The City of Flagstaff’s Innovation Mesa is a science and technology park and business accelerator that helps small businesses in the community advance. IMEG provided engineering design and services for phase 2 of the business entrepreneur complex – a new LEED Silver certified accelerator facility that complements the existing phase 1 business incubator and doubles the amount of space available for aspiring entrepreneurs. The new 28,000-sf facility builds on the original incubator’s offerings of mentoring, lab facilities, light manufacturing space, office space, and grant writing assistance with additional space available at a reduced rate for businesses that have begun to make revenue.

IMEG provided mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection design as well as commissioning services for the new business accelerator, which provides small companies, such as those in the science and technology industry, with much needed access to office space, wet and dry labs, and collaborative workspace. IMEG engineers were challenged to create a design that supported these spaces so they could operate independently and remain flexible enough to support a variety of future users.

The new accelerator facility includes:

• Offices/suites, break room, and restrooms with showers
• Six wet/dry labs and 24 office spaces in a range of sizes
• Large conference room that doubles as an emergency operations center in the event of a disaster
• Core laboratory facility equipped with a digital microscope molecular devices plate reader, scanning electron microscope, compound microscope, and slide scanner
• Full video and audio podcast lab, plus full AV and collaboration technology in the conference room and break-out rooms.
• Light manufacturing space

Engineers also had to ensure that systems could accommodate large swings in weather conditions experienced at the building’s elevation of approximately 7,000 feet, as well as operate at the lower air density of that elevation.

The business accelerator is a partnership between the City of Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University, the Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, as well as state and federal agencies and has helped create nearly 300 new jobs in the community.