DES Architects + Engineers Designed LEED Life Science Research Building

April 17, 2008

Redwood City — April 17, 2008 — DES Architects + Engineers designed Roche Molecular Diagnostics (RMD) 'Green' Research Building targeted to be LEED Silver certified whose grand opening ceremony took place on April 3rd. The 135,000 square foot building on RMD's campus in Pleasanton establishes a strong connection between research and the adjacent development and pilot manufacturing buildings. The building represents another example of DES’s ongoing success with sustainable life science facilities. A previous project, LEED Gold certified SUGEN, won the AIA San Mateo Green Building Award.

Greg Canfield, Senior Director, Facilities Management, Roche Molecular Diagnostics, said: “Having worked with DES for the past 12 years, I am very happy with the result and greatly value DES’s additional effort to obtain LEED credits throughout the project and to support Roche’s commitment to sustainability. DES put great emphasis on gaining consensus during the programming and conceptual phases of the project. We have to thank DES for the many compliments we received for the design of the new research building.”

Under the leadership of DES principal Craig Ivancovich, the building was designed to provide consistency in the campus aesthetics utilizing strong geometric elements with intersecting forms of GFRC and glass curtain wall. The building steps back at the third floor to better relate to the adjacent one and two-story buildings. The large open lab areas are designed to facilitate collaboration and generate a cross pollination of scientific ideas. With two stories of curved glass, the daylight filled 145 seat full service cafeteria serves as a central meeting space for the campus, and services the 200 seat flexible seminar space.