(Re)Developer
Augusta and Gill Holland purchased the building in spring 2007. Gill is a Norwegian-American Spirit Award-nominated film producer and the author of the children’s book “Louisville Counts.”^[2]

The Hollands hired (fer) studio, based on Los Angeles, to oversee the adaptive reuse process. The firm handles architectural, interior, landscape, and master planning design. It is well known for its eco-conscious design.^[3]

Outcome
This adaptive reuse project became the first commercial building in Louisville to go for US Green Building Council LEED platinum certification. The end product, a 15,000-square-foot mixed-use facility, is now home to a café, a gallery, event spaces, an indoor-outdoor courtyard, and offices and studios for local businesses. “Intent upon rescuing the building from decades of misuse, the project included resuscitating the structural masonry shell and infusing it with a modern core, including a 40 foot high lobby, expansive natural lighting, eco-friendly materials, and renewable energy systems, as well as extensive solar power, geothermal wells, and recycled denim insulation.”^[4]

Located in the East Market District (NuLu), The Green Building has become the flagship building for this area. This growing, hip district is made up of Louisville’s oldest neighborhoods, Butchertown and Phoenix Hill. This unofficial district is now best known for its galleries showcasing local, regional and national artists, unique specialty stores, antique shops and a growing number of upscale restaurants.^[5]

(Re)Developer
Larissa and Jeff Sand purchased the warehouse in 2003 to relocate their family and business Sand Studios. Larissa is a designer who studied architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, while her husband, Jeff, is an industrial designer.^[3] Their firm, Sand Studios, combines minimalist design with material expression, refined details and atmospheric lighting.

Outcome
The warehouse was saved from demolition when a development company planning to replace the building with new condominiums had lost its financing. Larissa saw the opportunity to reuse the structure and provide a new home for her family and business after a fire forced them out of their previous location. The 8,500-square-foot masonry-and-timber post-and-beam structure is located on a 3,730-square-foot corner lot just one block from the neighborhood’s oval park. The three story structure was divided into the family’s residence on the top floor, the studio office on the second floor, and the studio’s machine shop on the ground floor. The ground floor also now includes a 2,500-square-feet gallery space that may be used to rent out for retail uses in the future.

Ample skylights and windows provide plenty of daylight and natural ventilation. Larissa focused on reusing as many of the original building materials in the renovation. Any elements that needed to be replaced were accomplished through natural and/or recycled materials. A central two-story atrium was added to bring light into the 7-foot-10-inch-high office and allows workers to observe the shop below.

“The Sand Studios restoration project is a welcome addition to a neighborhood that has survived natural and economic catastrophes and struggles to overcome myriad new real estate developments. With its side doors rolled open, the building emits the lively sounds of buzzing machines and friendly banter. Activity animates the place day and night. The Sands have not only revived a spot that might have become another generic condo, they’ve infused it with a spirit of innovation, rehabilitation, and reuse that embodies San Francisco’s history of enterprise and recovery.”^[4]