Our design for the Mead Johnson Nutritionals Walkway Business Center (WBC) is a sister project to Mead Johnson's new Fitness Center. Both projects take into consideration some very unique and powerful design features. Based on the historic background of the site and the very significant contribution it played in our Nation's victory in World War II, the buildings pay tribute by incorporating features from the famous LST (Landing Ship, Tanks), as well as other assets of the site. The LST was constructed on this site, then the 35 acre Evansville Shipyard. They were built here until December of 1945. Over 19,000 men and women set wartime production records from this very site.

The Walkway Business Center is a multi-use retail facility housing the relocated Mead Johnson Nutritionals (MJN) Company Store, as the west "anchor", the relocated MJN Credit Union branch, as well as a series of leased retail spaces for selected employee conveniences. Appropriate warehousing space was also provided. In addition, the WBC is located at the south end of the new pedestrian overpass bridging over Ohio Street and the existing CSX railroad tracks. The Lobby of the WBC will serve as the primary entrance for almost all MJN employees and visitors received from the newly expanded "shipyard parking lot".

Some common design features of the WBC and Fitness Center are listed below:

Starting with the building entrance, the 8,667 s.f. building recognizes one of the LST's most unique features. The LST incorporated a pair of hinged bow doors that would open outward in order to allow a cable supported bow ramp to extend downward toward the shoreline in front of the ship. The LST delivered invaluable military equipment and troops to Normandy and other strategic locations throughout the war.

An abstraction of the following design characteristics / features can be seen in our design as follows:

The "cable supported ramp" is featured as the front entrance canopy of the facility. This dominant feature is yet more apparent from the south elevations of the building where it is utilized as an exterior solar control device. It not only becomes a primary design element but is also a very functional energy saver.

The angled bow of the ship is represented by sloped columns at the front entrance canopy as well as by a substantial portion of the south facade. The forward sloped angle of the glass curtain wall on the south side of the building offers tribute to the angled bow of the LST as well. In addition, the design was chosen to help reduce glare and to lessen the amount of direct sunlight into the building.

Decorative building medallions with the Bristol-Myers Squibb logo, hint of the anchor portals at the bow of the LST.

The solar shading device is placed at roughly 2/3 the height of the south curtain wall, thus allowing limited natural sky lighting to penetrate into the core of the building.