Architect Architects West
Owner Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Size 9,000 sf
The Wildhorse Resort & Casino is a popular regional tourist destination. They have beautiful, modern facilities, and wanted a golf clubhouse that was in keeping with the rest of the resort. The new clubhouse is 17,000 sf with a commercial kitchen, twodining rooms, and restrooms. There is also a basement parking and charging facility for electric golf carts.
The project was delivered using design/build. At about 50% design, the client made the decision to reduce costs by using a VAV system, instead of the VRF that was originally specified. The new system required more space, creating a design challenge in making the necessary room without compromising the aesthetic integrity of the project. FSi came up with the idea of putting a mechanical room that would be built into the roof structure. The roof structure houses the ductwork, which spreads out to connect with the VAV boxes around the clubhouse. Not only were they able to accommodate the less-expensive system, the new arrangement also gives the staff clean and easy access for maintenance and repairs. FSi used 3D modeling to make the complex and unusual layout a buildable one.
About one year after the project was completed, we heard through the grapevine about some HVAC-related balancing operational issues in the facility. Knowing it was well outside of FSi’s scope, but being committed to the client’s success, our lead engineer took the initiative to reach out to the client about the issues. He ended up traveling from the Spokane office to Pendleton, where the resort is located. On his site visit he identified and resolved the issues that had been impacting the client. He found two installation problems and reported them back to the owner and contractor team. With our support, the client was able to coordinate the action of the installing contractor to direct the required repairs at no additional charge to the owner. If the issues hadn’t been resolved, the continued use of the system would have resulted in damage to the VAV system, poor performance of the equipment, and money wasted on inefficient energy use.
Today, the resort has a beautiful clubhouse that functions as it was designed and serves both locals and tourists from around the region.
We are proud to have been engineers on projects for a number of local Tribal governments. We were part of a Washington State Ferries project that worked with Coast Salish Tribes to create the gorgeous Mukilteo Ferry Terminal.