Source: www.TurfMagazine.com
Executives from The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Dow AgroSciences were joined by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence at a Research & Development (R&D) expansion ribbon-cutting event for a new 175,000-square-foot R&D facility at Dow AgroSciences’ Global Headquarters.
This new facility is part of a global growth plan for Dow AgroSciences’ research efforts for the development and commercialization of new crop protection and seed, traits and oils products for growers around the world.
In 2010, Dow AgroSciences announced a multiyear expansion that included the construction of this new 175,000-square-foot research facility, the construction of a new 14,000-square-foot greenhouse, and the addition of more than 550 scientific and commercial jobs by 2015. The company has already hired more than 400 new employees in Indiana since 2010.
As the newest addition to the company’s 192-acre Indianapolis campus, the new Biotechnology Research Center will support the R&D activities of more than 200 research scientists from the Advanced Technology Development (ATD) and Bioengineering and Bioprocessing Research and Development (BBRD) functions. The new facility includes both office and lab configurations that deliver efficient, high-performing, quality biotechnology research labs, while enhancing the company’s safety culture.
The facility was constructed with a goal of achieving certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Features include:
- Up to 30 percent of the new facility was made with recycled materials.
- Forty percent of the materials were manufactured within 500 miles of the site, reducing costs for production, shipping and fuel.
- The facility has reclaimed maple wood from a barn in Montgomery County, Ind., used as an accent throughout the building.
- The multiple window views allow the building to utilize natural daylight.
- A reflective white roof (made by The Dow Chemical Company) and an extensive heat recovery system in the basement help control temperatures.
Through a private-public partnership, the new facility also features six pieces of art commissioned from students at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Herron School of Art and Design. The student artwork includes benches made of limestone and wood, sculpture, an oil on canvas triptych, and a hand-cut paper wall covering.
The Herron partnership is just one example of how Dow AgroSciences is committed to giving back to the local communities where employees live and work. Last year, corporate contributions and in-kind donations exceeded $1.2 million and employees volunteered more than 8,000 hours to help approximately 100 organizations in central Indiana.