OPN honored with design merit award from AIA St. Louis Chapter

OPN received a design merit award from the American Institute of Architects St. Louis Chapter. The firm was honored for the design of Boehringer Ingelheim’s corporate research and development facility at the Research Park campus in Ames, Iowa.

OPN set out to create the 52,000-square-foot laboratory and office with design that had in mind transparency, connectedness, elegance, efficiency, and responsiveness to its environment. One juror said of the vision and design “[its] connecting those who work within to the landscape, directly and visually, is laudable”. Conceived as an object in the landscape, surrounded by prairie grass and corn fields, this building’s simple massing and color palette both compliment and create contrast with the environment.

The almost 30,000 square-feet of laboratory space is designed to facilitate a cohesive flow from one area to another. The scientists specifically requested natural light, and both floors accommodate this with large windows in the labs and glass walls in the office areas, allowing researchers to connect with each other while also bringing in sunlight for a more vibrant environment.

The corporate research and development lab and headquarters has also previously been honored with an excellence in design merit award in 2017 as well as an excellence in architecture award from the AIA Central States Region in 2016. OPN is proud to have a history of design excellence. We believe our success is the result of a deliberate, sustained commitment to an open culture that nurtures excellence and new ideas. As a firm we are committed to the highest standards of professional practice and we enjoy the process and results of creating architecture that exceeds our clients’ expectations.