Alexandria Center for AgTechResearch Triangle Park, NC

In a collaborative partnership with the campus’s owner, operator, and developer, Clark Nexsen helped to reimagine an outdated campus in Research Triangle Park as a vibrant multi-tenant agtech campus. Existing facilities consisted of nearly 200,000 square feet of lab, office, and greenhouses that had been constructed in multiple phases over the past 35 years. What had been a traditional, isolated campus, however, was transformed into a transparent, amenity-rich ecosystem that fosters the exchange of ideas among scientists.

The central challenge for this project was to take a nondescript office park and turn it into an inviting, open, and human-centered place.

Size

180,000 SF

Completion

2020

Photography

Courtesy of Client

Awards

Honor Award
AIA Triangle, 2021

Honor Award
AIA North Carolina, 2020

Services

Architecture, Civil, Electrical, Structural

AFTER curtainwall glazing and lobby approach

BEFORE precast façade

Indoor-Outdoor Connectivity

Research buildings are often opaque structures due to the sensitivity of the work inside. On this agtech campus, the design instead emphasizes indoor-outdoor connectivity with views to outdoor gathering spaces and the campus green.

 

Zinc panels replace outdated precast concrete

AFTER amenities building and beer garden

BEFORE

Flexibility and the Campus Experience

The connector building, with its two-story lobby, sets the tone for the campus experience and features a café, multiple general purpose conference rooms, and varied soft-seating. Multi-tenant office and lab buildings flank the lobby, taking advantage of the shared space. Within these buildings, the office and laboratory layouts may vary significantly based on the research being conducted by each tenant. It was critical in the design to create a highly flexible building infrastructure that would enable individual fit-outs as determined by unique lab and organizational needs.

A Cohesive Modern Campus

Encompassing two office and lab buildings, greenhouses, and a dedicated amenities building, the design vision centered on creating a cohesive, modern campus that appeals to prospective tenants by offering a competitive edge in the hunt for scientific talent.

 

Existing precast panels were removed to reveal the original structure and were replaced by a curtainwall along office spaces, circulation spaces, and amenity areas, which include a fitness center, business/conference center, and space for a restaurant.

New headhouse and existing greenhouse

5 Laboratory Drive restores greenhouses to prominence by reorienting the campus and displaying them in a garden setting.