Office
Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Building
Project Name:
Harry and Jeannette Weinberg BuildingLocation:
Baltimore, Maryland, USACompletion Date:
2009Original Use(s):
breweryNew Use(s):
non-profit headquartersProject Description:
History
The American Brewery was built in 1887 and includes the Brewhouse and Bottle Building. The brewery shut down operations in 1973. The building then turned over to the City of Baltimore in 1977. It had since been left vacant and deteriorating until 2005.
(Re)Developer
The adaptive reuse was led by Humanim, a 35-year old Maryland-based social and human services provider that has delivered programs and services in East Baltimore for the last 20 years, that was looking for a new headquarters location. They teamed up with Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse. Funded was provided by National Trust Community Investment Corporation and the National Trust Loan Fund.[1]
Outcome
Despite the recession, the adaptive reuse project (16 months) has been a success and is a shining beacon of hope in East Baltimore.
Humanim sees the widespread blight in East Baltimore as an opportunity more than anything else. As Truitt put it, “Part of what we’ve done for 35-plus years is take risks to provide services where they’re lacking.” Looked at from that perspective, the East Baltimore location has multiple advantages. Humanim expects the building to house 250 employees, and they’ve committed to hiring from within the community. Furthermore, they’ll be providing services where they’re most needed—they hope to serve 1,300 people in the Brewery building’s first year. Right now they’re engaging in focus groups with community merchants to figure out exactly what local businesses need… so they can train people to provide it.[2]
The Brewhouse will house Humanim’s offices and the Bottle Building, a 60,000 square foot 1937 industrial building will be converted into a center for organizations working in community arts, community services and small business development. The redevelopment of the Brewhouse and Bottle Building is critical to the revitalization of the East Baltimore neighborhood of Broadway East. When completed, the buildings along with the already completed Cole Higgs Center will become an important hub of activity in the community—generating jobs and providing much-needed social services—while also sparking additional investment.[3]
[1]The National Trust for Historic Preservation
[2]Baltimore Grows
[3]Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse
Images courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.
Lee Corporate Center
Project Name:
Lee Corporate CenterLocation:
Lee, Massachusetts, USACompletion Date:
1995Original Use(s):
warehouseNew Use(s):
office and light industrial spaceProject Description:
History
Built in 1971, the building originally was used as a warehouse for Kay-Bee Toys.[1]
(Re)Developer
The project was jointly developed by the Lee Community Development Corporation and Berkshire Housing Development Corporation (both non-profits). It is currently owned by Lee Industrial Realty Corporation.
Outcome
The partnership was successful in taking the vacant warehouse and repurposing it as a multi-use complex. The site is now the location of offices and light industry. It achieved its desired plan to help create new jobs in Lee.[2]
[1]Berkshire Housing Development Corporation
[2]Berkshire Housing Development Corporation
Images courtesy of Berkshire Housing Development Corporation.
Villa de Murph
Project Name:
Villa de MurphLocation:
Atlanta, Georgia, USACompletion Date:
2001Original Use(s):
automotive electric parts warehouseNew Use(s):
private residence, officeProject Description:
History
Serving as an automotive electric parts warehouse since it was built in 1947, the building had seen better days. The front of the building consisted of the repair shop with a warehouse that was added in the back in the 1960s. The owner passed away in 1992 and with him went the shop. The family shuttered the building and moved away, leaving the property to fall apart.
(Re)Developer
Architect David Yocum was searching for an existing building in a forgotten part of Atlanta, something to breath new life into. He wanted something that no one else wanted – to make his own and eventually his firm’s office.[1]
Outcome
The 1,650-square-foot repair shop was gutted and turned into an open courtyard. Yocum added a wood-burning stove to the courtyard to make an outdoor fireplace and tore up the back third of the concrete floor, replacing it with landscaping; he made “stepping stones” through the garden to the studio entrance with the discarded concrete. The back warehouse (1,850 sf) was redeveloped as a live/work space. David and his wife share the space with David’s firm, bldgs (his partner is Brian Bell). Skylights were added to increase natural lighting.[2]
[1]bldgs
[2]The New York Times
Images courtesy of bldgs.
The Granary Lofts
Project Name:
The Granary LoftsLocation:
Gliwice, Poland, EUCompletion Date:
2009Original Use(s):
granaryNew Use(s):
residential lofts, retail, officeProject Description:
History
Originally serving as a granary, the building is part of the former Prussian Military Unit barracks complex in Gliwice. The complex was built between 1892 and 1914. After the war, it was used as a drugs warehouse for the nearby Military Hospital.[1]
(Re)Developer
Wektor Inwestycje sp. z o.o. has been converting the entire military barracks complex into a new residential area by reusing old buildings as well as adding new ones. The adapted complex now has lofts, houses, apartments, and retail spaces.[2]
Outcome
Near the city center, The Granary is perfectly located along with low and medium residential buildings and the Grunwaldzki Park. The ground floor of the building is intended for retail and/or office functions. The upper floors include 30 lofts of varying size (850-3,450). The residential portion retains the old granary aspects with exposed brick and wood beams. Two access columns with stairways and elevators were added alongside the building so as not to alter the original building.[3]
[1]ArchDaily
[2]Zawisza Residences
[3]ArchDaily
Images courtesy of ArchDaily.
Pigsty Showroom
Project Name:
Pigsty ShowroomLocation:
Germany, EUCompletion Date:
Original Use(s):
pig barnNew Use(s):
showroomProject Description:
History
Built in the 18th century to serve as a pig barn, this building had seen better days. Serving this singular purpose for most of its life, the pigsty was partly destroyed during World War II and was falling apart.
(Re)Developer
The current owner decided that he would like to convert the building into a showroom. FNP Architekten was brought onto the project to help realize this dream.
Outcome
The architects employed a special method that both protected and yet did not touch the shell of a building. The frame of a “house” was placed within the pigsty. This allows the entire interior of the new building to rely on the inner shell, rather than the 1780 structure. The new roof provides an overhang that protects the outer walls and yet sits on the new shell, adding pressure only to the new building. Windows were constructed in the same locations as the original structure, preserving the outer facade.[1]
[1]Greenline
Images courtesy of FNP Architekten and Greenline.
Gasometer City
Project Name:
Gasometer CityLocation:
Vienne, Austria, EUCompletion Date:
2001Original Use(s):
utilityNew Use(s):
residential, commercial, culturalProject Description:
History
The Gasometers were built between 1896 and 1899 in the Simmering district of Vienna near the Gaswerk Simmering gas works of the district. The containers were used to help supply Vienna with town gas. At the time, the design was the largest in all of Europe. The Gasometers were retired in 1984 due to new technologies in gasometer construction, as well as the city’s conversion from town gas and coal gas to natural gas. In 1978, they were designated as protected historic landmarks.
(Re)Developer
Vienna undertook a remodelling and revitalization of the protected monuments and in 1995 called for ideas for the new use of the structures. The chosen designs by the architects Jean Nouvel (Gasometer A), Coop Himmelblau (Gasometer B), Manfred Wehdorn (Gasometer C) and Wilhelm Holzbauer (Gasometer D) were completed between 1999 and 2001.
Outcome
Each gasometer was divided into several zones for living (apartments in the top), working (offices in the middle floors) and entertainment and shopping (shopping malls in the ground floors). The shopping mall levels in each gasometer are connected to the others by skybridges. The historic exterior wall was conserved. One of the ideas rejected for the project was the plan by architect Manfred Wehdorn to use the Gasometers for hotels and facilities for the planned World Expo in Vienna and Budapest. On 30 October 2001, the mayor attended the official grand opening of the Gasometers, but people had begun moving in as early as May 2001. The Gasometers have developed a village character all their own and are a city within a city. A true sense of community has developed, and both a large physical housing community (of tenants) as well as an active virtual internet community (Gasometer Community) have formed. Numerous theses and dissertations in psychology, urban planning, journalism and architecture have been written about this phenomenon. Indoor facilities include a music hall (capacity 2000–3000 people), movie theatre, student dormitory, municipal archive, and so on. There are about 800 apartments (two thirds within the historic brick walls) with 1600 regular tenants, as well as about 70 student apartments with 250 students in residence.[1]
[1]Wikipedia
Images courtesy of TreeHugger.com and Wikimedia.
Eastworks
Project Name:
EastworksLocation:
Easthampton, Massachusetts, USACompletion Date:
1997Original Use(s):
mill factoryNew Use(s):
mixed-use (retail, office, residential lofts)Project Description:
History
Prior to its adaptive reuse, Eastworks was the home of Stanley Home Products. The company manufactured home good items at the location for decades before it was merged and consolidated with other locations. The 500,000 sf factory is part of a series of mills that made up the West Boylston Co. That textile company had moved out of the city in the 1920s, leaving the Eastworks building to become home to Stanhome.[1] The mill is located along the Lower Mill Pond and Manhan Railroad (now the Manhan Rail Trail).
(Re)Developer
In 1997, private developer Will Bundy purchased the Stanhome building and founded Eastworks LLC. Through his efforts, he planned to reuse the building as a mixed-use community.
Outcome
Eastworks is now a mixed-use center for artists, residents, and retail. The redevelopment of the structure has been noted as the element that jump started a rebirth in the cityʼs economy. Developed over a number of phases with work still continuing, the project has met with a lot of enthusiasm and activity. It’s “a practical and dynamic home for community-based organizations making an impact in the Pioneer Valley and beyond, whether through entrepreneurship, artists supporting and engaging each other’s initiatives, or the far-reaching work of non-profit foundations.”[2]
[1]Eastworks
[2]Eastworks
Images courtesy of JK Parkin, Atalasoft, and mighty stina.
The Brewery Small Business Center
Project Name:
The Brewery Small Business CenterLocation:
Boston, Massachusetts, USACompletion Date:
OngoingOriginal Use(s):
Haffenreffer BreweryNew Use(s):
small business centerProject Description:
History
The complex was first built in 1871 as the Haffenreffer Brewery. The business saw its height topping out at 250 employees before competition in the 1950s caused production to slow. In 1965, the brewery is shut down. It became home for a moving company for a short time as well as squatters. The brewery complex gained recognition in 1982 when it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
(Re)Developer
The non-profit Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) was founded in 1977 and soon afterwards sought to purchase the brewery as a cornerstone to their community development efforts of revitalizing the neighborhood and supporting small businesses. After five years of fundraising, JPNDC succeeds in purchasing the brewery.
Outcome
About 10 years later, two-thirds of the building was revitalized and opened to house new local businesses. In 2008, JPNDC began the final phase to renovate the remaining portion of the five-acre, 16-building, 150,000-square foot complex. The non-profit’s goal was to “bring back the jobs that were lost when the Haffenreffer Brewery ceased operations in the 1960s and to create a supportive environment for local businesses.” A resounding success, the complex is now home to 50 small businesses with over 250 people employed.[1]
In the spirit of sustainability, JPNDC has been able to reuse a significant structure within their neighborhood, saving land and resources. At the same time, the “blight” and social problems of a vacant building have been cleared away, ushering in renewed activity and a successful local economy.
[1]Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation
Images courtesy of Boston Restaurant Talk, Gail Rush, and Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation.
Taller de Arquitectura
Project Name:
Taller de ArquitecturaLocation:
Barcelona, Spain, EUCompletion Date:
1975Original Use(s):
cement factoryNew Use(s):
architectural firm office, private residenceProject Description:
History
The complex was originally a large cement factory from the turn of the century. It was made up of over 30 silos, underground spaces, and very large engine rooms. Years of neglect and vacancy had left the complex into stages of disrepair.
(Re)Developer
In 1973, famed Spanish architect Richard Bofill bought the site, seeing great potential in its assets. This private development saw the transformation of the complex from industrial into a mixed residential and office headquarters. Upon completion, Bofill set up his firms office within the space. The entire reuse project took two years to complete.
Outcome
To better define the space as well as clear out portions that were beyond repair, Bofill tore down a number of the silos (keeping eight) and other structures. Extensive new landscaping (including gardens of eucalyptus, palms, olive trees and cypresses) was installed to soften the edges and create further definition. This adapted space now includes “offices, a modelling laboratory, archives, a library, a projection room and a huge space known as ‘The Cathedral’, the venue for subsequent exhibitions, lectures, concerts and a whole range of cultural activities linked to the architect’s professional life.” Additionally, he incorporated his own private residence and guest rooms.[1]
[1]Ricardo Bofill
Images courtesy of Ricardo Bofill and Loft Life Magazine.