Discussion:
Staff has been working with HR&A that was contracted to complete a feasibility study for the Innovation Center. HR&A is in its third draft of the document that will be submitted to the federal Economic Development Administration for funding in June 2020. The preliminary space analysis calls for a building that would be approximately 31,000 square feet.
As part of the federal EDA requirements, the city and the EDA solicited proposals from architectural and engineering firms to develop a preliminary building layout and concepts for the building in order to obtain a preliminary maximum construction cost. The city in cooperation with the First Stop Shop and Minnesota State University interviewed six firms and unanimously chose the Collaborative Design Group with Genzler to complete the study, and if the project moves forward, to be the project team.
The firms will begin programming meetings with potential users identified in the feasibility study including the Shakopee and Prior Lake/Savage school districts along with Minnesota State University and its partners to better define spaces. They will complete preliminary floor plans, a building model and a complete cost estimate for submission to the EDA.
Given the current environment, the architects are also designing the building to allow for social distancing and they will be including materials and furniture and fixtures that can be easily cleaned. They have also engaged a consultant to ensure that the facility has adequate technology to provide advanced learning capabilities.
Gensler has completed a number of business incubators/innovation centers throughout the world. They recently completed an innovation center for Schneider, one of the world's largest trucking companies.
Attached is a summary PowerPoint of their similar projects. The Project Stories section includes several similar projects with links in the photos.