Title: Alexandria Center for AgTech - 5 Laboratory Drive
Location of Proejct: Research Triangle Park, NC
Project Completion Date: 2020
Firm Name: Clark Nexsen

Short Description: Greenhouses are the heart of ag-tech science but are often sequestered from view as utilitarian structures. 5 Laboratory Drive restores greenhouses to prominence as glowing objects in a garden. This renovation of an existing S+T building reorients the main entry bringing greenhouses into the foreground. Selective demolition untethers the greenhouses from the building creating a campus green framed by greenhouses on one side and the new building facade on the other. The core and shell renovation re-clads existing lab buildings with zinc and curtainwall. The result is a transformation of a singular anonymous building into a vibrant ag-tech research community.

Architect's Statement: As the nation’s largest research park, RTP is a global innovation center housing hundreds of research, science and technology firms, government agencies, academic institutions, startups and nonprofits. It’s park-like setting – with oak and pine trees, lawns, courtyards, and buildings – comprises a timeless vision. The Alexandria Center for Ag-Tech – 5 Laboratory Drive is an adaptive reuse/renovation that attempts to fit within this distinctive setting.
Formerly a large 1980’s building, added to over time, the original building included a large mechanical headhouse in the center of the site that provided support for its multiple greenhouses. Demolishing the headhouse and relocating the equipment inside allowed the site to be re-imagined as a landscaped campus green that more broadly embodies the vision of the owner by creating an outdoor amenity between the long linear research building and the rotated greenhouses.

TRANSPARENCY
Research buildings are often opaque structures due to the sensitivity of the work inside. At 5 Lab, existing precast panels were removed back to the original structure and replaced by curtainwall in office spaces, circulation spaces, and amenity areas including a fitness center, business/conference center and restaurant. Daylight is a welcome natural amenity bathing the interior with warm light and offering views to the campus green. Interior glass walls allow natural light to penetrate into internal circulation corridors and, in some cases, research labs building a feeling of community amongst the building’s inhabitants.

LANDSCAPE
A campus green transects the site organizing research labs and offices to one side while greenhouses occupy the opposite side. Pedestrian paths penetrate the green and lend primacy to this exterior amenity, centering the renewed development as a shared community resource. Outdoor seating areas punctuate the green, inviting building occupants to collaborate and work outside on pleasant days.


Type of Construction
Existing precast panels and stud walls were removed back to the steel structure in places where natural light was desired, and curtainwall was installed. In other areas the precast panels were left in place and foam insulation was sprayed on and zinc rainscreen panels were installed over composite girts The zinc panels fold open in public areas and are lined with wood-veneered phenolic panels bringing warmth to the building façade. Extended mullion caps accent the curtainwall establishing a rhythmic texture across the glass.