A winding driveway off Bush Brothers Drive in Augusta, Wisconsin, leads to a new window-clad office addition at Bush Brothers & Company. Nestled among the bean manufacturer’s production plant and warehouses, the building is designed with employees’ needs foremost in mind.

When Bush Brothers contacted Ayres Associates  to design the building, employee interaction was key in Bush Brothers’ leaders vision for the project.

This 25,300-square-foot addition is energy-efficient and generally a pleasant building in which to work.  The design incorporates daylighting, individual controls for office occupants, and recycled and natural materials.  The building also uses an innovative heat recovery system that uses heat from the production of baked beans to heat the building and melt snow and ice from sidewalks and patios.  The building’s features helped this project receive a 2006 Sustainability and Energy Efficiency Leadership Award (Special Citation for Innovative Heat Recovery).