Of course, the praise comes as little surprise to Keld Sorensen, director of research and development for biotechnology at Sigma-Aldrich.

"This facility is the result of extensive testing, user input, full-scale modeling, and design collaboration by some of the top experts in the field," says Sorensen.

Sigma-Aldrich is a leading provider of biochemical and organicreagents for the research industry. Reagents are substances used to indicate chemical or biological reaction in an experiment. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical labs need a steady supply of reagents to carry out their research. Sigma-Aldrich workgroups mimic the work of other labs around the world to develop and manufacture the reagents needed to conduct their studies. Last year, Sigma-Aldrich revenues exceeded $1.2 billion.

Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK) partnered with Lockwood Greene on design of the four-story building which was built, from conception to completion, in 18 months at a total cost of $55 million. The building consists of two separate wings connected by a three-story atrium. The 132,500-sf west wing houses a science center; the east wing contains a 12,350-sf lecture facility with a full service cafeteria on the first level.

Open Culture Open Spaces

"A lab is just a shell around a culture," says Sorensen. "Our culture is unique in that we value transparency and openness."

The openness of Sigma-Aldrich is built directly into the facility. The atrium draws daylight into the building and distributes it to flexible offices that ring the center while glass-walled labs line the building's perimeter. Cubicles have low walls and all the doors have windows. Researchers can view the lab space from the office area and vice versa. In fact, due to the glass walls and open sightlines, occupants can view each other from across the entire building.

"I had some initial fears that turned out to be unfounded regarding the open design. In the end, it has yielded even more benefits than we expected. It's amazing what you pick up by seeing other people work. You get a real feeling for what's going on in the building. Plus, there's a greater level of security that we didn't fully anticipate," says Sorensen.

Emphasis on flexibility is evident throughout the building's design. Office spaces are modular, divided into four individual desks, and configured around a center meeting table to facilitate collaboration.

"Whether you are just getting started, or you are senior scientist who's been with us for ten years, everyone has the same square footage and the same furniture," he says.

Another notable feature is that there are four R&D managerial offices per floor, located on the four interior corners of the atrium, but only three laboratories—located on the south, west, and north walls of each floor.

"We did that to make it hard for researchers to be territorial or isolate themselves in any particular space. The idea was to force four teams into three labs, thereby creating more joint ownership of the physical space," says Sorensen.

The labs are labeled with number rather than names like "PCR Lab" as another way to promote joint ownership. This flexibility allows Sigma-Aldrich to move teams within the facility, growing and shrinking them as business requires.

"People don't feel that they are being moved around when there are no outward signs that change has occurred," says Sorensen.

Attention to Details

Sigma-Aldrich was fortunate to have an empty warehouse available to build full-scale mockups of laboratory and office modules. As a result, the design team did extensive user testing with Sigma-Aldrich scientists prior to finalizing the project.

"Full-scale models were created, complete with furniture, so our scientists could try out what they liked and didn't like. The planning and testing greatly enhanced the outcome of the building," says Sorensen.

Rather than trying to squeeze as many scientists into one location as possible, Sigma-Aldrich designed each workstation to have ten feet of linear lab bench, with two feet of space between and staggered knee holes to prevent accidental bumps. Since the labs are on the building's perimeter, they receive high-quality daylight. Internal sprinklers flood the glass walls in the event of a fire. When fully built out, each laboratory will accommodate 25 scientists.

"A lab should be the best place in the building to be. We've seen facilities where the office seems like the best place to be. That's not functional," he says.

Heart of the Building

The centerpiece of the new facility is a three-floor glass and steel atrium with numerous plants and the primary stairwell. Topped by a light-harvesting clerestory the atrium is the central thoroughfare where a lot of social exchange occurs.

"I was concerned that atrium would be too noisy for people to be productive in their cubicle areas. This turned out to be entirely unfounded. Our atrium is amazingly quiet. The natural cork floor means you can drive carts with bottles and flasks on it without making a racket," says Sorensen.

To make room for the atrium's clerestory, air handlers are not housed in a rooftop penthouse. Instead, they are on the "ground floor," which is actually sub-terra. In addition to isolating the high heat-load equipment, the building's efficiency is further increased by a heat capture system. Heat exchangers on the HVAC system regulate air temperature depending on summer or winter conditions. The building is also outfitted with low-energy transmission windows to reduce heat/cold exchange through the panes.

The clerestory is built to shade the atrium during summer months when the sun is higher in the sky. Electric mesh shades also diffuse excessive direct sunlight in the winter. Additionally, windows have two types of sunshades. One is a horizontal sunshade, positioned above usual eye height that blocks direct sunlight. The other is a traditional venetian blind that scientists can adjust for more shading.

Clean By Design

Particular design features were incorporated to keep work areas clean. Overhead bins have roll-top covers which prevent storing anything on top of them. There are no shelves or flat surfaces in walk areas to collect clutter. Space for pictures and personal items is provided on tack board strips lining the walls between offices. All furniture is standardized. The countertops are black, the furniture white.

"We have a few people who felt the office layout did not offer enough storage, but we have some separate file room space to accommodate those needs," says Sorensen.

Walkways are extra wide and there are coffee corners with sinks and service areas on every floor. There are two small touchdown rooms on each floor for private discussion or phone calls.

Whenever possible, the design team chose natural, easy-to-maintain, and recyclable materials. All carpeting is made of recycled polymer material. The tiles on the coffee bars are made of recycled glass. The wood is farmed native north American Maple. The edges of the atrium and the cafeteria floors are natural slate.

Build It and They Will Come

Though Sorensen was not surprised to find that scientists loved working in the new lab, he didn't anticipate the popularity of the 300-seat learning center.

"The lecture facility was one area where I was worried that we overspent, but the utilization of it has far outstripped our wildest expectations. It's turned into one of those, 'if you build it they will come' things," says Sorensen.

The tiered amphitheater features Herman Miller Aeron office chairs. Every seat has a small desk with Internet and electrical connections. Audio/video and climate controls are run from a single computer interface created by Crestron Electronics. Users can adjust air-conditioning, lighting, lower blinds, and transition between DVD and PowerPoint presentations, all from a single touch-screen. Due to its advanced design, and proximity to Harris-Stowe College, Saint Louis University, and Washington University, demand for the facility has been very high.

"I was expecting to utilize the space once or twice a week. In reality, it is often used three or four times a day, and booked weeks in advance," says Sorensen.

The building has a full service cafeteria on the ground floor with an open fire grill serving breakfast and lunch daily. Management of the cafeteria is outsourced to Compass Group subsidiary, Eurest Dining, which also handles catering for the learning center.

After a year of and a half of occupancy, Sorensen claims that there's not a thing he would change.

"We've changed teams, research projects, a lot of things, but we haven't changed anything physical about the lab. The modular approach and open orientation of the space has worked out really well," says Sorensen.

By Johnathon Allen

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