Architecture
Planning
Interiors
Graphic Design
James Ford Bell
Technical Center
General Mills, Inc.
Golden Valley, MN
This research and development center, originally constructed in 1958, consisted of a spine and wings. After a master planning process that examined a variety of approaches to expanding the building, the scheme selected called for creating a perimetral system of offices and labs that facilitated communication between wings and provided convenient additional research space. The first phase of the expansion contains a combination of offices, laboratories and dining room expansion space. The offices and dining area are contained within a three-story, serpentine glass-walled volume. The new employee cafeteria opens onto a landscaped dining court. Labs are contained within an “L”-shaped mass that connects the first wing and the “spine”. The courtyard created by the extension of the laboratories provides accessible outdoor space for the researchers. As a part of the overall project, portions of the existing building were renovated to provide for new uses. In each case, the exterior wall was replaced, consistent with the new construction, to update the building’s expression and to permit greater flexibility in interior planning.
New Construction 60,000 GSF
Renovation 35,000 GSF
With Ellerbe Becket
design: 1981
built: 1984