Poettker Construction Company has partnered with architecture and interior design firm Oculus Inc. to design and build a new corporate headquarters and warehouse in the company’s hometown of Breese, Ill. To celebrate continued growth and commitment to the local workforce, Poettker hosted employees and their guests, local dignitaries and the area business community for a special ground-breaking ceremony of the new corporate headquarters on Monday, July 9th.

“In 2018 we’re celebrating our 38th year in business and there is no better way to honor our company culture, community and longtime employees than a beautiful new headquarters that reflects our roots in our hometown of Breese,” said Keith Poettker, President of Poettker Construction Company. “We chose local firms and consultants throughout the development of our vision and their participation has been key to the high quality of the final product. We’re very proud of our collaboration with Oculus in creating a building design that echoes our past and our hometown as it positions us to compete better in the future.”

“Working with Poettker to bring a new, state-of-the-art facility in the Breese community is a joy,” said Ron Reim, Executive Vice President and Co-founder of Oculus Inc. “They wanted the aesthetic of their new headquarters to complement the history and values of the community. That moved us to consider the beauty and functionality of old German livestock and grain barns—seamless with the setting, beautiful to look at, and 100% functional.” Reim continued, “The new headquarters design captures the special Poettker company heritage, respects its setting and will showcase Poettker’s outstanding craftsmanship and construction capabilities.”

Architectural and structural detailing unique to historic German “bank barns”—barns built into a bank or hillside – served as inspiration for the new headquarters design. Like most traditional bank barns, the headquarters features a central building with high ceilings and exposed connections with interrelated structures adjacent and connected to the central structure. To achieve the earthen bank aesthetic of traditional barns, Oculus Inc. worked closely with local landscaping company, Outdoor Creations, to create a drop off exterior at the back of the building. The back features a walk-out basement with a covered gallery that echoes passages built on the sheltered sides of German barns. The gallery leads to a walkway surrounding an existing lake. The design calls for materials and finishes that recall the textures of a working barn: stone foundations and signature walls, tongue and groove wood and metal fittings. The sharp pitch in the spine of the central roof is reminiscent of traditional barn roofs and serves as a core visual element that pulls the side structure together into a unified, organic whole.

Aviston, Ill.-based Netemeyer Engineering Associates Inc. served as civil engineer for the new headquarters design.  IMEG provided structural engineering services and BRiC Partnership served as the MEPFP coordinator. Outdoor Creations based in Breese, Ill. will provide landscape services.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the new headquarters took place just south of Poettker Construction Company located at 380 S. Germantown Road, Breese, Ill., 62230, with a reception immediately following at Breese Jaycee Park.

The new headquarters will be completed in Summer 2019.

 

ABOUT POETTKER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY

Founded in 1980, Poettker Construction is a second generation family-owned and veteran-owned business that specializes in construction management, design/build, and general contracting services with an emphasis to exceed the client’s expectations. The company prides itself on building long-lasting relationships with their clients, business partners and the communities in which they work. Our reputation of providing superb customer-focused services has allowed us to grow our business primarily through repeat clients and referrals in the commercial, education, federal government, healthcare, industrial, recreational, retail, and utility markets. Poettker provides a safe working environment for 124 full-time employees. www.poettkerconstruction.com.

 

ABOUT OCULUS INC.

Oculus Inc. delivers comprehensive architecture, interior, planning and move management services that support business change and promote business value. Founded in 1994, Oculus creates high-performance design for national and international clients in the commercial, education, government, healthcare, hospitality, restaurant, and retail markets from offices in St. Louis and Dallas, and in Portland, Ore. through Staicoff Design Company, a division of Oculus. Oculus is WBE-Certified and regularly cited in top industry rankings for retail architecture and design, sustainability, interior design and overall growth. www.oculusinc.com.