McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has been named construction manager for the $13 million, two-story, 40,000-square-foot Monsanto Information Technology Data Center to be built at the company's headquarters in Creve Coeur, St. Louis.
Construction will begin later this month and is expected to be completed by summer 2007.
"St. Louis is the center of the BioBelt, and Monsanto, as a leading provider of agricultural products internationally, is a key spoke in this wheel," says Karl Kloster, McCarthy/Midwest Division president. "We are excited to bring our technical construction expertise and our familiarity of the biotech industry together on this project and are looking forward to getting started."
The new building will replace Monsanto's data center and will be the new global hub for the company's IT systems.
"We're very excited about this new project," says Monsanto's Chief Information Officer Mark Showers. "Not only are we investing in Monsanto's future by ensuring that our IT capabilities meet and exceed the global demands of our business, but we're also investing in the St. Louis community through continued growth and innovation."
Monsanto's data center, designed by St. Louis-based Fox Architects and William Tao & Associates, will showcase several state-of-the-art characteristics, including stringent environmental controls, utility infrastructure and advanced security standards to support ongoing operations.
The building's mechanical and electrical systems will be fully redundant, to avoid unplanned shutdowns, and a clean-agent-type fire suppression system will be used under the raised floor. The structure and building envelope are designed for extreme weather events. For instance, the design calls for 16-inch thick concrete foundation walls and the exterior laminated glass will withstand winds up to 100 mph.
For more information visit www.mccarthy.com.