USDA Modernizes Ames Research Facility

Published August 2002

AMES, IOWA -

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) of St. Louis contracts to oversee initial projects of the Ames Modernization Program, a five-year, $430-million upgrade of the USDA animal disease research facilities on a 480-acre site in Ames, Iowa. The program will rebuild and centralize multiple laboratory and research centers, creating state-of-the-art laboratory and office environments in a campus designed for optimum functionality, flexibility, security, and future expansion. Sustainability will be incorporated into all projects using the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system as a guideline.

HOK has been hired to provide the following services:

• creating a master plan and design guidelines for the entire 480-acre site
• developing a five-year strategy for the $430-million Modernization Program
• programming of the consolidated laboratory facility and onsite office space
• designing a new 30,000-sf APHIS (Animal and Plant Health and Inspection Services) facility

The Ames Modernization Program will remodel and create new space that will host three key USDA agencies:

• National Veterinary Services Laboratories - the nation's premier animal disease diagnostic laboratory
• Center of Veterinary Biologics - the agency responsible for licensing safe and effective vaccines for all animals
• National Animal Disease Center - the nation's largest animal disease research laboratory.

Together, the three agencies ensure the quality of health care for more than 1.7 billion domesticated and wild animals in the United States and safeguard the food supply derived from some of those animals.  

The project team also includes:

• Architectural Energy Corporation (Boulder, Colo.) - Energy Modeling
• Fox Engineering Associates (Ames, Iowa) - Civil and Site Engineering
• GPR Planners Collaborative (Purchase, N.Y.) - Laboratory Planning
• Kroll Schiff & Associates (Bastrop, Texas) - Security
• Rietz Consultants (Ames, Iowa) - Structural Engineering
• Vanderweil Engineers (Boston) - MEP Engineering