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 | Apr 7, 2016
Multifamily and Specialized Housing projects honored in 2016 AIA Housing Awards
A San Francisco low-income mixed-use complex, a Los Angeles homeless veterans housing facility, and a series of student residential buildings at UMass were among the winners.
Green | Apr 4, 2016
AIA report analyzes 20 years of the best green projects
"Lessons from the Leading Edge" is a study of the 200 Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award winning projects since 1997.
Architects | Apr 1, 2016
Adrian Smith earns UIC’s Legacies and Leaders Award
The Chicago architect graduated from the school and created a scholarship for aspiring architects.
Architects | Mar 31, 2016
Zaha Hadid dies at 65
Often credited as being a pioneer for women architects for her work in a male-dominated field, Hadid had designs commissioned around the world from London to Hong Kong to Cincinnati.
Architects | Mar 31, 2016
Auto-shading windows and point-of-decision design are among the research projects to receive AIA funding grants
Firms represented by the projects and initiatives receiving grants include HKS, DO|SU Studio Architecture, and McClain + Yu Architecture and Design.
Hotel Facilities | Mar 30, 2016
The Usonian Inn, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired motor lodge, is on the market for $665,000
The Usonian Inn proudly displays many Wright-inspired characteristics, the most prominent of which is the use of cantilevered overhangs.
Designers | Mar 30, 2016
A technical pen for the modern age
Morpholio’s new ScalePen feature dynamically sets line weight depending on the scale or zoom level of the drawing.
Architects | Mar 29, 2016
Why drawing remains relevant in the design process
Hand-drawn concepts allow ideas to emerge and build stronger connections between the design and the audience, as Gensler Principal and Design Director Alex Fernández writes.
Education Facilities | Mar 28, 2016
Steven Holl wins invited competition to design Rubenstein Commons
The new Rubenstein Commons will be a 20,000-sf structure at the center of the campus for the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.
Wood | Mar 28, 2016
Waugh Thistleton designs one of the tallest timber office buildings in London
The nine-story Development House has vertical open spaces for light and air flow.