Tyson Research Center Facilities Master Plan
Reconfigure roadways to separate site traffic
Renovate 30k sf warehouse into new, more convenient labs
Reorient Admin campus by moving HQ deck and kitchen
Insulate garage roof, add skylights, high volume fans
Replace office toilets with composting toilets
CORE10 won the commission to prepare a Facilities Master Plan, and subsequent architectural design for renovations and new construction at Washington University's Tyson Research Center. This internationally renowned biology and environmental field station is uniquely located on 2,000 acres of native landscape originally used by the US Army as an ammunition depot after WWII.
Our sustainable, hands-on approach to the planning process revealed some terrific opportunities to repurpose the original military buildings already onsite. CORE10’s design stripped the ammunitions warehouse down to its structure and designed new and efficient labs underneath with plenty of sheltered outdoor workspace, and a new research garden over the former train tracks of the loading depot. We also incorporated a restoration of the original headquarters into a bright new field station. Those renovations feature asbestos abatement, site and drainage modifications, composting toilets, grey water harvesting, a new fire pond, and many other environmentally sensitive, yet affordable, features that will set up Tyson to grow into its future.
PROGRAMMING PHASE - TYSON FIELD OBSERVATIONS
We won the commission to reimagine Tyson because of our approach to Programming. Eschewing forms and metrics in favor of spending a summer in the field with the students and faculty, we learned much about what makes field biology and ecology research unique. This translated directly into the design of the labs and their placement on the site.
TYSON LABS - BEFORE
The original labs were in an old repurposed school of Health research building associated with animal medical research, about a quarter mile from the HQ Building. But the really interesting thing about it was the inherent messiness of the work and the use of the outside adjacent slab - none of these features were reflected in previous master planning of the labs but they turned out to be key clues to the way forward. That's what led us to looking hard at the large, conveniently-positioned ammunition warehouses.
