Public Radio Renovation
Project Name Location Project Type Client Type Completion Date
Public Radio Headquarters Spring½eld, MA Interior Commercial Renovation Public Radio Station 2014
Construction Budget
$2.75 million
Cost per Square Foot
$162
Size Primary Consultants
Program
17,000 square feet Broadcast Consultant Acoustic Engineer MEP Engineer Structural Engineer New headquarters for a public radio station’s operations. Provides three complete studio suites and two interview booths for broadcasting, as well as of½ce and conference space for the station’s News, Music, Development, and Engineering departments. A reception room hosts events to engage with the surrounding community.
Site Description
The historic Fuller Block, a National Historic Landmark building built in 1887 in the heart of downtown Spring½eld. Originally First National Bank of Spring½eld.
Design Concept
Existing architectural features layer with new built elements, creating rhythm and encouraging movement around and through the space. Geometries open up toward and materiality highlights areas of interest along the way, inviting users to pause and gather.
Unusual Components
Sustainable Design
Universal Design
Acoustic ceiling, ¾oor, and wall construction. Original cast iron columns and existing bank vault. Combined ½ve existing tenant spaces in two buildings, navigating 4” in ¾oor level changes. Energy ef½cient LED lighting and heating/cooling systems. Reclaimed wood paneling. Sustainable Cork Rubber and linoleum ¾ooring. Space was uninsulated; R-20 insulation provided. Fully accessible public, of½ce, and studio suite spaces, exceeding code requirements.
Above: Fuller Block in its heyday. Facing Page: Fuller Block, restored.
A public radio station, providing world-class programming out of a run-down dorm building, saw their dreams of a space to call their own come to fruition this fall. After years of planning and fundraising they took a leap of faith, moving their operations to downtown Spring½eld, MA. The building was once First National Bank of Spring½eld, a gem of Main Street. In recent years it had been chopped up by tenants and overlooked. With Public Radio’s move, we were able to recapture this historic and centrally located corner, providing an energized space that re¾ects the spirit of public radio and the community it is committed to.
Studios at the heart. The space that Public Radio occupies was originally two buildings separated by a thick masonry wall and divided among ½ve tenants. Creating a logical and easy to navigate space for one owner out of these disjointed areas was the main challenge in designing the space. When the tenant spaces on the First Floor were opened up to one another a large U-shape space emerged around the Common Lobby, which made providing the required adjacencies challenging. We discovered 4” of variation in ¾oor level, as well as a number of structural walls and elements that could not be moved. We used the placement of the Studio Group to tie the two sides of the space together, bridging departments and creating a central hub in the center of the space. This rear corner was also the most removed from street noise to best accommodate the special acoustic requirements for studio spaces. Of½ce areas, where occupants spend the majority of their time, ¾ank either side of the Studio Group and receive the abundant natural light from the street-side windows. Open of½ces and interior windows promote the passage of light into all work spaces. Circulation is particularly important in this sprawling space. A clear circulation path links all departments. As the hall travels along the outer edge of each discipline it provides privacy within each grouping.
Sound
Light
Adjacencies
Public/Private
COMMUNITY SPACE
STUDIOS
NEWS
MUSIC
MUSIC COMMUNITY SPACE
Common Lobby to Second Floor. Not in Project.
DEVELOPMENT
ENGINEERING
PUBLIC ENTRANCE Basement Plan
First Floor Plan
Rhythm. Given the scale and shape of the building plan, a clear and engaging circulation strategy was critical to keep the space from feeling rambling and disorganized. Using architectural rhythms to welcome and move users through the space seemed like the perfect approach for an organization that operates in musical beats and the cadence of the human voice. The existing cast iron columns at the entry march down the hall, while the pattern of the modern interior windows are layered behind them. Wall sconces punctuate the expanse with repetition of light. On the opposite wall the reception desk bends and turns to create a continuous band, leading into the space.
Above: Entry Hall Below: Elevation of Entry Hall, showing layering of columns, interior windows, and sconces. The same strategy is employed throughout the hall spaces. Opposite Page: View of Reception Desk and Entry Hall
Above: Front Hall seating area, punctuated by reclaimed wood paneling Above Right: Grass cloth wall covering leads to Studios Bottom Right: Materiality Diagram
Material and Geometry. Rhythm leads users into the space, but unique materials highlight special areas along the way. Reclaimed wood paneling cradles the reception area, and is repeated at the end of the corridor where it wraps the News corner. Further on, grass cloth wall covering leads into the Studio Group, signaling one is entering an area of interest. Reclaimed wood paneling picks up again at the stair, wrapping the circulation column from the First Floor all the way down to the Basement spaces. Glimpsing one of these special materials along the circulation route signals a new experience is ahead, encouraging curiosity. These materials are applied to walls that are arranged to direct activity. For example, the Reception back wall holds users in place, while the walls leading to the Studio Group angle to bring users into the center. In the Front Hall the interior wall pulls back from the line of the corridor, creating an area of pause.
Studio Lounge is marked by grass cloth
Reclaimed wood paneling surrounds stairs, leading down
Technical Operations Center
Studio Group 2
Lounge
Studio Group 1
News and Development
Studio Group 3
Top: Master Control, looking into Studio Above: Interview Booth, visible from Bridge Street Facing Page: Studio
Music and Engineering
Central Hub. All departments at the station feed into the Studio Group, reinforcing the idea that the soul of the space is the broadcast that is produced. At the center is the Lounge space, inviting station guests and staff to pause, share ideas, and build community. Although only a few voices go out over the radio waves, all departments can see the results of their work as they observe the broadcast.
Reclaimed wood paneling wraps the News corner. Existing bank vault provides a focal point at the hall end.