level conversations. As project manager, Penuel, a retiree since 2002, led the team that coordinated design and construction. During the nine-year project, the team worked 14 to 18 hours a day, six and one-half days each week, with Sunday afternoons as their only off-time. "One of the biggest challenges was keeping a diverse group of people headed in the right direction, and communicating our desires and needs without dampening their creativity, while making sure the result would be appropriate for an electric utility," said Penuel, noting that about 50 consultant groups from across the nation worked on the project. Another challenge, he said, was adding the 900,000-square-foot tower without overwhelming the much-smaller 1925 facility. Employees who played a major role in the new headquarters have many stories to share as they look back on those days. Penuel especially recalls the snowstorm that threw a monkey wrench into the groundbreaking ceremony in March 1983. "We had invited about 800 people and had tents set up outside the building," he said. "When I got up at 5 that morning, it had snowed 6 inches. We had to move the groundbreaking from outside to the 13th floor of the old building. We brought in a 55-gallon drum of sand and had a simulated groundbreaking." Retiree Floyd Harrell remembers the challenges of moving employees into their new offices. Harrell, who served as assistant project manager, was in charge of overseeing work inside the facility and in the parking deck. He traveled the world selecting materials, furnishings and artwork. Harrell said equipping each floor was a 7- to 10-day process. "We had to take a totally vacant floor and bring in all the furnishings and office equipment," he said. "We had the employees who would be on that floor box up their stuff. We sent them home at noon on Friday, and they came back on Sunday afternoon to unpack. I can remember we worked 48 hours straight several times, but we got it done." Dan Yates, Civil Field Services manager, Logan Martin Dam, also has many memories from those days. He was on the team that managed the general contractors and kept them on track while the building was under construction. Because his group previously focused on building power plants, Yates said overseeing work on a high-rise facility like Corporate Headquarters was a new experience. One of the most difficult parts of the job, Yates said, was pumping concrete to the upper floors. The contractors were forced to load the concrete mix into deep wheelbarrows and hand-deliver it to each area under construction. "The location was also somewhat of a challenge," he said. "We were working in the heart of the city and had to deal with traffic and sightseers." Government Affairs Analyst Kathy Yarbrough worked on the lead project team, alongside Penuel and Harrell. "I've always said that was the best job I've ever had because it was so interesting and unique," said Yarbrough. "It was fun, and I met so many great people with great minds and all kinds of talent. We had people from all over the country coming through our office." Although the tower was completed in 1986, work continued for another three years with the renovation of the existing facility. Part of that project focused on redesigning the blue central portion of the building to unify the look of the entire complex. Yarbrough, Yates Powergrams from 1985 Photo by Meg McKinney

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