J.F. Brennan

La Crosse, WI

Set along the Black River, J.F. Brennan’s headquarters stand out amongst its neighboring industrial properties.

With large bands of windows circling the building’s exterior, natural light bathes all three floors with stunning views of the water, replacing a variety of outdated and obsolete office spaces with a building fit for a marine construction company.

The impressive main entrance sets the tone for the modern, yet classic, concept Brennan sought for its 28,971-square-foot office building.

From the lobby, visitors catch a glimpse into the high-tech dispatch center and what it takes to coordinate with ports across the Midwest. Through stairwells decorated with waterway maps and historic photographs, the second and third floors contain open office work stations, private offices, and flexible seating for transient personnel. Large, tall tables allow for collaboration over rolled out plans between engineers and project managers while five conference rooms throughout the building accommodate larger group meetings. As a marine construction and cleanup company, Brennan desired an office building reflecting its waterway values, making LEED certification a project priority. In order to balance performance, energy use, and costs, a high-performance lighting strategy is implemented. The installed wattage of the building is 30 percent better than the code maximum of one watt per square foot while providing quality space lighting for building occupants. The headquarters received the United States Green Building Council LEED Silver certification.