Alberici Office Headquarters, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

In 2002, after numerous researches of the site, the authorities of Alberici Corporation made a decision not to build a new complex, but to purchase and develop an existing building - a 50-year-old, 3-storey manufacturing office built of brick and a metal fabrication facility. Construction waste was recycled and reused. Construction works which began in September 2003 and were completed in December 2004 cost more than $20 million. The main advantage of the building is its proximity to the airport and highways.

Today the Class A building consists of two parts. The first comprises a 2-storey office space with a territory of more than 9290 square meters (or 100.000 square feet). The second part was turned into a 300-car multi-level parking lot. Owned by "Alberici Redevelopment Corporation", the office is full of natural daylight, thanks to operable windows, three large atria and a glazing system. Storm water is stored in cisterns, filtered and reused, thus saving 1,150,000-1,900,000 liters (300,000-500,000 gallons) of water annually. The wind turbine produces 20% of the needed energy for the building.

The owners of the project were ready to go after LEED award, so in 2005 the building was awarded LEED Platinum certification. By the way, it is considered one of the few highest-rated buildings in the world, achieving 60 points by LEED certification system. The architect of the project is “Mackey Mitchell Associates” (architect John Guenther). The main contractors of the commercial building are "Alberici Constructors Inc." and "Kienlen Constructors".

By Astghik Atabekyan, www.building.am

Photos: www.alberici.com