Reduce, Reuse, Renew: Transforming a Turn-of-the-Century Warehouse

Project Details

Project Description

Preservation of existing materials, adaptive reuse, and community sensitivity all play an important role in the transformation of this turn-of-the century warehouse in a mixed-use industrial neighborhood. The judges were impressed that the entrants could take a “derelict building that had very little going for it and turn it into something exceptionally designed.”

Through careful placement of offices and a restaurant, over 75% of the building’s original post-and-beam structure has been maintained. Skylights and windows, behind a perforated zinc skin (see "Warehouse to Wowhouse"), enable cross ventilation and admit light. A 30kW photovoltaic array produces more than 80% of the building’s annual electricity load. On the roof, drought-resistant plants lower the roof’s surface temperature, increase the building’s insulation value, and filter pollutants from storm water.

By transforming half of a large parking lot into a garden and a dining courtyard for the restaurant (awaiting a LEED Platinum rating for tenant improvement), Aidlin Darling was able to fulfill the client’s desire to connect with the local community.

—Stacey Freed, senior editor, REMODELING.