Regional Excellence Goes Green

"Green construction" was a theme among the projects selected by judges for recognition in the 2008 CNR Regional Excellence Awards. Seven of the eight projects incorporated major commitments to sustainable, energy-conserving construction and operation in their building programs.

The winners of the Regional Excellence Awards for this year are: Cardinal Glennon Children's Expansion;
Doisy Research Center at St. Louis University; Express Scripts; Frieze Harley Davidson; Kerr Foundation; Monsanto Data Center; Moosylvania Marketing; and St. Louis Community College at Wildwood.

The judges were Sarah Tetley of PGAV Architects, president, St. Louis Chapter, American Institute of Architects; Price Marr, manager, strategic sourcing, Ameren; George Azzani, president, Kaiser Electric; Stephen Bannes, professor and program director, graduate studies in construction management, Washington University; Rick Lodewyck, president, CDG Engineers; and Terry Simpson, senior project manager, Northstar Management Co.

The stated purpose of the awards, now in their 19th year, is to recognize projects completed in the last year that "in sum, demonstrate excellence in design, excellence in construction, and a positive contribution to the St. Louis community." Awards are presented to the designer the general contractor/construction manager, and the owner for each project. Each year 150-200 persons attend the awards which are presented at a dinner ceremony, held in cooperation with the St. Louis Chapter, National Association of Women in Construction. This year's presentation will be held June 19 at the Randall Gallery.  For more information on attending the awards event, e-mail .

Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital Expansion is the first project completed under the integrated project delivery agreement of "lean construction".  As such it has become a national model for a new way of delivering construction to minimize and drive out waste. The project was completed six weeks early and under budget. Because hospital intensive care rooms a are very complex the team built a mockup of a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) inside a team member's warehouse, discovering that it was impossible to build as drawn. The lessons learned in reconfiguring the mockup were transferred to the construction of the 60-room NICU.
Owner: Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital
Designer: Christner and McGrath
General Contractor: Alberici Constructors

Doisy Research Center is the new front door for the St. Louis University Medical Campus and host to modern facilities to generate new research involving vaccine development, molecular biology, virology, immunology and epidemiology. It is a major component of the largest building project in St. Louis University history. The signature triangular shape reflects the highly efficient relationship of research space to support space within the building. Although delayed by unexpected conditions, such as a previously-unknown quarry beneath the site, and delays in getting the necessary funding approvals from the National Institutes of Health the project was completed safely and within budget.
Owner: St. Louis University
Designer: Cannon Design
General Contractor: Clayco

Express Scripts' decision to move to the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus led to a major revival in north St. Louis County. It was the first time a Fortune 500 company has located on a public university campus. The 320,000 square foot building was designed to meet LEED certification standards. The 16-month project was completed ahead of schedule and within budget.
Owner: Express Scripts
Designer: Christner, Inc.
General Contractor: Clayco

Frieze Harley-Davidson brought innovative design and green construction to the retailing of a product not generally associated with either design or environmentalism, while contributing to the economic growth of O'Fallon. The 34,000 square foot dealership, incorporates such features as solatubes to bring light inside, a radiant heat/hot water system powered by motorcycle waste oil, bamboo flooring in the customer area, and 60-foot-tall wind turbine.
Owner: Frieze Harley-Davidson
Designer: Karasek Architects
General Contractor: Trumpet Builders
 
Kerr Foundation's renovation of 21 O'Fallon St., just north of the President Casino on the riverfront, was designed as an educational showcase for sustainable building - and building renovation - strategies. The 58 points earned on the LEED rating system is only one less than the number earned by the renowned Alberici headquarters building - which has been billed as one of the "greenest" buildings in the world. Features include everything from rain barrels to collect water used to irrigate the building's "green roof" roof deck  to both photovoltaic and  wind turbine power generation.
Owner: William A. Kerr Family Foundation
Designer: TMA  Architects
General Contractor: Trumpet Builders

Moosylvania Marketing renovated an 80-year-old Baptist church and 1950s era school into a modern and memorable office setting, booting the revival of downtown Maplewood. Tarlton converted the church into four levels open workspace. The scope of work invluded maintaining the building's historical significance and eligibility for tax credits while applying state-of-the-art technology and modern amenities. Tarlton won a 2008 "Build America" award, sponsored by the Aon, from the Construction Services Group of the Associated General Contractors of America for the project.
Owner: Moosylvania Marketing
Designer: Klitzing Wetsch Associates,Inc.
General Contractor: Tarlton


Monsanto Data Center takes the idea of data center as a concrete bunker and turns it on its head. Faced with a wall of fritted glass that provides 60 percent sun shading and is also a security feature, the center addresses the human needs of the IT staff working within its walls. The inside of the center is warm and well-lit, with inviting work areas. The project is registered for LEED certification. The new data center factored in Monsanto's ranking as one of 12 green IT companies in Computerworld magazine's  top Green-IT Companies for 2008. 
Owner: Monsanto
Designer: Fox Architects
General Contractor: McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

St. Louis Community College (SLCC) at Wildwood is the first green college campus in Missouri. This year SLCC was awarded a LEED gold certification. SLCC blends green design elements with traditional Gothic motifs. The structure is designed to be 30 percent more energy efficient than a typical code-compliant building of its size.  The sustainability features had a number of challenges, including reinforcing the "green roof" to hold the weight of 1,000 plant trays,  building a "floating" ceiling in the center of the room to accommodate air flow needs, and recycling 95 percent of the construction waste material.
Owner: St. Louis Community College
Designer: William B. Ittner, Inc.
Construction Manager: Kwame Building Group
General Contractor: L.A. Schaefer Construction Co.

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