Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Chooses McCarthy Building Companies as Construction Manager

St. Louis, Mo.-based McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has been selected as construction manager for the $45-million expansion of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, originally built by McCarthy and opened in 2001. The 79,000-square-foot expansion is set to begin in early 2014. The space will include flexible research laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment, as well as core facilities and additional growth chamber space. The expanded facility is expected to open in 2015.

Plans call for building a three-story addition that will be attached to the west side of the Danforth Center’s existing building in Creve Coeur, making room for more than 100 additional researchers. That is in addition to the center’s 227 current employees, including 172 scientists and staff, who attract an average of $13 million in grants each year.    

Situated on a 40-acre site, the Danforth Center recently added a $9.5-million, 16,520-square-foot greenhouse range, increasing its growth capacity by 40 percent.

“It is exciting to continue our relationship with the Danforth Center,” said McCarthy Vice President of Science & Technology Kevin Williams, PE, LEED AP. “Our work with the biotech industry in St. Louis dates back to the original Danforth Center building project, and it is important for McCarthy to be engaged in this space as it continues to grow and its impact on the shape of the St. Louis region continues to expand. When you have a client whose mission includes ‘Feed the hungry and improve human health’ it is easy to get out of bed and go work hard on their behalf.”

“The center’s expansion project is a major step in our long-range plans to increase our impact through plant science,” said Danforth Center President Dr. James Carrington. “The new addition will improve the capacity for high-level science in crop improvement, bioenergy, sustainable agriculture and plant biology. The new facilities will also help attract the best scientific teams as we expand in the years ahead,” said Carrington.

The $74-million, 169,250-square-foot Danforth Center currently houses 20 scientific teams; 44,220 square feet of greenhouse space; 38 growth chambers and 51 custom growth rooms.