Title: Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center
Location of Proejct: Raleigh, NC
Project Completion Date: 2021
Firm Name: HH Architecture

Short Description: The Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center combines diverse regulatory lab functions into a new 230,000 square foot state-of-the-art complex in Raleigh, NC. Set in a pastoral landscape, the design honors the NC Department of Agriculture’s heritage, while providing a long-lasting venue for scientific collaboration and diagnostic testing. The composition contains two primary volumes housing laboratory and administrative functions, which are joined by a central public space. Exterior cladding and interior finishes draw inspiration from regional agrarian imagery, while natural light and expansive views of the landscape provide a direct connection to the environment that employees work hard to protect.

Architect's Statement: The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) provides regulatory oversight and diagnostic testing that safeguards the health, safety, and welfare of all North Carolinians across the state. With services that include food safety, pesticide regulation, fuel quality monitoring, weights and measures testing, and veterinary diagnostics, NCDA&CS is on the front line of protecting people on both a local and national level. In 2016, the Connect NC Bond referendum created an opportunity for a long overdue upgrade to several outdated and dispersed NCDA&CS facilities. Commissioner of Agriculture, Steve Troxler, had the vision to combine five department divisions of consumer protection services into a single, consolidated laboratory and administrative complex that would reflect the agricultural heritage of NC and provide a long-lasting venue for state-of-the-art scientific research.

Located at the corner of Reedy Creek Road and Edwards Mill Road, the site adjoins surrounding picturesque pastureland tucked away in the heart of Raleigh. A central challenge to the project involved placing the 230,000 square foot facility on the site in a way that respected and honored the landscape while supporting the complex functions within the building.

In response, the design team developed a parti with abstracted walls of varying scales that emerge from the landscape, creating controlled connections to the site.

Stemming from the parti, the mass of the building is organized into two volumes offset on a plinth, anchored into the hillside. The northern volume aligns to the true north, while the southern volume is rotated ten degrees clockwise in response to the site and surrounding buildings. Partially embedding the building into the landscape allowed the team to utilize both the natural topography and site orientation to manage the scale of the building, activate each façade, and promote natural daylighting.

The two-story public face of the building creates the southern façade. The three-story north-facing laboratories maximize optimal daylighting. The east façade provides extensive loading, receiving, and laboratory function support.

The entry sequence of the building begins with low site walls that provide the framework for a sustainable bioretention stormwater management feature. Gabion walls of weathered steel and stone-filled cages frame the entry and are abstract reminders of agrarian materials in a contemporary interpretation. The terracotta exterior cladding draws a direct connection to the earth and provides a warm, welcoming material. The south-facing curtain wall assembly contains aluminum solar shades matching the terracotta. The shades are patterned to provide a sustainable feature with a variable experience, similar to that of the shade beneath a tree. A two-story curtainwall between the two primary volumes creates an entrance lobby marked by a monumental limestone wall.

As the site slopes away to the north, a utilitarian base is exposed with four distinct loading areas and an employee entrance. Glass and dark metal laboratories sit atop the base and express the technical nature of the work being performed within the facility. The north-facing glazing allows for maximum daylighting for the laboratories inside.

Similar to the site, the interior is a controlled and layered experience. NCDA&CS’s goal was to create a desirable workspace that would foster collaboration between the various lab divisions while providing multi-level security and safety controls. Scientists work with hazardous and flammable materials as well as other dangerous pathogens requiring biosecurity level-three classification for certain laboratories within the building. This particular combination of diverse functions will be the first of its kind.

The design response builds on the parti in ways to further layer and organize the program. Administrative functions are placed in the southern volume and lab functions are placed in the northern volume—establishing a clear separation and zones of use and access. A monumental wall in the lobby signifies the threshold between a secure lab space and the public space.

The public space is defined by a two-story space daylit from a roof monitor and flanked by a variety of meeting and training rooms, informal gathering areas, and an employee break room. Each of these amenities provides alternative work and collaboration opportunities.

Progressing through the laboratory begins with secure access and a layer of south-facing lab office spaces with a clean touch-down area. The next level of security is a series of support functions connected by a continuous “in-lab” corridor to the north-facing laboratories. Each layer has a distinct purpose and allows for safe workspaces on the perimeter with ample natural light and expansive views of the environment.

The Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center is a representation of North Carolina’s rich agricultural history with a strong connection to the landscape and a vision towards the future.