Role
Co-Design Lead
LA Project Manager
Graphics & Visualization
Cost Estimation
Concept Development
Schematic Design

Awards & Certifications
LEED Silver (anticipated)

Situated within the Kalamazoo River Valley and located on 297-acres of former agricultural fields/northern hardwood forest, the new Research + Development Center is the first stage of a multi-phase Research & Development Hub that will add to Southwest Michigan’s growing life sciences corridor.

The new research and development center allows for the enhancement and growth of Stryker Instruments’ most important resource—its people—while celebrating the medical technology company’s impact in the health sciences. Stryker wanted to bring together technical, sales and marketing staff under the same roof to create a sense of community and encourage synergies that would improve their ability to innovate.

To foster the synergistic nature intended by the facility, the design team integrated series of outdoor & indoor/outdoor spaces connected by pedestrian corridors spread around the center. The primary outdoor gathering space, two multi-use terraces overlooking a large central lawn, is located south of the new facility to maximize seasonal use.

The design creates a distinctive landscape that complements & reinforces the architecture in a thoughtful and contextual manner. Although sprawing, the campus was designed with worker/visitor experience in mind. Auto-Centric Facilities were designed to limit walking distance and dense windrows were strategically placed to block prevailing winds and hamper snow buildup during the winter months.

A watershed scale stormwater management approach was designed for the project using a multi-BMP concept to manage the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff. This treatment train, starting at the northwestern corner of the site, not only handles all on-site stormwater, but also has been designed to manage the stormwater of the developed campus sites upstream from the new facility. Additionally, the project restored over 50 acres of native prairie; form a harmonious and subtle balance between the urbanity of the campus and the unique ecology of southwest Michigan.