Midwest Testing Builds Sustainable Headquarters in Overland

The leadership of Midwest Testing sought to make a statement about the firm's commitment to the earth with Midwest's new $4 millionheadquarters and labs at 8606 Page Avenue in Overland.

Underscoring the point, the geotechnical and environmental services provider is pursuing LEED silver certification for the 25,000-square-foot facility.

“We outgrew our old building and needed more efficient space that not only promotes teamwork and productivity but that reflects our stewardship to the environment,” said Richard Laughlin, president. “Our new office and labs are sustainable to create a healthy work environment and expandable to meet growth needs.” Founded in 1985, the firm currently employs about 40 people.

Exterior of Midwest Testing’s new $4 Million headquarters in Overland.

The two-story structure combines 14,000 square feet of office space with 11,000 square feet of lab and support area. Lab space hosts equipment for testing soil, concrete, asphalt and other materials used in foundations, pavements and commercial buildings.  The structure is expandable by 15,000 square feet to accommodate future growth.

Soils  Foundation Testing Goes Green
          

Designed by Lawrence, KS-based Treanor Architects, the sand-colored building incorporates a number of innovative green design elements and practices. They include:

• A “closed loop” mist room for testing concrete strength that conserves water and the energy required for heating/cooling.
• Advanced mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems that cut building operation costs by 30 percent. It includes low-flow plumbing, high-efficiency lighting and filtered HVAC for better air quality.
• A reflective, white roof and recycled crushed concrete aggregate pavement in the storage yard mitigates the “heat island” effect of a dark roof and asphalt pavement. The recycled aggregate pavement reduces stormwater runoff by allowing precipitation to percolate into the ground.
• A 5,000-gallon cistern to capture rainwater shed from the roof. The water helps irrigate the site, which is populated by plant species native to Missouri.
• A container for recycling tested concrete, asphalt and masonry materials, which are recycled through Eco-Recycling, located within three miles of Midwest’s facility.
• An abundance of 10-foot-tall windows with three grades of glass to flood the interior with natural light, cooling the rays of the sun in summer and maximizing heat gain from the sun in winter.
• Bamboo floors, baseboards and doors, with carpet tiles made of recycled tires.
• Low VOC-emissive materials are found throughout the building.
• A bike rack, shower rooms and changing rooms to encourage alternatives to driving a car to work.

Optimizing Work Space

The office component consists of private and semi-private offices, and cubicles. A conference room with retractable audio/visual equipment for presentations and ongoing education features a multi-part table that can be arranged in meeting or classroom configurations. The “open plan” design enables light to penetrate deep into the building and seeks to optimize productivity and spark collaboration.

Each office is equipped with a U-shaped desk, designed to facilitate efficiency and organization. In-office seating is limited to a small cabinet on castors with a cushioned top. This arrangement serves a dual purpose: to help keep a quick conference on task and to encourage use of the conference room and its embedded technology for meetings requiring in-depth, detailed discussion.

The office also has multiple “strategic crossroads” to advance collaboration. “We believe e-mail is overused as a form of communication and that it tends to encourage people to work in isolation,” said Laughlin. “We wanted an environment that encourages the exchange of ideas face-to-face.”

An eat-in kitchen with a concrete countertop island in which the Midwest Testing logo is etched is one such crossroad. Another is an outdoor patio with barbeque.

The lobby is topped by a “cloud” ceiling with icicle pendant lights that evoke images of falling rain. The reception desk is situated deep in the lobby to enable visitors to connect with business operations. It also has a large flat panel television and residential-style seating.

GSS General Contractors, Inc. managed construction with Stock  Associates Consulting Engineers, Inc. serving as civil engineer, Solutions AEC as mechanical engineer and McNealy Engineering, Inc. as structural engineer.

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