In 1986, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. began moving its production facilities out of Winston-Salem, N.C. Starting in late 2005, RJR began donating its land and buildings to the newly formed Piedmont Triad Research Park, which was charged with developing and marketing a new downtown R&D center for the city.
Still, many of the old RJR properties languished, leaving a desolate eight-block void in Winston-Salem’s downtown. Conditions remained virtually stagnant until 2010, when developer Wexford Science & Technology stepped in and purchased the property.
PROJECT SUMMARY
WAKE FOREST BIOTECH PLACE
Winston-Salem, N.C.Building Team
Submitting Firm: The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. (CM)
Owner: Wexford Science & Technology, LLC
Architect: Gaudreau, Inc.
Structural engineer: Faisant Associates
MEP engineer: Kilbart, Inc.General Information
Size: 252,000 sf
Construction cost: $74 million
Construction time: June 2010 to December 2011
Delivery method: CM at risk
In the next 18 months, Wexford and its construction manager, The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., led Building Team members—Gaudreau, Inc. (architect); Faisant Associates (SE); and Kilbart, Inc. (MEP)—in the complete revamping of two historic buildings on the site.
Reconstruction centered on Building 91.1, a historic (1937) five-story former machine shop, with its distinctive façade of glass blocks, many of which were damaged. The Building Team repointed, relocated, or replaced 65,869 glass blocks.
Maintaining the historical integrity of these old facilities while upgrading them for use as laboratories proved a formidable task. Most notable was the requirement to reuse existing windows, most of which were in dilapidated condition, as well as the stipulation to reuse reclaimed wood floors, even though it would be extremely difficult to make the substrate accommodate the elevation offsets.
Moreover, the project had to obtain a certificate of occupancy by the end of 2011. Working overtime, Whiting-Turner crews completed the work on schedule. The finished product was accepted as a certified historic project.
Requirements were less stringent for Building 91.2, a three-story brick and cast-in-place structure dating from 1963. Here, the Building Team opened up the interior by adding 88 punched windows and storefront glazing, along with a 10,600-sf atrium skylight.
However, the bottom of Building 91.2’s third floor was 10 feet or less from the second-floor slab, which would provide insufficient headroom for modern laboratory spaces. The Building Team had to “surgically remove” the third-floor structure and raise it 18 inches, even as other trades were working nearby.
Wake Forest Biotech Place was completed last December. Roughly 80% of the 252,000-sf interior is devoted to Class A laboratory space (anchored by Wake Forest Baptist Hospital); the remainder provides offices for the PTRP, a credit union, a conference center suite, and incubator space for R&D firms.
The project, which is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification, holds the promise of a new tomorrow for downtown Winston-Salem. +
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Sep 1, 2021
Top 10 outdoor amenities at multifamily housing developments for 2021
Fire pits, lounge areas, and covered parking are the most common outdoor amenities at multifamily housing developments, according to new research from Multifamily Design+Construction.
Architects | Sep 1, 2021
Design unveiled for Copia Vineyards Winery and Tasting Room
Clayton Korte designed the project.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Laboratories | Aug 30, 2021
Science in the sky: Designing high-rise research labs
Recognizing the inherent socioeconomic and environmental benefits of high-density design, research corporations have boldly embraced high-rise research labs.
Giants 400 | Aug 27, 2021
2021 Healthcare Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. healthcare facilities sector
HDR, AECOM, Turner Construction, and Brasfield & Gorrie head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest healthcare facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 27, 2021
2021 Office Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. office building sector
Gensler, Jacobs, Turner Construction, and STO Building Group head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest office building sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.a
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
2021 University Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the higher education sector
Gensler, AECOM, Turner Construction, and CannonDesign head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest university sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 26, 2021
2021 Data Center Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. data center facilities sector
Corgan, Holder Construction, Jacobs, and Whiting-Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest data center facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Hotel Facilities | Aug 26, 2021
Building hotels with modules, with citizenM's Menno Hilberts
In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, Menno Hilberts, Managing Director of Project Management with hotelier citizenM, explains how the company is employing modular construction to help double its presence in the U.S.
Giants 400 | Aug 25, 2021
Top 40 Engineering/Architecture Firms for 2021
Jacobs, AECOM, Burns & McDonnell, and Alfa Tech top the rankings of the nation's largest engineering architecture (EA) firms for nonresidential buildings and multifamily buildings work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2021 Giants 400 Report.