IT'S PRACTICALLY A GIVEN THAT AT SOME POINT IN A BUILDING'S life it will either become so outdated or need so much work to remain usable that its very existence will be questioned. But the possibility of tearing it down can present an emotional dilemma as well as go against sustainability principles. And, of course, building something new in its place comes with a big price tag.
APPA named adaptive reuse—which involves creating an entirely new strategy for a building’s use—as one of the top ten critical facilities issues in a report resulting from its 2007 Thought Leaders Series, and a new LEED rating system to be released this month by the U.S. Green Building Council is expected to give more points for adaptive reuse projects. Architectural firms find their higher ed clients are taking notice.
“Adaptive reuse has been interesting to universities because they often have very constrained campus plans that cause them to rethink these buildings,” says Betsy del Monte of The Beck Group, based in Dallas, adding that “the most sustainable building is the one that is already built and sitting there.”
Principal and director of sustainability at the firm, del Monte explains that higher ed institutions were mainly pursuing campus expansion in the past several years. She expects adaptive reuse to become a primary focus for IHEs in the next few years, because of financial challenges and the focus on resource efficiencies.
Loren Ahles, vice president and design principal at HGA Architects and Engineers’ Minneapolis office, agrees that campus leaders are giving adaptive reuse another look. The biggest positive? Administrators can reduce construction costs associated with square footage appreciably.
In addition, adaptive reuse can be the right thing to do. “It’s tough to throw away buildings. It doesn’t make much sense in this day and age, and so [adaptive reuse] is a green approach to renovating a campus.”
Here’s how three institutions helped to give certain structures second lives.
Saving History Results in Student Center
Unusual but Reusable: Other Examples of Adaptive Reuse
National Polytechnic College of Science (Calif.): Officials at the college, an affiliate of the National University System, converted a former U.S. Navy vessel into a fully functioning "floating campus," based in the Port of Los Angeles. They rechristened the 110-foot-long, 34-foot-wide ship with the name "Discovery," and it's being used for students pursuing careers such as commercial diving and underwater welding. The campus contains two 25-person classrooms, a central office complex, faculty offices, a computer lab, a training tank, dive stations, multiple-deck hyperbaric chambers, welding stations, and maintenance shops. At press time, classes were scheduled to begin in February. University of Florida: The Kathryn Chicone Ustler Hall, formerly known as the Women's Gym, reopened for classes in September 2006 after sitting vacant for nearly 27 years. Built in 1919, "The New Gym" was no longer being used by 1979, but it was saved from demolition in 1988 after being granted National Register of Historic Places protection. A donation from alumna Kathryn Chicone Ustler (1961) in 2000 allowed for the former gym to be transformed into a 14,700-square-foot, three-level academic structure. The restoration process was completed in 2006. The hall is also home to the Center for Women's Studies and Gender Research. Berry College (Ga.): Built by Berry students in the 1930s, the Normandy Dairy Farm operated on the college's grounds for six decades, providing education and training for North Georgia's youth. As dairy students declined in number, and the dairy moved to a new location, the college chose to enter into a long-term agreement with the WinShape Foundation to run the property, which was converted into the WinShape Retreat Center. The 15 original structures-from milking barns to silos-have been renovated to become facilities for conferences, retreats, and summer camps. For example, a dining hall was once a milking barn, and a barn once used to house calves is now a reception hall and welcome center. The center earned a 2007 award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Continued on page 2
Sea Urchins, a private summer residence, circa 1886, was bequeathed to College of the Atlantic (Maine) in the mid-’70s by its owner under a life-tenancy agreement. But the wrecking ball was heading its way in 2004, after the university community voted to tear it down and built new environmentally sustainable housing in its place.
Administrators thought it would be difficult to restructure the building due to its eccentric design, including two additions from the early 1900s and related accessibility issues, with many of the room entrances having steps. Designed for summer use, the building wasn’t insulated. And its stucco exterior, easily capable of soaking up moisture, had to meet modern building codes.
“It really just sat there as our campus landmark, but [it was] of very little use to us,” says Millard Dority, director of campus planning, buildings, and public safety. The owner lived in the building during the summer months, although the college had used the servants’ quarters, one of the additions, as residences during the year. Another addition served as a student lounge in the mid-to-late-’90s.
“It was a very, very difficult decision … but we felt there was no way we could make it ADA compliant because the building was convoluted,” explains Dority.
When COA administrators were scheduled to present plans for the future Kathryn W. Davis Student Residence Village to the Bar Harbor Planning Board, with one of the three duplexes to be placed on the site of the cottage, Dority gave the floor plan a final look. That’s when he determined a way to salvage it. By removing and relocating the wing that had served as the temporary student lounge, the number of level changes could be reduced, making the building more accessible.
After discussions with the college’s president and the associate dean of student life, a plan B for the cottage came into fruition: use it as a campus center with a café and lounge, plus offices for faculty and staff. In July 2007, the board of trustees voted to proceed with the adaptation of the cottage and the construction of the new student housing, which was built first.
