Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery

Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Areas of Expertise: Fire Protection, HVAC and Plumbing

As a partner early on, Hooper helped develop the design documents and specifications for WID. In addition, we challenged every aspect of typical HVAC, plumbing and fire protection design to create the best system installation possible at a competitive cost. With immense prior lab experience, Hooper was able to identify and use unique plumbing systems, though more expensive initially, that guaranteed a higher lifetime value.

Sustainable building on the project was a priority, and WID was designed to achieve Leadership in Engineering and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification. The building was designed to use 50 percent less water and energy than typical UW-Madison laboratory facilities. Hooper Corporation assisted in the design and installation of “green” features at WID, including a geothermal well system, solar hot-water heating, storm flow irrigation, sustainable materials, gray water use for irrigation, and high efficiency water flow fixtures.

Collaboration across the entire construction team was led by the joint venture, Findorff-Mortenson. Hooper Corporation and Westphal & Company, Inc. combined to form the Building Information Model team responsible for all mechanical construction of the building. Upon completion, the construction teams’ efforts were recognized with numerous industry awards including Best Green-Built Project and Project of the Year by InBusiness magazine.