JAMS Offices
San Jose, CA
Started
2011
Completed
2012
Size
17,000 square feet
Cost
$1.5 million
Building Type
Commercial office space
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Founded in 1979, JAMS is an international, nonprofit alternative dispute resolution firm specializing in high-end arbitration and conflict resolution. When it opened the bidding on the construction of its new penthouse offices in a high-rise in downtown San Jose, Graham says Vulcan Construction used its expertise with and knowledge of the building to win the contract. Vulcan Construction then promised—and delivered—on a 12-week turn-around, all while honoring the inherent intricacies of its client’s work environment.
Due to the sensitive work performed by JAMS, the San Jose offices needed to function both practically and aesthetically as secure and calming spaces. “JAMS needed a lot of conference rooms, break-out rooms, client meeting areas, and they also placed a major emphasis on their lobby,” Graham says.
Vulcan Construction used a wide range of custom materials to give the new offices a sleek, professional, and natural aesthetic, including custom anigre wood millwork, custom lighting, and terrazo flooring. “I’m really happy with the millwork for the project,” Graham says. “You get a lot of pride from working with these craftsmen who are able to put everything together in this unique way. I think that everyone did an exceptional job on these offices.”
As a design-build firm, Vulcan Construction was able to oversee the completion of the project’s finest details. “There were even custom tables built for the offices,” Graham says. “JAMS uses these as a focal point for their rooms.”
Custom water features and other white-noise systems are interspersed throughout the offices because “‘confidentiality’ is a key word for the JAMS offices,” Graham says. “For this project, it was essential that everything fit together while also serving to control sound levels and transfer.” The incorporation of such features not only works to soothe often-tense arbitration sessions; it also aids in controlling sound levels and mitigating sound transfer between rooms. The conference rooms are gated with custom doors for the same reason.
The clients also wanted the offices to have an efficient HVAC system. “Because of the caliber of clientele that are using these offices, climate control was a priority,” Graham says. The offices now have a system that effectively provides climate control without interfering with other practical office features.
Because Vulcan Construction only had 12 weeks to complete the project, the primary challenge for the JAMS offices was to complete the work prior to the scheduled move-in date. “We can’t do any construction after the tenant moves in,” Graham says. “Our goal like this is to always complete the punch list prior to the date the tenant moves in.”
Vulcan Construction did finish on time, though, and the work on the San Jose offices was so good that the design-build firm became JAMS’s official national contractor. Vulcan Construction has since completed new JAMS offices in Las Vegas, and it has also begun work in Miami and New York.
The San Jose offices, Graham says, reflect Vulcan Construction’s ability to draw diverse resources into a cohesive, functional whole. “Everyone put their best foot forward for this project,” he says. “We strive to have a zero-item punch list, and we were really able to accomplish that with this project.” ABQ
