Location: 
St. Louis, Missouri
Total Square Feet: 26,884
Construction Period: Mar 2001 to Nov 2002 

Construction Team
General Contractor: Wachter, Inc. - 108 Industrial Drive, Arnold, MO 63010
Structural/Civil Engineer: Doering Engineering - 4850 Lemay Ferry Road, St. Louis, MO 63129
Electrical Engineer: American Electric - 12 New Melle Street, St. Louis, MO 63385
Mechanical Engineer: Quality Heating & Cooling - 6141 Etzel Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63133
Interior Design: RKAI Interiors - 10777 Sunset Office Drive, #300, Sunset Hills, MO 63127

Rataj-Krueger Architects, Inc. provided architectural services for the Professional Doering Office Building project located on Lemay Ferry Road in St. Louis, Missouri. The design project started as two separate 10,000 square foot, two-story buildings to be built in phases on this long and narrow site. The project was redesigned as a single, two-story building of 26,884 square feet due to the current economic climate. The MEP was selected to be design build per the architectural specifications as an additional value engineering cost saving measure. The project changed from wood frame to metal frame construction, and ultimately ended up as a steel frame structure with wood roof trusses. This allowed fewer structural columns, as well as flexibility of exterior window size and a residential style roof. The exterior material selection of brick with accents around the windows and entry add to the building’s aesthetics and ease of maintenance. The office building with its pitched roof was designed to incorporate the look and feel of the adjoining residential neighborhood. 

RKAI’s commitment to their clients is to listen, to properly manage each assignment effectively, and to deliver excellent design with knowledgeable, practical technology, while being mindful to construction cost and schedules.

As today’s office building market desires the maximum leasable BOMA square footage, this building was designed for the benefit of the tenant to provide a central covered entry, public access with a central “L-shaped” corridor, and minimal common area. The building flow, therefore, provided for small and large tenant spaces on both floors, or potential single floor users.

Rataj-Krueger Architects, Inc. provided interior finish selections, and also furnished the building tenants with space planning and office layout solutions. Standard tenant finish vanilla box items were provided, such as 2- x 4-feet lay-in ceiling, solid core doors with hollow metal frames, lay-in ceilings, carpeted floors, and more.

The overall project was highly successful, yet cost effective on somewhat of a difficult site to build upon. The owner has occupied part of the second floor, and the balance is leasing quickly.

Manufacturers/Suppliers
DIV 08: Entrances & Storefronts, Curtainwall: Vistawall; Metal Doors & Frames: CECO; Commercial Locks & Hardware: Yale, Rockwood, National Guard.
DIV 09: Vinyl: Armstrong.