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Seeley Building

The Seeley Building is a striking 64,000-square-foot multi-level, multi-purpose building located on Helena, Montana’s historic Last Chance Gulch. This four-story structure provides underground parking and storage areas for the following:

PureView’s dental clinic uses natural light combined with direct and indirect fixtures for exams. The dental exam rooms have connections under the floor to provide water and air to operate each chair’s vacuum-powered dental tools.

Multi-Disciplinary Services

Our client, Slate Architecture, worked on behalf of Ray Kuntz Development on this project and engaged us to provide the core and shell of the building and the commercial tenant spaces:

  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Information Communication Technology (Low-Voltage Design)

Most of the design considerations for the Seeley Building involved electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and access and security systems that blended between three healthcare clinics, an office suite/recording studio, and a below-grade parking structure. Since each tenant performs unique services, provisions were made for things like:

  • Providing the Helena Vision Center with lighting that can dim quickly and power sources for eye exam equipment.
  • Bringing in plumbing, water, and air supply for dental chairs, and a robust security system in the PureView pharmacy.
  • Adding lighting and HVAC design to the Catholic Diocese of Helena’s recording studio as they intend to use this space for audio and video productions.
The Catholic Diocese of Helena’s recording studio has can lights and racks on the ceiling that can be easily adjusted for theatrical presentations and recordings.

Design Down Under

The underground parking garage has a robust security system.

Located in downtown Helena, the Seeley Building is about three blocks from public parking structures. With minimal parking spots on site for patients and visitors and the top floor dedicated to private residences, the designers decided underground parking would be the best solution for the private residences.

The mechanical and electrical team created a solution that tapped the city water lines on the street side of the building and ran the electrical and gas lines out of the back of the building. All residences have their own meters in the underground parking area as well. The exhaust and drainage systems are designed so cars coming in during the winter covered with snow and ice will melt and drain efficiently. The exhaust system also monitors for high levels of carbon monoxide and will increase the exhaust rate until the levels are lowered.

The Seeley Building is also prepared for the future with electric-vehicle charging units at every parking spot in its below-grade parking deck.

Setting the Stage for Solar

The Seeley Building has a solar array on the roof that is tied back into the building’s main incoming service and designed for ease of maintenance and utility. In the planning stage, one tenant wanted to make sure they were moving into a space that offsets energy consumption with energy production, as energy efficiency was one of the priorities for their new location.

Helena Vision Center’s optical shop combines natural light and retail-quality lighting.

Security a Top Priority

With residents, patients, and employees accessing this multi-purpose building, security was a critical part of the design. Keypads with codes were programmed to give only those with certain permissions access to the parking garage and floors where they have permission to go. The condo owners have different access than the clinic staff and Diocese personnel. Many floors and locations within the buildings also have security cameras as access is a critical component of the Seeley Building.