Commercial Architecture November 2017 - 18

FEATURE

historic renovation
repairs, including those to the large chimneystack. The original builtup tar roof also required structural reinforcement. Since NPS guidelines allow the addition of contextual canopies and storefront systems, the design team created a custom steel entry, matching the
character of cast-iron and steel beams used throughout the original
structure.
One of the building's most notable and distinctive features is its
nearly 300 8-ft. x 10-ft. windows, which flood the interior with natural light. In order to meet NPS standards, the design team replaced
original combinations of steel sash and wood frames with new, thermally broken aluminum frames featuring historically matched
muntins and divided-lite windows. Here again the original structure
proved distinctive, as the original window frames were black rather
than the green typically found in local mill buildings. This of course
meant the new frames would be black, too, which Maenpaa noted
creates smoother visual transitions between window, frame, and
façade, lending the building a much sleeker look than it would have
had with green frames.
SITE WORK, UNEXPECTED FINDS

The scenic riverfront location and low-lying 7 1/2-acre site meant that
flood mitigation had to be a central concern for the design team-not
least because FEMA's recently updated insurance maps placed the
building's first floor within a floodplain. To address the dangers of
potential storm surges, TAT and the project team removed the floor,
This 25-ft.-tall space has exposed flat Pratt trusses with vertical wrought-iron tension rods and 17-ft.-tall windows; residents can take
advantage of a warming kitchen, pool tables, TV and workspace areas, and a variety of different seating arrangements. Photo: Andy
Ryan, courtesy TAT
The design team used an architectural insertion to transform this area, cutting a 30- by 20-ft. hole in the floor and creating a central
atrium with a new stair tower. Original beams were kept in place to highlight the historic structure, and large, lantern-like chandeliers,
selected by the interior designer, provide illumination. Photo: Gregg Shupe, courtesy TAT

subbing in additional structural steel, and rebuilt it 27-in. higher on a
composite concrete-slab deck above the 100-year floodplain. To prevent moisture from infiltrating into residential units, new spray-foam
insulation now creates a gas and vapor barrier. As a design benefit,
the re-alignment brought the floor up to the bottom of the sill, essentially creating a floor-to-ceiling window and an even brighter, more
open feel for the ground-level interior spaces.
All of this work near the building's foundation also unearthed a
surprise that Maenpaa calls "an early architectural solution for flood
mitigatio,n unlike anything we'd ever seen before." The original mill
design featured an under-building wet crawlspace, with a series of
equally spaced holes set in the foundation at 20-ft. intervals. By allowing river water to flow through this partial-earthen basement, the
holes absorb flood surges and guide the water back out again as it recedes. The existence of these channels meant that the design team
needed to carefully balance the removal and addition of soil as they
raised the floor to keep this site-specific flood-mitigation system
working correctly. By creating a retention pond elsewhere on the
grounds, Maenpaa and his colleagues were able to compensate for
necessary changes to the foundation.
SETTING THE PROGRAM

When it came time to tackle interiors, the unique shape of the building also presented challenges that the designers rarely encounter in
conversions of mills and factories. Usually, noted Maenpaa, "these
structures are long and narrow, often 60 to 70 ft. wide." But at 500ft. long and 110-ft. wide, "this one is nearly twice the typical width,
so a central challenge for this project was the remarkable amount of
space within the building-how could we utilize it in the best way
possible?" He said the design team went back and forth on how interior space could be best distributed. "We ran through a number
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COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

NOVEMBER 2017

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture November 2017