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HOK and Paric Team Seeking First "Green Building" Certification
in Missouri with $8.5 Million Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise--First
Plant Science Incubator in Midwest
ST. LOUIS--A team led by Monsanto Company, architect Hellmuth, Obata
and Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) and general contractor Paric Corp. is striving
to obtain Missouri's first "green building" certification
through construction of one of the first plant science business incubators
in the Midwest. Located in St. Louis County, Nidus Center for Scientific
Enterprise is being built to meet stringent environmental and energy
criteria established by the U.S. Green Building Council. The council
promotes "green building" designs that are energy and resource-efficient,
utilize renewable resources and provide a healthy environment for occupants.
"It is a tremendous undertaking to achieve the pinnacle 'green building'
certification," says Hans Hecker senior project manager with HOK. "Team
members are dedicated to make Nidus Center the most ecologically sound
building in Missouri--a sustainable asset for future generations."
Nidus Center will support start-up entrepreneurial activity in biotechnology,
plant and life sciences by recruiting clients and providing, reasonably
priced office and laboratory facilities, support services and technical
and business advice.
The building, now taking shape near the intersection of Olive Boulevard
and Warson Road in Creve Coeur, is scheduled for completion this fall.
It will contain:
- 20,000 square feet of wet and dry laboratories;
- 9,000 square feet of office space;
- space for mechanical and building services; and
- a reception area and meeting rooms.
Every aspect of the two-story, 40,000-square-foot center will be environmentally
conscious, with "environmentally friendly" materials being exclusively
used in its construction. Window frames, for example will be made of
recycled aluminum while steel support beams will have partial salvaged
material content.
The exterior of the office portion of the building will feature a curved
facade clad in ledge stone with a variegated limestone color. The lab
wings will be clad in an ochre-colored stucco material. Topping the
structure is a metal roof is designed to channel rain water into six
corrugated metal silos to store for irrigation.
Highlighting the interior will be a landscaped atrium beneath a pyramidal
skylight. One face of the atrium will consist of a "living wall" of
ledge stone with a profusion of plants to filter toxins from the air.
The lobby will show galvanized corrugated metal wall panels which echo
the agrarian architectural theme used throughout the building. "The
atrium is designed to encourage the cross pollination of ideas," Hecker
states. It connects lab and office space as well as a break room which
features a terrace with another plant-dotted "living wall."
The 24 wet and dry labs will be topped by sloped ceilings comprised
by a combination of clear and tinted glass to allow in natural light
and to maintain temperature control. Additionally, it will be equipped
with high-efficiency systems that consume 40 to 60 percent less energy
than the current norm.
To encourage an environmentally conscious lifestyle, showers are found
on both floors to encourage tenants to commute to work on bicycles rather
than in automobiles.
Joining Paric and HOK on the project are Corrigan Company Mechanical
Contractors, mechanical; and Crest Electrical Co., electrical. Rocky
Mountain Institute of Snowmass, Co. is serving as the energy and sustainability
advisor.
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