One Million Square Feet of Excellence
When Wexford Science and Technology set out to convert the old RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company Factory into a hub for biomedical research and information technology, no one would have guessed that they would cultivate over 1 million square feet of LEED Platinum space at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.
On May 18, 2017, Lorax joined one of our esteemed clients, Wexford Science + Technology, for a One Million Square Foot extravaganza in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This celebration marked the LEED Certification of over 1 Million Square Feet of space in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter. Team members gathered in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, which includes five completed projects and one building currently under development, to commemorate the feat.
Surrounding a 1.6 acre park, the campus houses a variety of spaces for innovation in biomedical science, technical research, and information technology. Wexford has worked closely with Wake Forest University to develop the complex into a hub of innovation.
A Celebration Ensues 
The Million Square Foot Party included hundreds of guests, including team members back to the very first project. The evening started as guests enjoyed the beautiful weather in Bailey Park, sweeping views of all of the Wake Forest buildings, musical interludes, and even a magician! Lorax’s Neal Fiorelli presented the LEED Platinum plaques for Wake Downtown and The Bowman Gray Center for Medical Education, the most recently certified buildings, on the outdoor stage. From there, guests moved between courtyards while perusing photos of the incredible building transformations and enjoying a fantastic jazz trio. After cocktail hour, attendees made their way down the red carpet into the Wake Downtown building for the celebration dinner. The festivities showcased the incredible building design and sustainability, and boasted some fabulous food, great drinks, and beautiful ice sculptures to complete the scene. This extraordinary celebration served to recognize the hard work and dedication put forth by the entire project team and the advancement of biomedical science, technical research, and information technology at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.
A Bit of Background
The Wake Forest Innovation Quarter consists of five buildings that all achieved LEED Gold or LEED Platinum, totaling 1,066,919 SF.
- Wake Forest Biotech Place (575 Patterson Ave) – LEED BD+C: Core & Shell v2009 Gold, September 2012 (242,000 SF)
- Inmar (90 North) – LEED BD+C: Core & Shell v2009 Platinum, January 2014 (252,586 SF)
- 525 @ Vine (90 South) – LEED BD+C: Core & Shell v2009 Platinum, January 2014 (249,485 SF)
- Bowman Gray Center for Medical Education (60 North) – LEED BD+C: Core & Shell v2009 Platinum, April 2017 (161,424 SF)
- Wake Downtown (60 South) – LEED BD+C: Core & Shell v2009 Platinum, April 2017 (161,424 SF)
After nearly a decade of planning, designing, constructing, and operating the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter, 1 Million Square Feet of LEED Gold and Platinum space amounts to a lot of environmental savings. Through efficient HVAC systems, tight building envelopes, excellent insulation, and optimized design, the 1 million square feet of LEED space at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter has saved 49,795 MMBtu of energy. Through smart construction waste management, project teams were able to divert 24,724 tons of waste from landfills by recycling waste that was not needed on site. Overall, due to selecting water efficient flush and flow fixtures, 2,516,730 Gal of water are saved annually at the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter.
Not only were these projects incredibly efficient with extensive attention to detail, but all of the buildings were historic renovations, and special care was taken to preserve the historical integrity of the structures. Who would believe that a former tobacco factory is now a biomedical research facility? The irony is not lost on us!
Congratulations to Wexford on this incredible accomplishment, we were so happy to have been a part of it!
The Innovation Doesn’t Stop in Winston-Salem
Additionally, we are proud to acknowledge several other Wexford Science + Technology projects that Lorax partnered with Gaudreau Architects on to assist in the achievement of LEED certification.
Bio-Research and Development Growth Park at the Danforth Center
LEED BD+C: Core & Shell v2.0 Gold • Creve Coeur, MO • 113,000 SF
UMB BioPark II
LEED BD+C: Core & Shell v2.0 Silver • Baltimore, MD • 120,848 SF
LEED BD+C: Core and Shell v2009 Gold • Durham, North Carolina • 320,668 SF
873 West Baltimore Street
Anticipated LEED BD+C: Core and Shell v2009 Silver • Baltimore, MD • 260,680 SF
Cheers to another 1 million square feet of LEED certified space together!