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A typical brick technology center was accentuated by adding Portuguese Gascogne Blue limestone to the core elements and entrance of the facility
The architects for the 81,000-square-foot Edward Jones Data Center in St. Louis, MO, wanted the facility to be more than a typical masonry building. So to highlight the building, they specified the exterior core elements of building constructed of Gascogne Blue limestone from Portugal on either side of the entrance.
The main body of the building, which serves as a data processing and storage center, is rectangular and functions as the data center and supporting infrastructure. The protruding limestone core elements complement the clean, rectangular volume and include elements such as elevators, stairs, utility closets, restrooms and entries. "We desired a clean and simple aesthetic," said architect Jim Kehoe of Arcturis in St. Louis. "We wanted to create a more visually appealing building within the non-descript landscape along the highway. We used a simple material palette and forceful geometry to breathe significant qualities and identities into the building."
Finding the right limestone for the building cores and front entrance was a process that took into account aesthetics, practicality and cost. The first limestone that the architect looked at was Indiana limestone. "This limestone was a fairly typical stone used on more traditional buildings like many university structures," said Kehoe. "Panels of the Indiana limestone were looked at, but the thickness needed were so...