Articles
3 February 2012

222 Main

Salt Lake’s Newest High-rise in Photos

by Heidi Kulicke

03 February 2012—

 Nestled in the Salt Lake Valley between the Wasatch Mountains, Great Salt Lake and Oquirrh Mountains lies Salt Lake, a bustling city of commerce with an impressive skyline chock-full of architectural gems. And just added to the city’s treasure chest is downtown’s latest high-rise jewel: 222 Main.

Opening its doors for business in December, the Class A office building is expected to become the first in the Salt Lake Valley built for Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the ground up. 

As the building’s name proclaims, it is located precisely at 222 S. Main Street in the heart of Salt Lake City’s business, financial and judicial districts. The lobby exudes a chic, metropolitan feel with Brazilian cedar walls and stylish, inviting furniture. A cozy fireplace beckons window shoppers in from the harsh chill, and with a large painting by landscape artist Kathleen Lipinski featuring the beauty of Southern Utah’s Zion National Park, one is hardly affected by Utah’s notorious winter weather. 

But even though the finished product looks as if it rose without a hitch, plans to originally build in 1998 were delayed due to leasing turmoil with a neighboring skyscraper, the Wells Fargo Center located at 299 S. Main Street. Now, though, the building is considered a beacon to the city and a model for other sustainable buildings pending completion, including other Downtown Rising projects.

 

Numerous Details, One Goal

From the beginning, 222 Main was designed with LEED certification in mind. All who worked on the building, ranging from the developers, Hamilton Partners; the designers, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; the builders, Okland Construction; and the leasing agency, CB Richard Ellis, worked toward sustainability.

The building’s glass exterior incorporates high performance glazing designed to provide abundant natural light. The 3,665 pieces of glass total 141,242 square feet, which is enough to cover about two-and-a-half football fields. Overhead lights are automatically dimmed to maximize daylight sun. With these features, the projected annual electric energy savings total more than $69,000 once the building is fully occupied. Additionally, high efficiency HVAC systems allow the building to operate 15 percent below Utah’s energy code.

Potable water use for landscape irrigation and internal use has been reduced by 50 percent and 40 percent respectively. All core and exterior materials were constructed with non-toxic or low-volatile organic compound (VOC) adhesives, sealants, paints, carpets and composite wood materials to create a healthy level of indoor air quality.  

Building upkeep will also be green, since the janitorial service Hamilton Partners contracted will use only Green Seal products to clean the common areas.

Wilderness Sanctuary

Hamilton Partners commissioned landscape artist Kathleen Lipinski to create two paintings for the lobby, so Lipinski and her husband hiked around Zion National Park for nine days where they shot 2,000 photos, then narrowed the possibilities down to six. 

From there, Lipinski worked tirelessly on the paintings seven days a week for four months. In spite of the challenges she faced, Lipinski says, “It was an amazing opportunity and I loved every minute of it.” At the grand opening ceremony, she said she hopes the paintings will give viewers a perspective that allows them to celebrate Utah’s beauty and realize the impact wilderness has on everyone. Lipinski, along with the other project contractors, were applauded for their efforts at a ceremony by Gov. Gary R. Herbert. “I commend Hamilton Partners for realizing that this is a good place to do business,” he said. “[222 Main] has close proximity to hotels, restaurants and movie theaters. Other businesses will come here as a result and it will be like a ripple effect, growing Utah’s economy. So to all of those who have been a part of this, I say congratulations.

“Let this be a catalyst for the future of what we want to continue of bigger, better, and greater things,” Herbert added. “This is a great step for us in the state of Utah as we work together for the good of the whole.”

 

Signing On

With some tenants scheduled to occupy the building in January, real estate firms Hamilton Partners and CB Richard Ellis are working to fill 459,000 square feet of office space. As of December, three tenants have leases in the building; the law firm Brinks, Hofer, Gilson & Lione was the first tenant to sign a lease in April 2007. CB Richard Ellis will occupy a floor, and Holland & Hart will occupy the top three floors.

“We appreciate the opportunity to become the anchor tenant of the 222 South Main Tower after several years of exhausting reviews of many downtown Salt Lake City options in hopes of finding the best space to meet our firm’s growing needs,” says Carl Barton, partner with Holland & Hart. “In the end, it was Hamilton Partners’ progressive vision for a beautiful, prominent and state-of-the-art architectural structure with the ability to expand that won us over.”

Bruce Bingham, partner with Hamilton Partners in Salt Lake City, says, “Salt Lake City, with its vibrant downtown business district, has an obvious appeal for businesses and retailers looking for sophisticated space and prominent exposure. We value Holland & Hart as the key anchor tenant in our new property. We will work to make them and other tenants always feel at home in what will be a magnificent addition to Salt Lake City’s skyline.”  

 

222 Main 

• The building will utilize a total of 201 miles of electrical wiring and electronic cable. 

 

• The skeleton of the structure includes 4,843 tons of steel. Placed end-to-end, the 6,257 pieces of steel would stretch 20.75 miles. 

 

• Located in the heart of emerging downtown, 222 Main offers accessibility to TRAX directly in front of the building. 

 

• Please visit www.utahbusiness.com for additional details about 222 Main.


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