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Lewis and Clark State Office Building

The first LEED Platinum State office building in the U.S. which serves as a model for stewardship of environmental and financial resources.

Information

Location Jefferson City, Missouri
Size 120,000 SF
Completion 2006
Services Architecture
Project Type Workplace, State
Certification LEED Platinum

As part of its mission to protect and restore Missouri’s natural resources, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources selected BNIM to design and build an office facility — the Lewis and Clark State Office Building — that showcases affordable and cost-effective ‘green’ strategies. The building is organized around a four-story atrium space that opens to a grand view of the Missouri River valley and provides an active central stair to encourage pedestrian circulation. Natural daylighting, as well as sun shading devices, are responsive to the sun patterns throughout the year. The design utilizes daylight, natural ventilation, access to views and workstation strategies for individualized climate control.

Impact + Innovation

Utilizing the LEED rating system as an organizing matrix, the Lewis and Clark State Office Building provided a template for the State, as well as other Missouri companies, to build in ways that are more respectful of the environment and people while working within a standard preset budget. The project is the first LEED Platinum state office building in the U.S. and now serves as a benchmark for future state government buildings. Located on a formerly developed site that sits on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River, where it offers a strong connection to Missouri’s resources, the Lewis and Clark State Office Building and site was designed to help eliminate storm water run-off and to emphasize native prairie plants and ecosystems. The building has shown a 7.5% reduction in absenteeism and the lowest construction cost per square foot of any other state office building.

Process

A team spirit of mutual respect and attention to detail provided a foundation of proactive problem-solving. BNIM worked closely with Department of Natural Resources staff throughout the design and construction process to optimize building performance under tight budget constraints for this project. The General Contractor and the Design Team maintained diligent communication through the construction process and helped elevate the LEED rating to Platinum during construction. This team effort was initiated by the Owner core team, fostered by a strong integrated design team, and then supported and curated by the General Contractor. Each meeting was initiated with a review of the LEED credits and conversation on how the team was collectively ensuring that each credit was still valid.

People

Team

James Pfeiffer
Laura Lesniewski
Steve McDowell
Sarah Hirsch
Bob Berkebile
Kimberly Hickson
Darren Oppliger
Eric Morehouse
Stephen Siebenmorgen
Christi Anders
Brian Rock
Bryan Gross
Maria Morehouse
Phaedra Svec
Dave Bell
Tod Hueser
Dirk Henke
Jason McLennan
Ronald Ray
Gary Jarvis
Gretchen Holy
Aralia Sendejas
William Poole
Barb Cugno

Client

State of Missouri - Division of Design & Construction

Given that the department’s mission is to serve the citizens of Missouri and heighten public awareness about the environment, it was imperative that the building design reinforced this goal. Because the building was publicly funded, it was also important that the facility be constructed on a budget commiserate with other office structures. We are pleased to state that the facility created met both of these directives.

Dan Walker, Director, Missouri Department of Natural Resources

I can say that they had some tough challenges being the first “green” building, and the project was reviewed intensely by our internal review committee. The architects happily worked with us to make sure the whole team understood the project. We are looking forward to the future this building brings to the State of Missouri.

Sherry Kempf, Project Manager, Design & Construction, State of Missouri