The Project

Located on over 4.5 acres in the heart of Black Forest, Colorado, the two-story office building sports exterior and interior metal finishes and comfortable yet provocative space for S-5! The adjacent support building houses the company’s video training center, a prototype shop and test facilities.

The office space is a true representation of the beauty of Black Forest with design elements unique to the area and throughout Colorado, yet also expresses commercial and industrial elements representative of the industry S-5! serves — a goal for owner Rob Haddock.

The use of native timber and natural moss rock is harmonious with the rustic mountain rural and local architecture. Corten steel, sometimes known as weathered steel, also provides a rustic appearance to the building exterior. The office features a pre-painted Galvalume Drexel Metals 24-gauge, low-gloss black PVDF standing seam roof supported by hand-peeled log trusses, and it was roll-formed on-site using a New Tech Machinery roof panel machine.

Just outside the city limits of Colorado Springs, Colorado, the building’s interior features comfortable yet efficient workspaces and a familial environment with enough room for the business to grow. With gathering places for staff to visit and collaborate, the building clearly reflects the company’s culture, ethos, style and persona.

Photo courtesy of S-5!

The Challenge

Many roadblocks were encountered from conception to completion, but a clear vision, persistence and perseverance paved the way for what is now an office that many business owners could only dream of.

To begin, finding a location in Black Forest that was suitable was no easy feat. After nearly 10 years of searching, Haddock approached the veterinarian who owned the animal clinic that had burned to the ground during the Black Forest Fire of 2013. He sold the property to Haddock, and an architect began the plans for the new corporate office in 2018.

In 2019, construction of the support building began, and it was completed roughly 18 months later. Then, construction on the main office building began.

Several stressful situations occurred throughout the entire process of the office build, from formal rezoning to issues with fire protection to escalated costs due to COVID to material and subcontractor availability, plus more, including the unexpected passing of the principal architect.

In terms of aesthetics, it was a challenge to blend rustic with modern; homelike with industrial; pragmatic with functional and old country-style appointments. This was executed as a team effort between Haddock; his wife, Robyn; and local interior designer Candace Wilcken.

Photo courtesy of S-5!

The Solution

The S-5! corporate office space is the achievement of a lifelong dream for Haddock. In search of a workplace that “feels like home and a family gathering place,” Haddock wanted to blend into Black Forest in a “tasteful and non-intrusive, non-disruptive way and wanted it to feel like it ‘belongs’ here, not stuck here.” Having spent the past 50 years as a proud resident and active member of the community, it was imperative for him that his new office be constructed in Black Forest.

The site is at 7,500 feet elevation and is known for heavy snowfall, so structure and snow retention were over-designed for 40+ pounds per square foot. The office design has dual shed roofs offset by a clerestory. The support building has a gambrel roof typical of traditional barn architecture. Three different snow-guard systems were utilized to showcase some of S-5!’s most popular systems.

On the south side of the office building, S-5! X-Gard 2.0 was used to accommodate the rooftop solar installation. The north office roof below the clerestory showcases S-5! DualGard. Both systems are powder-coated in black to match the roof color. The adjacent support building features S-5! ColorGard, which allows for an aesthetically pleasing finish and color matching the deep gray of the pre-painted Galvalume roof.

The south side of the office features a 53-kilowatt solar array mounted with the company’s PVKIT direct-attach solar mounting solution. The PV system will provide 84 megawatt hours annually and — together with energy-saving lighting and climate — controls up to 75 percent of the facility’s power.

Photo courtesy of S-5!

Project Team

Architect: PWN Architects and Planners, Inc. from Denver
Construction Manager: Construction Management Group of CO from Colorado Springs
Roofing Contractor: Weathercraft Company from Colorado Springs
Roof Attachments: S-5!
Solar Developer: Spear Commercial & Industrial from Texas
Module Manufacturer: Trina
Inverter Manufacturer: Enphase