Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
St. Louis, Missouri
Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners Limited

An agricultural research center creates a strong civic presence

© Tim Hursley

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

By Peter MacKeith

This center for agricultural research is an independent, nonprofit institution that partners the Missouri Botanical Garden with the Monsanto Company and four nearby universities. Monsanto donated the center’s 40-acre site opposite its suburban St. Louis offices. This led to a two-stage development process for the center. First, HOK was engaged as the planner and architect for the research laboratories. Later, NGP’s conceptual proposal was selected from the entries of an invited competition. The design engages the site directly, providing a grand portico to the street on the south side of the building. NGP’s basic diagram incorporates two laboratory wings. These flank a three-story atrium, where scientists and the public who use the research center can interact. Footbridges span the atrium connecting the balconies that run along the atrium’s east and west sides and terminate in small meeting areas. On the second and third levels, rooms are organized so that the enclosed laboratories are adjacent to libraries and social spaces, known as "pods."

All four elevations employ a unitized rain-screen wall system made of terra-cotta panels set into aluminum frames. These extruded aluminum sections, which support the wall system, stand vertically, transmitting lateral pressure and suction to the reinforced-concrete building structure behind.

The high-performance assembly responds efficiently to rainwater, water vapor, temperature, and air transmission. Window openings are crossed horizontally by aluminum louvers that modulate daylight while still permitting the occupants to see outside.

The panelized system allowed a high level of quality control and craftsmanship in manufacturing and also served to expedite erection. The north and south ends of the building’s central core are enclosed by glass curtain walls supported vertically by rolled-steel mullions. The south wall is shaded at its top by a dramatic, horizontal brise-soleil, which also functions as the building’s cornice. The atrium’s roof is a series of north-facing, sawtooth monitors that act together with the shaded glazing to the south to allow soft light into the atrium.

The atrium’s active climate-control system is a low-velocity, high-volume displacement ventilation system. Cool air is introduced at the lowest level of the atrium and displaces the warmer air above it. Conditioned air occupies only the lowest, inhabited portion of the atrium, a zone that is approximately 7 feet in height. The upper volume of the atrium is maintained at higher temperatures and creates a thermal blanket over the conditioned space. The upper-level circulation zones at the perimeter of the atrium employ the same climate control strategy to create cooled microclimatic zones.

See the August 2002 issue of Architectural Record for full coverage of this project.

Formal name of Project:
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Location:
St. Louis

Gross square footage:
166,904 sq. ft.

Total construction cost:
$50 million

Client:
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Architect:
Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners Limited