www.mobot.org Research Home | Search | Contact | Site Map  
 
Research
W³TROPICOS
QUICK SEARCH

MO PROJECTS:
Africa
Asia/Pacific
Mesoamerica
North America
South America
General Taxonomy
Photo Essays
Training in Latin
  America

MO RESEARCH:
Wm. L. Brown Center
Bryology
GIS
Graduate Studies
Research Experiences
  for Undergraduates

Imaging Lab
Library
MBG Press
Publications
Climate Change
Catalog Fossil Plants
MO DATABASES:
W³MOST
Image Index
Rare Books
Angiosperm
  Phylogeny

Res Botanica
All Databases
INFORMATION:
What's New?
People at MO
Visitor's Guide
Herbarium
Jobs & Fellowships
Symposium
Research Links
Site Map
Search

table of contents   
Toward a Sustainable World
Leading By Example
The Monsanto Center
Monsanto Center
The Monsanto Center represents a pioneering demonstration of the advantages of sustainable architecture.
Photo: Jack Jennings
The headquarters of the research program is a vivid symbol of the Garden's determination to play a leading role in caring for and protecting the environment.

Dedicated in 1998, The Monsanto Center set a new standard for construction and operations that are both cost efficient and have the least possible impact on natural resources.

During the planning process, all suppliers were asked to meet or exceed an extensive list of criteria for environmental responsibility, including limiting and recycling shipping materials. Furnishings chosen for the Center make extensive use of recycled and recyclable materials, such as wood from sustainably managed forests, linoleum made from natural substances, floors inlaid with wood blocks left over from door manufacturing, and rebuilt office furniture. The site was landscaped with low maintenance plants. Paved areas were kept to a minimum to reduce heat gain and covered with low emission concrete. The entire building was designed for exceptional efficiency in energy and lighting systems.

Perhaps the most dramatic feature is the Center's earthquake protection system, designed to safeguard the priceless herbarium and library collections. The Monsanto Center is the first building in Missouri, and one of the few in the eastern U.S., protected from seismic damage by base isolators.

Taken together, these innovations make The Monsanto Center an incomparable home for the Garden's research activities and the physical embodiment of a profound moral determination to protect and sustain our environmental heritage.

Sustainable World: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8
Text and photos from "The Unseen Garden" available from MBG Press.
 
 
© 1995-2024 Missouri Botanical Garden, All Rights Reserved
4344 Shaw Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63110
(314) 577-5100

E-mail
Technical Support