Retail
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.