ONSET FINANCIAL

St. George, Utah

BEST PROJECT

Submitted by: Okland Construction

OWNER Onset Financial/Asilia Investments

LEAD DESIGN FIRM Axis Architects

GENERAL CONTRACTOR Okland Construction

CIVIL ENGINEER Alpha Engineering

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER MJ Structural Engineers

MEP ENGINEER PVE

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Spectrum Engineers


A four-story corporate headquarters that is designed to integrate with the unique landforms of southern Utah provides employees with unencumbered views of the neighboring bluffs and the peaks of Snow Canyon in the distance.

Scope of work included 53,000 sq ft of office space and 4,500 sq ft of outdoor terraces. Across the entire project, crews placed 3,300 cu yd of concrete and installed 374 pieces of exterior glass. West-facing glass walls include 14-in. mullion extensions that help shield the building from the intensity of the low angle sun. Additionally, the project required moving 30,000 cu ft of dirt and installing 4,000 linear ft of utilities.

ONSET FINANCIAL

Photo courtesy Okland Construction

The building’s offset floor design posed alignment issues that complicated design, engineering and construction. In plan, the building is based on a simple coffin-shaped structural form. Each floor then shifts approximately 15 degrees from this base structure. The shifted geometry is supported by piers that become angular elements that further inform the building’s shape. Each floor is partially one shift and partially another, taking the conventional office form and slightly modifying it as the building grows in height. Each shift then generates the unique outdoor shaded terraces.

An 18-ft-tall seawall is engineered to withstand significant force should the Santa Clara River ever flood. However, seawall construction had to be completed to protect the property before work could begin on the main building.

Notable construction strategies included the use of rammed aggregate piers, which increased the site’s soil-bearing pressure from 1,500 psi to 7,000 psi to ensure a stable foundation. BIM coordination facilitated the precise placement of structural and MEP elements. Slip forms expedited construction of the concrete stair towers and elevator core as well, while cassette mechanical units provide efficient HVAC without the need for extensive ductwork.

Crews used Prodeq, a spray-applied waterproofing liquid, which replaced costly stainless steel basins for the project’s water features while ensuring durability. Large landscape rocks offer aesthetic appeal and protect against vehicle intrusion at a lower cost than traditional bollards.