The most recent installment in our Professional Insights sequence has us tackling the method of changing older buildings into trendy workplace area. So, who higher to ask than an knowledgeable within the architectural trade?
Meet Andrew Werner, Senior Affiliate Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF). Andrew acquired his Bachelor of Structure with honors from Carnegie Mellon College and is a licensed architect in New York, in addition to a member of the AIA, NCARB, ULI, and the New York Constructing Congress.
He assisted the challenge administration and technical coordination of 30 Hudson Yards and 10 Hudson Yards, the latter being the headquarters of huge names akin to Coach and L’Oreal. Presently, Andrew is the Venture Supervisor of KPF’s most up-to-date adaptive reuse challenge, One Madison Avenue, set to open in 2024 because the New York headquarters of each IBM and Franklin Templeton.
Listed here are his insights on the method of repurposing older buildings:
Q: What are the important thing architectural challenges and alternatives on the subject of repurposing older buildings into trendy workplace areas?
We see adaptive reuse tasks as each a worthy problem and a compelling alternative to create a sustainable constructing via modern design. Older workplace buildings had been designed for a really completely different working setting — from the kind of work being executed to the methods during which staff interacted with their bodily environment and their colleagues. Repositioning such a constructing into a contemporary office match for the bodily and technical calls for of immediately’s workforce presents a number of challenges — low ceiling heights, small home windows and inefficient constructing methods. Apparently, these challenges typically come bundled with alternatives akin to over-engineered structural frames, very good architectural character and deep historic integration into the neighborhood. Key to a profitable challenge is the flexibility to strip away antiquated supplies and methods whereas retaining the essential parts that made the constructing particular within the first place.
Q: What components do you think about when deciding whether or not an older constructing is an appropriate candidate for repurposing?
Each side of a constructing deserves thorough evaluation. We think about the constructing’s highest and finest use; work with house owners to undertake a lifecycle evaluation; and determine alternatives to attenuate influence and maximize reuse.
We additionally look intently on the present constructing’s massing, construction, façade methods, mechanical methods, and web site situations, in addition to any zoning-related use, ground space, and top and setback allowances.
Hudson Commons, Courtesy of KPF
Q: How do you steadiness preserving the historic or architectural character of an older constructing with assembly the practical wants of a contemporary workplace?
Sustaining the historic character of an older constructing requires painstaking consideration to element and a penchant for analysis and evaluation. We like to make use of the previous as a springboard, letting historic particulars of the constructing and its environment assist information us in our strategy to any new interventions. Typically, we will amplify and enhance present historic elements of a constructing that concurrently enable it to satisfy the wants of a contemporary workplace. At one in all our current New York tasks — Hudson Commons — we changed getting older, inefficient strip home windows with new, bigger models with a gridded, mullion design that higher displays the neighborhood’s architectural character and manufacturing previous. On the similar time, these new home windows vastly enhance vitality effectivity and permit much more pure gentle to achieve the workplace staff inside.
Q: What monetary issues needs to be considered when investing within the repurposing of older buildings into workplace areas?
There’s a honest quantity of monetary danger when executing an adaptive reuse challenge. In an present constructing, the numerous dangers lie simply beneath the floor: You could not know precisely what’s behind a wall, roof or ground till you actually begin to peel again the layers of the onion. Present documentation (plans, store drawings, historic photographs, and so forth.) could also be incomplete or non-existent. Generally, you assume you may know (and is perhaps appropriate), and different instances what you discover might actually shock you. Past these specialised building price dangers, extra typical prices of modernizing a constructing — together with, however not restricted to high-performance façade and mechanical methods — ought to by no means be neglected. On the event pro-forma facet, house owners also needs to be clear-eyed about easy methods to strategy and precisely challenge their financing, advertising and marketing, and leasing, in addition to operations and upkeep prices towards the backdrop of a improvement timeline that may be affected by present situations found on-site.
One Madison Avenue, Courtesy of KPF
Q: What are some modern design and sustainability methods you’ve carried out when repurposing older buildings into workplace areas?
To start, essentially the most sustainable factor we will do is reuse as a lot of the prevailing constructing as potential. From there, we analyze and implement façade and mechanical methods to maximise vitality effectivity. At our soon-to-be accomplished One Madison Avenue challenge in New York, we’ve reused over 60% of the prevailing structural body and nearly all its present limestone cladding, whereas selectively demolishing the uppermost, inefficient floorplates to make manner for a brand new tower overbuild. Through the use of a DOAS (Direct Out of doors Air System) HVAC strategy, we provide 100% out of doors air to all workplace flooring with enhanced filtration and particulate monitoring. As a result of smaller ducts permitted by the DOAS system, we had been in a position to flip beforehand eight-foot ceilings into nine-foot and 10-foot ceilings on the prevailing podium flooring. DOAS additionally allowed us to take away outdated fan-coil heating models on the façade, which, in flip, allowed the set up of a brand new, insulated curtain wall system with decrease windowsills and better transoms, vastly enhancing pure gentle penetration onto the flooring.
Q: With regards to worker satisfaction and productiveness, what benefits can repurposed older buildings supply as in comparison with new workplace areas?
Holding onto a constructing with ‘good bones’ is simply good enterprise. Preserving and subsequently enhancing character, sustainability, and authenticity within the constructed setting helps foster stronger firm tradition within the office, rising interplay between colleagues and driving innovation and creativity. By merging options of the prevailing structure with best-practice design approaches, we will create distinctive areas the place individuals genuinely need to be in individual and spend their day at work: Heat and alluring workplaces that present ample entry to pure gentle and air; entry to indoor and out of doors recreation areas; and handy facilities, together with meals and beverage, wellness and retail alternatives.
One Madison Avenue, Courtesy of KPF
Q: How do you see the pattern of repurposing outdated buildings for workplace areas evolving within the coming years?
At KPF, we see the adaptive reuse sector rising energetically for the foreseeable future. With rising building and financing prices throughout the board, constructing much less makes nice financial sense and, in high-density city environments, there are merely fewer ‘tabula rasa’ parcels obtainable. House owners are recognizing the sustainability impacts, in addition to the uncooked architectural and neighborhood advantages of repurposing present buildings. Selecting adaptive reuse — slightly than full demolition and new building — is a wonderful manner to attract in environmentally aware companies and to concurrently construct neighborhood help for developments that retain neighborhood character, whereas additionally offering financial stimulus.
Q: What recommendation would you give potential buyers which are contemplating a repurposing challenge, when it comes to what to search for and what to keep away from?
Embrace the complexity! Actively search out the brightest minds within the trade to dive proper in with you. It’s critically essential to have interaction your architect and the total design and building workforce as early within the course of as potential to assist clearly outline strengths and weaknesses of any potential improvement situation. Tight constraints and present situations have the ability to yield distinctive design and improvement alternatives and convey one-of-a-kind merchandise to market. It is perhaps more difficult to retain an present construction than to demolish and construct new, however the outcomes may be much more rewarding, cheaper and way more sustainable.
Occupied with being interviewed for our Professional Insights sequence? Be at liberty to achieve out to us at [email protected] or try different articles from our sequence right here.
