ST. LOUIS, MO, September 23, 1998 - - Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, an internationally recognized London-based architect known for innovative, cutting-edge technical projects will partner with St. Louis-based Hellmuth Obata + Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) in the design and development of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center's $45 million facility to be built in St. Louis. Grimshaw will serve as design architect.

"The selection team was impressed by Grimshaw's unique design concepts, where attention to technology and detail is as important as structure. Their designs seem to provide a setting for top-notch science with an interactive approach," said Roger N. Beachy, Ph.D., director of the Danforth Center. "At the same time, their designs create a relaxed and attractive environment that will be welcoming to visitors from both local and world communities."

"When complete," adds Beachy, "we expect the architecture of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center will become as well known as the other projects Grimshaw has designed around the world." Current Grimshaw projects include the Stock Exchange and Communications Center in Berlin, and the Igus factory in Cologne, Germany; the Airport in Zurich, Switzerland; the Caixa Galicia's Foundation for Arts in A Coruna, Spain; the railway terminal at London's Waterloo Station and the British Expo '92 Pavilion at Seville.

HOK, a worldwide facilities planning and design firm based in St. Louis, was selected as technical architect. HOK has the ability to manage the total planning, design and construction for projects of any size, type and scope. In 1997, the company was ranked as the number one architectural/engineering firm by Building Design & Consulting Magazine; and number one in general building by Engineering News Record.

Working together the two firms will now develop plans that will be submitted for approval by the Center's board of directors. That process is expected to take several months. The new facility - which is scheduled to open in the year 2000 - will include research facilities, administrative offices, a library and lecture auditorium with conferencing capabilities, compartmentalized greenhouses, and a controlled environment facility to support the greenhouses and laboratories. In all, the campus will include approximately 160,000 square feet of building space on a 40 acre site located near the intersection of Olive Street and Warson Road that was donated by Monsanto Company.

When complete, the Danforth Center will be one of the world's largest and most advanced research facilities dedicated to the plant sciences. It is believed that plant researchers working at the Center will add to the knowledge of basic plant biology and generate scientific breakthroughs that will help farmers produce more plentiful, reliable and nutritious food crops. Because of its global focus, the center will provide a training ground for visiting scientists from around the world. The training provided here in St. Louis will be used by trainees in home countries to develop productive and sustainable farming practices.

The independent, not-for-profit Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is a unique partnership between five institutions that are all recognized leaders in the plant sciences: the Missouri Botanical Garden of St. Louis, home to an extensive plant bio-diversity program; the University of Missouri-Columbia and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, two leading schools with strong agricultural research traditions; Washington University in St. Louis, with one of the world's most extensive research programs in the biological sciences and genomics; and the St. Louis-based Monsanto Company, the world's largest biotechnology company.

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