Educational
Jefferson Market Library
Project Name:
Jefferson Market LibraryLocation:
New York City, New York, USACompletion Date:
1967Original Use(s):
courthouseNew Use(s):
libraryProject Description:
History
Designed by architects Frederick Clark Withers and Calvert Vaux, the Jefferson Market Courthouse was built in the Victorian Gothic style over the years 1875 to 1877. In the 1880s, the building was chosen as the fourth most beautiful building in America. In 1945, the courthouse was shut down due to redistricting. It was then used by a number of agencies including the Police Academy. The building was empty and vacated by 1958.
(Re)Developer
Community members rallied together to convince New York City to preserve the building rather than follow through with its plans to demolish it and replace it with an apartment building. Margot Gayle (preservationist), Philip Wittenberg (lawyer), Lewis Mumford (historian), E.E. Cummings (poet/playwright), and Maurice Evans (actor) succeeded when Mayor Robert F. Wagner announced in 1961 that the city would convert the building into a public library.
Outcome
The adaptive reuse project of the courthouse began in 1965 and was completed in 1967.[1] The police court became the Children’s Reading Room, the Civil Court the Adult Reading Room. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977, both under its name as “Third Judicial District Courthouse”.[2]
The old fire bell in the tower began it ring again in 1996 after over 100 years of being silent. That bell, along with the library, has reconnected this community and reinvigorated the idea of “village” for Greenwich Village.[3] What once upheld the laws of the land now provides knowledge and community space for the neighborhood.
[1]The New York Public Library
[2]Wikipedia
[3]The New York Times
Images courtesy of wallyg, WanderingtheWorld and hersterk.
Baptist Temple
Project Name:
Baptist TempleLocation:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USACompletion Date:
March 2010Original Use(s):
Baptist churchNew Use(s):
performance and event spaceProject Description:
History
Built in 1891, this Victorian Romanesque-revival church in Philadelphia was the home of Grace Baptist Church. The church was founded along with Temple University a few years earlier by Massachusetts preacher Russell H. Conwell. It remained as a church until the mid-1970s when the congregation moved out to a larger building.[1] It was purchased by Temple University in 1974. The building was later certified by the Philadelphia Historical Commission in 1984, which was then followed by the American Institute of Architects designating it as a Landmark Building in 2003.[2]
(Re)Developer
Founded in 1884 as Temple College, Temple University has eight campuses which include locations in Rome and Tokyo. “Temple University is a national center of excellence in teaching and research with an international presence.”
RMJM is an international architectural firm that specializes in architecture, sustainable design, urbanism, masterplanning, interior design and research and development. The firm is committed to the care and improvement of the environment and the communities in which it operates and has taken a leading role in promoting environmental best practice and the move towards sustainability. This commitment is followed through by the delivery of low energy buildings and an in-house research and development group RED (RMJM Environmental Design). This multidisciplinary team spearheads energy efficiency and a sustainable approach in the earliest stages of projects. RED operates globally and works with all of the firm’s project teams, auditing the implementation of environmental design strategies on projects at each major design stage.
Outcome
After sitting vacant for 30 years, Temple University undertook a $30 million renovation and restructuring of the old church. It is now a state-of-the-art performance center that still retains its original character. Initially the school considered tearing down the church due to its deteriorated state, but those plans were altered after the Historical Commission certified the building. After being known as a “dead space” in North Philadelphia, it is now ready to be the school’s new gateway.[3]
Lew Klein Hall, a 1,200-seat theater and the primary performance space, features a large, protruding stage, superior acoustics, vaulted ceilings and much of the building’s restored original features. The historic Chapel of the Four Chaplains is a now an event space that can hold up to 130 seats. Being located along North Broad Street, the new use for the building fits well within the school’s master plan to orient the growing campus along this corridor.[4]
[1]Philadelphia Inquirer
[2]The Baptist Temple
[3]Philadelphia Inquirer
[4]Temple University
Images courtesy of Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Temple University.
St. Edward’s University Doyle Hall
Project Name:
St. Edward’s University Doyle HallLocation:
Austin, Texas, USACompletion Date:
Spring 2009Original Use(s):
men's dormitoryNew Use(s):
faculty officesProject Description:
History
Doyle Hall was one of the first dormitories at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Built in 1960, the building served as a residence for men at the campus. A similar dorm, Premont Hall, was built opposite it and the two framed secluded basketball and volleyball courts between them.[1]
(Re)Developer
Founded in 1885 by the Congregation of Holy Cross, St. Edward’s University emphasizes critical thinking, social justice and ethical practice. The liberal arts school is situated on a hill overlooking downtown Austin.[2]
The project architectural firm was Specht Harpman, founded in 1995 by partners Scott Specht and Louise Harpman. Located in New York City and Austin, this modern design firm has completed projects in California, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, and Italy.
Outcome
St. Edward’s needed to expand its residential capacity as well as provide new faculty offices. The school decided to build a new dormitory and move the residences from Doyle Hall to that new structure. By moving the students, Doyle Hall provided new space for the university. Rather than demolishing the building and starting from scratch, St. Edward’s decided to take a green approach:
- Most of the shell and interior walls are reused, saving resources and cutting down on waste in the landfill.
- A white roof reflects heat away from the building, reducing energy consumption.
- Construction waste such as steel, copper, aluminum, brick and concrete are recycled through salvage yards, keeping waste out of the landfills.
- New double-pane, “low -emissivity” tinted windows help control heat transfer and save energy.
- Existing trees are kept in place alongside hardy plants that need little water. Recycled materials such as decomposed granite and hardwood mulch are used in the landscaping.
- New roof insulation helps conserve interior heating and cooling, saving energy.
- New two-story addition uses less land area, leaving more natural landscape free to absorb rain and support plants.
- Energy-efficient lighting, heating, ventilation and cooling are used throughout. Smart sensors turn off lights automatically when people have left the building.
- Low-toxin paint, sealants and adhesives are used throughout the renovation.
- Sun-shade panels shield windows and a new outdoor walkway from the Texas sun.
The renovated building now contains the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, the Offices of Human Resources, Auxiliary Services, as well as three new classrooms. An addition was included in the project which brings Doyle Hall closer to Premont Hall and in doing so allowed the school to incorporate a shaded gravel court for dining and studying.[3]
[1]Metropolis, March 2010
[2]St. Edward’s University
[3]St. Edward’s University
Images courtesy of Specht Harpman.
Bryant Arts Center
Project Name:
Bryant Arts CenterLocation:
Granville, Ohio, USACompletion Date:
August 2009Original Use(s):
men's gymnasiumNew Use(s):
arts centerProject Description:
History
This 1904 Neoclassical building originally served as Cleveland Hall, the men’s gymnasium, at Denison University. In 1950, a new men’s gymnasium was built at the university. Cleveland Hall then became the women’s gymnasium. The studio art department later took over the building in 1970 when the men’s and women’s athletics were joined in the Physical Education Center. During this time period, the school also used the building for a student union, with dining facilities, a social hall, and meeting rooms.[1]
(Re)Developer
Founded as one of the earliest colleges in “Northwest Territory,” Denison University was originally called Granville Literary and Theological Institution and then Granville College. Landscape architectural firm Frederick Law Olmsted Sons created the “Olmsted Plan” for the campus in 1916 which the school continues to follow.[2]
The New York City architectural firm of Beyer Blinder Belle was brought on to see the newest conversion through. The firm is known for its involvement with many other historical building adaptive reuses. It was founded with “a different approach to the design of the built environment which focuse(s) on the social integrity of communities and institutions empowering the daily lives of people; their interaction with each other on streets and in neighborhoods; their potential to take pleasure in moving through the city; and their memories and associations with the physical fabric around them.”[3]
Outcome
The Bryant Arts Center is now 45,000 square feet after an intensive adaptive reuse of the original building and additions to the north and east wings. The Center now serves as home to the studio art and art history programs within the Department of Art. The renovation has provided space for studios for ceramics, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography and digital media, as well as fully electronic classrooms, open gallery spaces, an art history resource room, outdoor performance spaces, a common area for studio art seniors, and independent studios for faculty.[4]
The facade was retained but the original timber-frame interior has been replaced with a modern steel structure. This provided the school to have the lighting, circulation, and ventilation upgraded. A central four-story atrium was created to connect the floors and provide light through all the levels. Green construction was used on the project and it has been submitted for LEED Silver certification.[5]
[1]Denison University
[2]Denison University
[3]Beyer Blinder Belle
[4]Denison University
[5]Architectural Record
Images courtesy of Brad Feinknopf.
Monahan Building
Project Name:
Monahan BuildingLocation:
Lakeville, Connecticut, USACompletion Date:
2008Original Use(s):
school gymnasiumNew Use(s):
school offices and residential apartmentsProject Description:
History
This building built in 1938 once served the Hotchkiss School in Lakeview, Connecticut, as its gymnasium. The 23,000-square foot Georgian-style building, designed by Henry S. Waterbury of the architectural firm Delano & Aldrich, was named after the school’s Athletic Director Otto Monahan who retired in 1941. As the center of sports for the school, it was active for 94 years before shutting down in 2002.[1]
(Re)Developer
The Hotchkiss School is an independent boarding school located in Lakeville, Connecticut. Founded in 1891, classes are provided for grades 9 through 12 as well as some postgraduates.[2] The co-educational institution has embraced LEED Certification as the objective for all its buildings, new and renovated.[3]
Butler Rogers Baskett is a New York-based architectural firm specializing in the design of facilities for institutions of higher education and independent schools, professional and corporate office interiors, sports and club facilities, and specialty retail and historic preservation projects. The firm’s educational practice is committed to a sustainable future.[4]
Outcome
Hotchkiss had originally considered razing the building soon after it stopped using it for athletics. Thanks to the efforts by alumni and others, the school reconsidered the plans and developed a new program.[5] The completely gutted and renovated gymnasium is now home to a new multi-use program of flexible spaces for the alumni and development departments, two residential apartments for visiting faculty and space for the school’s new Center for Global Understanding and Independent Thinking. The project team was successful in receiving Gold LEED Certification for the adaptive reuse project.
BRB chose LEED New Construction Version 2.1 for this project because the design completely changed the building’s program. Monahan’s LEED scorecard includes: Sustainable Sites – 5 points, Water Efficiency – 4 points, Energy & and Atmosphere – 8 points, Materials and Resources – 7 points, Indoor Environmental Quality – 10 points – and Innovation and Design Process – 5 points, for a total of 40 points, one more than the 39-point Gold threshold.
The building’s brick façade, thick walls, generous windows, southern exposure, and slate roof provided an excellent framework for innovations in energy-efficiency. Sustainable features include:
- Water-efficient landscaping, using no potable water
- Water use reduction, 40% beyond baseline
- Energy performance, 25% beyond baseline for existing buildings
- Building reuse, maintaining 75% of existing shell
- 10% recycled content, 20% regional materials
- Controllability of systems
- Daylight for 75% of spaces, views for 90% of spaces
- 100% green power
- Green cleaning and housekeeping[6]
[1]The Hotchkiss School
[2]The Hotchkiss School
[3]archinnovations
[4]archinnovations
[5]The Hotchkiss School
[6]archinnovations
Images courtesy of Butler Rogers Baskett and The Hotchkiss School.