Natural Resources Research Center - Building D USDA - Argricultural Research Service (ARS)

As the fourth of six buildings on the Natural Resources Research Center campus, Building D at the time, nearly completed the courtyard effect created by a perimeter of buildings in the campus masterplan. Building D has more campus street frontage with parking located south of the building, outside of the campus courtyard. The three-story building is sited on a fairly steep slope, creating two distinctly different entrances, one on the Lower Level-North for campus pedestrian traffic, and one on the Main Level-South for parking lot pedestrian traffic. The Main Level entrance opens into a large two-story lobby space connecting the public and assembly areas to the office spaces on the Upper Level. The two wings of the Upper Level office spaces are connected by a bridge through the two-story lobby space. The building construction is concrete floor deck on a structural steel frame with standard brick veneer and aluminum curtainwall glazing. The exterior material selections match the surrounding buildings on the campus. The building was designed to accommodate the campus vernacular, yet allows the individual character of the building to be defined by the use of the exterior materials. The Agricultural Research Service branch of the United States Department of Agriculture occupies the facility. Approximately half of the building accommodates the ARS laboratories, while the remainder houses offices and assembly spaces that support the labs.