Verizon Wireless

When Midwest Wireless, a Mankato-based telecommunications company, asked Paulsen Architects to design their new corporate headquarters, the Paulsen team anticipated the fast-growing company might need additional space in the near future. And while they purposely designed the space to accommodate growth, nobody anticipated they’d be implementing those plans just a few short years after the original building was completed.

Located on the edge of Mankato, near the intersection of two busy highways, the visibility of their company skyrocketed and their already rapidly-growing business took off, exceeding all projections. Their new, state-of-the-art building also helped recruit and retain employees during a competitive time for their industry.

The original facility, completed in 2000, includes executive offices, general offices, conference rooms, public demonstration/technology labs, a customer service response center, lecture facilities, an employee lunchroom and break areas.

In 2004, an expansion nearly doubling their space was completed. The addition includes a company history area, an expansive atrium, a replica of the first wireless tower, an employee break/lounge area including a cafe, an auditorium, a conference and training center and additional office space.

Materials and lighting throughout in each of the addition’s multipurpose spaces takes employees and visitors on a visual journey, successfully capturing their corporate vision, while seamlessly connecting the new space to the existing space.

The building is constructed of gray and black granite pre-cast exterior and features a 300’ radius/150’ long curved glass curtain wall, a 24’ water feature and indoor garden, a circular two-story lobby, from which three wings radiate at 120 degree angles, exterior balconies and a 30’ diameter domed skylight over a three-story atrium.

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