LEED Gold

Visually completing the urban edge of the historic Rice Park district in downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, Infor Commons’ (formerly Lawson Commons) brick and stone, woven with glass and metal, create harmony with the surroundings while providing Infor Software with a progressive, cutting-edge, high-tech image that reflects its business identity.

The two-story precast concrete and glass base recalls pedestrian arcades common to the area’s historical roots, while the span of transparent glass crowning the building symbolizes forward vision. Vertical glass bands act as fingers, anchoring the expressive top to the streetscape below. The masonry massing of the connected parking ramp responds to the open space across from it, while expressive cast-aluminum screens on the parking ramp fill openings, softening the impact of the automobiles beyond and recalling the character of Minnesota river bluffs, rolling farmlands and forests.

In 2010, BWBR consulted with former building owner Behringer Harvard to earn the building LEED® Silver Certification for operations and maintenance of existing buildings, addressing indoor environmental quality, waste stream management, and optimal energy use. Later in 2015, the building was recertified to achieve LEED® Gold.