Helix Center for Research and Development
Folding nature into the research environment
- Client
- Ball Horticultural Company
- Location
- Illinois, United States
- Size
- 34,000 square feet
- Status
- Completed
A family-owned company for over a hundred years, Ball Horticultural has grown to become a world leader in the research, breeding and production of ornamental crops. Their campus expansion represented an opportunity not just to expand research capacity, but to establish a new paradigm that reflects their evolving work culture and becomes an integral component in recruiting world-class talent.
The design promotes collaboration and productivity through transparency and strategic adjacencies while leveraging shared passions for plants and gardening. Through intentional and direct connections between research spaces and the garden landscape, an immersive experience is created for scientists, staff and visitors.
The existing campus includes a remarkable seven-acre demonstration and testing garden, and the new building is carefully sited to engage this landscape. Rather than treating the garden as a backdrop, the design positions it as a central part of the architectural experience. The south façade gently undulates to draw the landscape inward, extending work and meeting spaces toward the garden and reinforcing daily visual and physical connections to nature. At the same time, the building helps organize the campus by separating employee parking and service functions from the garden while maintaining a clear connection to an existing cafeteria and shared amenities.
Inside, the building is organized in deliberate layers that respond to both functional needs and site conditions. Windowless growth rooms are located adjacent to parking and service areas, while offices and collaboration spaces face the garden to maximize daylight and views. Laboratories, which require proximity to both, are positioned between these zones and feature panoramic ribbon windows that provide continuous views of the garden. The labs are also clustered to share resources and equipment, intentionally breaking down departmental silos.
Replacing a patchwork of aging labs and greenhouses that had grown over time, the new facility delivers purpose-built environments designed to foster collaboration and innovation. Serving as Ball’s central hub for horticulture research, it strengthens connections with research, breeding and production teams around the world.
