Photo courtesy of Lord, Aeck & Sargent Inc., © 2008 Thomas Watkins Photography

A challenge of this project was to design a facility that would hold true to the Georgian architecture on campus while meeting the stringent ventilation and exhaust requirements of a modern science building. To meet these stringent requirements, Lassiter features a series of 12 roof dormers for air intake, and exhaust ducts that are concealed in four double chimneys matching the details of Richardson’s chimneys.

Lassiter’s program includes six general teaching labs for botany, plant taxonomy, parasitology, zoology, anatomy, paleontology, genetics, microbiology, physiology, and biochemistry. The two-story building also contains a life sciences core lab, a wet lab, three preparation labs, four student/faculty research labs, and nine faculty offices. The labs feature a deionized water system, flexible space, and improved safety systems.  Students are no longer crammed into smaller classrooms, and the labs can be dedicated to teaching science subjects.

Another major challenge was the design of a connector between the existing building and the new addition.  The result is a bridge that joins Lassiter’s and Richardson’s second floors, with an arched brick breezeway underneath. A main pedestrian walk runs under the breezeway and parallel to Lassiter. The connector, which is treated as an enclosed porch, has pre-finished wood floors, comfortable seating, and large expanses of glass overlooking the campus quad on one side and a formal garden on the other. By creating a warmer, more welcoming area, the connector’s inside and outside spaces have become two of the most popular on campus.

Lassiter’s two-story formal entry space is graced by a 750-sf ceiling mural titled, “The Spiral of Life.” The mural represents of the origin and the biology of life. It is laced with a DNA spiral connecting and intertwining with the plant and animal kingdom. The lobby also features a terrazzo tile floor and a glass exhibit case topped by the skull of a Tyrannosaurus rex. Niches along the walls are for putting science on display, and one niche is a glass window that provides a view of an aquarium and, through it, a look into one of the labs.

Richardson Hall originally housed the Presbyterian College’s biology, physics, and chemistry departments. Faculty and students were crammed into small, multi-use laboratories. Lassiter and the ongoing renovation of Richardson comprise the first phase of a two-part project. The next phase will be the construction of a new wing that mirrors Lassiter and will house teaching and research space for the chemistry department.

Content for this profile provided by Lord, Aeck & Sargent Inc.

Project Information
Building Owner:		Presbyterian College
Building Location:		Clinton, South Carolina UNITED STATES
Project Type:		New Construction,Expansion
Principal Building Function:		Biology research and teaching
Project Delivery Method:		Construction Management
Project Timeline		Mar 2005 Planning Start Jun 2005 Design Start Oct 2006 Construction Start Feb 2008 Completion Last known status: Completed
Project Cost:		$12,000,000
Construction Cost:		$7,300,000
Cost Per Sq. Ft:		$256
		About These Cost Figures
Building Information
Project Includes:		Biology Education
Total GSF:		28,600
Project Team
Architect		Lord, Aeck & Sargent
Construction Management		Triangle Construction Co.
Consultant - Fire Protection		Newcomb & Boyd
Engineer - MEP		Newcomb & Boyd
Engineer - Civil		Seamon, Whiteside & Associates
Engineer - Structural		Uzun & Case Engineers
Landscape Architect		Seamon, Whiteside & Associates
Supplier - Air Handlers		York International
Supplier - Building Automation Controls		Johnson Controls Inc.
Supplier - Carpet		Blueridge Carpet
Supplier - Casework		Advanced Laboratory Concepts
Supplier - Ceiling		USG Interiors Inc.
Supplier - Elevators		Otis Elevator
Supplier - Flooring		Armstrong World Industries
Supplier - Fume Hoods		Mott Manufacturing
Supplier - Laboratory Fixtures		WaterSaver Faucet Co.
Supplier - Laboratory Furnishing		Laboratory Tops Inc.
Supplier - Paint		Sherwin Williams
Supplier - Paint		Scuffmaster
Supplier - Terrazzo		Wausau Tile
Profile Created 07/30/2008
Last Updated 07/28/2008
About the Reported Cost Figures The cost figures reported are supplied by the firms that submitted these projects for publication, which in most cases are the designers or builders. Whereas these sources are intimately familiar with their projects, they may not be fully aware of the owners' finally-realized and recorded costs. In some cases, costs are truly and completely accounted for, and in others they represent a near approximation of the final costs. Costs have not been adjusted for year of construction, nor has any attempt been made to make regional cost adjustments. Further, costs are not comparable on any kind of detailed standard costing model. Hence, it is possible for the cost of one building to include a steam boiler, while the cost of a comparable building might not include the boiler, if steam is being supplied from an already existing campus grid. Or, in another case, a building might include excess boiler capacity to supply steam to another building. Some submittals include fees or unusual site improvements as part of the construction costs, which others do not.

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