Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Headquarters
San Antonio, Texas

Project Overview
Responding to tremendous growth throughout the Southwest over the past several years, this San Antonio-based fuel and convenience store retailer began what promised to be one of the most impressive and forward-reaching corporate headquarters facilities in the San Antonio area.

Diamond Shamrock retained the services of the Houston firm Reh Burwell Partners to plan their facility. It was a project requirement that the design preserve the flexibility to adapt to future business realities. One of these realities came into being with the announcement of the merger with Ultramar Corporation of Connecticut (and subsequently joined forces with Valero Energy Corporation).

David Joiner was hired to provide several similar yet independent design services in the planning of this facility. This included provision for key noise control and architectural acoustical recommendations required to assure proper sound isolation between the numerous conferencing and open office spaces, and the design for noise masking systems for the extensive open office areas of the building.

Several function spaces required special audiovisual and control system technologies. Included were the Executive Boardroom with its rear projection system and videoconferencing capabilities, the Cafetorium with its large-sized front projection system and adjacent private Dining Rooms, and the Training Rooms. An adjacent Control Room and Television Studio were planned for videotaping and duplicating requirements.

Several building-wide cable systems support extensive voice, data and video distribution throughout the building. These systems, in conjunction with the planned future additions, will insure that growth, no matter what it dictates, an be accommodated by this new facility.

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