From the Ground Up: Jordan Valley Innovation Center, Bldg. 6

Owner: Missouri State University
General contractor: DeWitt & Associates Inc.
Architect: Paragon Architecture LLC
Engineers: Olsson Inc., civil; J&M Engineering LLC, structural; and Interpres Building Solutions LLC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 12,000 square feet
Cost: $4.7 million
Funding sources: State’s MoExcels Workforce Initiative, Greene County/American Rescue Plan Act and MSU research grant
Estimated completion: July
Project description: A preengineered metal building will be the setting for composite material and training labs on the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center campus. The composite lab will include a custom-built braider system for specialized materials that support the aerospace industry, according to Allen Kunkel, JVIC’s director. “The advanced braider technology will provide advanced manufacturing capabilities for Missouri,” he said. The building will house offices and a conference room. The sixth JVIC building will augment more than 100,000 square feet of existing research space used by faculty and students as well as private companies. The campus has had other activity in recent months. New parking lots were completed at a cost of $1 million in December 2022; plus, $1.8 million was spent in Bldg. 4 on a first-floor infill for the Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and a second-floor infill for tenant Brewer Science.