retrofit September/October 2024

september-october 2024 // retrofitmagazine.com

Vertical Quad:

Johns Hopkins University Carves a New Identity from the Former Newseum in Washington, D.C. More Education Projects

TREND ALERT: Data-driven Design

I M P R O V I N G Y E S T E R D AY F O R T O D AY

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024 // VOL 15 // ISSUE 5

Feature Projects Radical Reuse Johns Hopkins University carves a new identity from the former Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Peruse innovative education facilities from across North America: • • •

•

George I. Sánchez Elementary, Austin, Texas The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Mich.

Visual Arts and Design Center, Tidewater Community College, Norfolk, Va. Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, D.C.

• • •

•

Link Auditorium, St. Louis Baylor University, Waco, Texas Mandeville Art Gallery, University of California San Diego Eskasoni Mi’kmaq Nation School Buildings and Ice Rink, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

COVER PHOTO: Alan Karchmer/OTTO retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 7

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 50

SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER 2024 // VOL 15 // ISSUE 5

BUSINESS

36 Time Is Money

Integrated project delivery converts an iconic 680room New York hotel into student apartments—with kitchenettes— in less than seven months.

HISTORIC

44 The Best of

What’s Around

In Missouri, a Brutalist library’s style is embraced during modernization and programming additions.

HISTORIC

50 Welcome Home

University of Alabama prospective students are greeted by a 21st century experience in a refurbished 19th century building.

TREND ALERT

56 The Digital Revolution

Data-driven design is poised to transform the built environment.

ENERGY

40 A Model of

Zero-energy Adaptive Reuse

Utah Clean Energy’s Climate Innovation Center makes a commitment to the future.

COLUMN

12 Point of View The start of a new school year always is exciting; rehabbed buildings add to the momentum.

DEPARTMENTS

60 Products // View a roundup of the latest materials and systems for the industry.

66 Inspiration // An innovative shell structure constructed with poured concrete in 1969 is reopened as a multipurpose event center in Germany.

Stay up to date Subscribe to retrofit’s weekly e-newsletter at www.retrofitmagazine.com.

You’ll receive the latest news, blogs and content you won’t find in the magazine.

8 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

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September-October 2024 / / VOL 15 / / ISSUE 5 PUBLISHER JOHN RIESTER john@retrofitmagazine.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR CHRISTINA KOCH christina@retrofitmagazine.com DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS BECKY RIESTER becky@retrofitmagazine.com CONTRIBUTING EDITOR JIM SCHNEIDER ART DIRECTOR/DIGITAL DESIGN DIRECTOR ERIKA NYGAARD CIRCULATION MANAGER LYN URE lyn@retrofitmagazine.com WEB ENGINEER DEREK LEEDS

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SOCIAL MEDIA MAVEN ROBIN GRABER ADVERTISING SALES JOHN RIESTER BARRETT HAHN john@retrofitmagazine.com barrett.hahn@gmail.com (919) 641-6321 (919) 593-5318 BETH EMERICH beth@retrofitmagazine.com (781) 710-4745

MIKE GILBERT treblig2023@gmail.com (847) 867-9615

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD NATHAN M. GILLETTE WILLIAM E. HOLLOWAY AIA, LEED AP, REALTOR AIA, LEED AP Director, Natura Architectural Principal, BERNARDON, Consulting LLC, Wilmington, Del. Grand Rapids, Mich.

JOHN J. NOONAN Vice President of Facilities Management Duke University, Durham, N.C

MICHAEL P. WASHBURN, Ph.D. Principal, Washburn Consulting, Scottsdale, Ariz.

RETROFIT // Vol. 15 // No. 5 is published bimonthly by Fisher Media LLC, 98 Booth Meadow Lane, Durham, NC 27713, (919) 641-6321. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to retrofit, 2409 High Point Drive, Lindenhurst, IL 60046.

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New School Year, New Experiences Now as the parent of a 6-year-old, I have come to realize back-to-school time is as important to parents as it is to our kids. And not just because it means more structure for the entire family. I think there’s an excitement surrounding how much our kiddos will learn and evolve in the coming year, as well as the friendships they will make that could last a lifetime.

As I write this column, it is the final week before my daughter Clare begins first grade.

On Monday, our school notified all parents whom our students’ teachers will be for the coming year. Not only did the moms on my street start texting each other about teachers, but my friends who are parents of Clare’s Kindergarten classmates also were texting to find out if our kids would be in the same class again. Clare’s two closest Kindergarten friends were assigned to different teachers than Clare. To say the other moms and I were bummed would be an understatement. But, when I told Clare, she took the news in stride.

“We can still play with each other at recess,” she said.

Clare’s easygoing attitude is a good lesson for me about dealing with change, which I know from experience, is often for the better. Just like Clare, I’ll make new friends through her new classmates, which will expand both our circles and make life in what still is a fairly new-to-us neighborhood even better.

Similarly, in this issue, we profile several education facilities that have changed for the better. For example, Johns Hopkins University acquired the former Newseum building at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., and hired Ennead Architects to repurpose the 420,000-square-foot space into a high-rise academic campus. The hyper-flexible “vertical quad” redefines the traditional campus experience while participating in the vibrant life on Pennsylvania Avenue. Read about the project in our “Cover Story”, page 16.

Meanwhile, at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the former Alabama State Hospital for the Insane, which was constructed in the 1850s, was brought back from a severely deteriorated state to create a new welcome center for student admissions; Theatre and Dance department offices, classrooms and rehearsal spaces; and a mental health museum honoring the building’s past. TURNERBATSON Architects, along with a dedicated team, completed extensive field measurements, investigations and studies to ensure historically significant elements were maintained throughout the 130,000-squarefoot project. Read “Historic”, page 50, to learn more.

The projects within this issue underscore how providing students and others with innovative buildings and classes creates unexpected experiences and connections that will serve everyone well for years to come.

CHRISTINA KOCH Associate Publisher/Editorial Director retrofit FOLLOW US

12 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Richard Olcott, FAIA, is a design partner at Ennead Architects. One of his notable projects is our “Cover Story”, page 16: The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center was carved from the former Newseum at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The flexible “vertical quad” redefines the campus experience.

Ventanas™ PANEL ©2019 modularArts, Inc.

Strata™ PANEL ©2024 modularArts, Inc. Bizbee™ PANEL ©2015 modularArts, Inc.

Tallal Bhutta is founder and CEO of BDB Construction Enterprise LLC. Bhutta writes in “Business”, page 36, how integrated project delivery (IPD) assisted with the seven-month transformation of a 680-room New York hotel into student apartments—with kitchenettes. IPD minimized the non-revenue phases of the project, improving return on investment.

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Kevin Emerson, MSc, is director of energy-efficiency and building-decarbonization programs, policy and regulatory activities for Utah Clean Energy, a non-profit dedicated to ensuring healthy, thriving communities, sustained by clean energy. In “Energy”, page 40, Emerson describes the organization’s zero-energy office building, the Climate Innovation Center, Salt Lake City.

Shayle™ PANEL ©2023 modularArts, Inc.

Susan Pruchnicki (left), FAIA, LEED AP ID+C, is principal and Michelle Wells, AIA, LEED Green Associate, is principal and lead architectural designer at Bond Architects. The pair share the story of University City Public Library, University City, Mo., in “Historic”, page 44. Bond Architects addressed space needs while preserving the Brutalist building.

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14 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

Eric Berg, NCARB, is a partner with TURNERBATSON Architects. In “Historic”, page 50, Berg discusses the extensive renovations needed to transform the 1850s Alabama State Hospital for the Insane into the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, welcome center and a home for the Theatre and Dance department.

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COVER STORY PHOTOS: Alan Karchmer/OTTO unless otherwise noted

Radical Reuse Johns Hopkins University Carves a New Identity from the Former Newseum in Washington, D.C.

By Richard Olcott, FAIA

16 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

I

magine standing at the crossroads of history and modern innovation, right across the street from the National Gallery of Art and within view of the U.S. Capitol. This is where Johns Hopkins University (JHU) chose to embark on an ambitious journey— transforming the former Newseum building at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue into a vibrant academic hub.

In 2020, JHU acquired this iconic location, setting the stage for a remarkable transformation.

The Newseum, designed in 2008 by Polshek Partnership—now Ennead Architects—was a monument to the role of free speech and journalism in our democracy with a design characterized by transparency and openness. When JHU decided to repurpose this 420,000-square-foot space into a high-rise academic campus, the challenge was clear: honoring the past while creating a dynamic future. Collaborating with Rockwell Group and SmithGroup, the design team at Ennead Architects envisioned a hyper-flexible “vertical quad” that would redefine the traditional campus experience.

From Museum to Multidisciplinary Marvel

Think of a bustling university quad: Students huddled in study groups, professors engaging in animated discussions and the energy of learning everywhere.

Now, picture that vertically. The vertical quad is the heart of the Newseum’s academic transformation, a concept that fosters interaction and collaboration across multiple floors. The atrium with its cascading “room stair” connects all academic levels, ensuring

BEFORE PHOTOS: Ennead Architects

The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., is five blocks from the U.S. Capitol and nine blocks from the White House. retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 17

COVER STORY

fluid movement and interaction. At the same time, elements like the “room bridge”, a floating conference room suspended from the roof structure, and the “beach”, a tiered seating/stair area, support informal gatherings and create spaces where studying and socializing seamlessly blend.

To further improve the academic experience, the design team respected the Newseum’s original configurations but made several strategic adjustments, starting with the façade to flood the building with natural light. This daylight-filled interior is not just aesthetically pleasing but also supportive of its new purpose as a higher-education facility, enhancing focus, wellbeing and overall academic performance.

By reconfiguring the floor plates, the team increased the building’s square footage and modernized systems to meet JHU’s academic and sustainability goals.

For 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, Ennead Architects is targeting LEED Version 4.0 BD+C Silver certification.

This goal is particularly achievable because the most sustainable building is one that is already built, so undertaking an adaptive-reuse approach to this project underscores the firm’s commitment to a greener future.

Additionally, the team incorporated new exterior gathering spaces at the top and bottom of the building, including a café terrace on the avenue and new seating areas surrounding the reconfigured front entry, creating a welcoming, inviting sequence and public amenity. On top of the building, a series of new landscaped areas provide seating and gathering spaces along with a sustainable green roof.

This encapsulates Ennead Architects’ vision for JHU’s new building as an active participant in the continues on page 20

DIAGRAMS: Ennead Architects

STRUCTURAL RETROFIT

The design team respected the Newseum’s original configurations but made several strategic adjustments, starting with the façade. More stone and masonry in the former all-glass building and a copper interlayer in the glass harmonizes with surrounding landmarks, like the National Gallery of Art and Canadian Embassy.

18 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

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COVER STORY

vibrant life of Pennsylvania Avenue. By enhancing visibility and accessibility, the team created a lively streetscape with public-facing elements, like food service, that attract pedestrians and bridge the cultural and commercial precincts. This transformation not only revitalizes the building, but also enriches the community, making it a dynamic hub of activity and engagement.

Reinventing the Theater A soaring, 7-story central atrium provides limitless vistas of the Johns Hopkins University community at work.

20 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

One of the most exciting challenges was transforming the Newseum’s theater into a world-class venue for JHU’s Peabody School of Music. Originally designed for multimedia shows, the theater needed a complete overhaul to meet the acoustical demands of live performances. The team reconfigured it into a symmetrical “shoebox” theater style, enhancing acoustics and

BEFORE The center’s interior is conceived as a high-rise, open vertical quad, designed to break down barriers between academic disciplines and create common spaces for dialogue and collaboration.

sightlines. With approximately 370 seats and eight spaces compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the theater now supports a wide range of audiences for a number of performances and events—from orchestral concerts to lectures.

The new theater is equipped with a state-of-the-art “Electronic Architecture” sound system, which further fine-tunes the acoustical performance of the room to suit the wide variety of programmatic needs. The system uses an array of speakers and microphones, located throughout the hall to instantaneously listen to the theater, modify the sound and recalibrate the delivery through the speakers to alter the character of the acoustics in the room.

The design team entirely overhauled the theater’s interior to create a warm, bright, welcoming room with

This project is a testament to the power of architecture to reinvent itself and reinforces the importance of sustainability and adaptability in modern design.

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 21

COVER STORY

PHOTO: Jennifer Hughes

Dramatic architectural features and innovative lighting design create unique learning spaces for vibrant exchanges of ideas and information.

PHOTO: Will Kirk/Johns Hopkins University

Students from the Carey Business School attend class in “The Link”, a flexible educational and event space with dramatic views of the U.S. Capitol.

22 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

a sophisticated material palette. This includes walnutveneered walls, a sculptural stretched-fabric ceiling, a scalloped wood upstage reflector wall, plush upholstered seating with wood backs, broadloom carpet and tufted felt acoustic wall panels. The stage floor is stained maple and set on resilient pads to provide a “bouncy” surface in support of the dance performance program.

The theater’s exterior is wrapped with commissioned artwork from Elias Sime, made from more than 1,800 handmade art panels. Sime is a renowned artist whose work reflects and interprets global society, and each installation was conceived to advance 555 Pennsylvania Avenue’s mission and be in conversation with its architectural elements, serving as a focal point upon entry to the building.

Bridging Visual and Cultural Connections

The new 555 Pennsylvania Avenue bridges a strong visual relationship between Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Campus in Baltimore and Washington, D.C.’s local urban context. Reinterpreting the original Newseum façade, the renewed material palette includes more stone and masonry in the former all-glass building and features a pale pink Tennessee marble and copper interlayer in the glass. The combination harmonizes with surrounding landmarks, like the National Gallery of Art and the Canadian Embassy. This gives the building a renewed identity that echoes JHU’s prestigious character. A new glass curtainwall and sunshades with a custom interlayer, which is copper colored to the exterior and black to the interior, as well as a bronze trim at all openings, recalls the warmth of the brick that is featured throughout the Homewood campus.

BEFORE

A 375-seat arts theater features educational and cultural events, including weekly performances by musicians from the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute. retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 23

COVER STORY

A Journey of Transformation

The transformation of 555 Pennsylvania Avenue is more than just a renovation; it’s a story of adaptive—if not radical—reuse that honors the past while embracing the future. By reimagining the interior and exterior, the team created a dynamic, state-of-the-art learning environment that enriches Washington, D.C.’s urban fabric while enhancing JHU’s expertise, research and presence in the nation’s capital. This project is a testament to the power of architecture to reinvent itself and reinforces the importance of sustainability and adaptability in modern design.

Ennead Architects’ unique opportunity to revisit a building of its own design is a tale of transformation, innovation and vision that the team is proud to tell—one that continues to unfold along one of the most famous avenues in the world.

A landscaped rooftop terrace with views of the U.S. Capitol provides a space for study, collaboration and large events.

Retrofit Team

Materials

Architect: Ennead Architects, www.ennead.com

Pink Tennessee Marble (the same stone as the original National Gallery of Art and its I.M. Pei East Wing): Tennessee Marble Co., www.tnmarble.com

•

Richard Olcott, FAIA, design partner

•

Kevin McClurkan, AIA, management partner

•

Felicia Berger, AIA, project manager

•

Billy Erhard, AIA, senior designer

•

John Jordan, AIA, project architect

•

Kathleen Kulpa, AIA, curtainwall project architect

•

Alex O’Briant, AIA, academic planning and concept design

•

Darla Elsbernd, Christina Fazio, Xiaoheng Hazel Hu, Marianne Lau, Hyunjoo Lee, Mariel Mora Llorens and Shelley Yang

Architect of Record: SmithGroup, www.smithgroup.com Interior Design Architect: Rockwell Group, www.rockwellgroup.com

24 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

New Stone: Jet Mist Curtainwall with Copper Interlayer: Cristacurva, www.cristacurva.com Broadloom Carpet: Lapidus from Milliken, www.milliken.com Theater Wood Slat Walls: 9Wood, www.9wood.com Theater Scalloped Wood Reflector Wall and Flat Wall Panels: Topakustik, www.topakustikusa.com Theater Stretched-fabric Ceiling: Novawall, novawall.com Theater Tufted Felt Acoustic Wall Panels: Swell Acoustical Panels from DFB Sales Inc., www.dfbsales.com/designer-products/ overview

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E D U C AT I O N

PHOTOS: Leonid Furmansky unless otherwise noted

GEORGE I. SÁNCHEZ ELEMENTARY AUSTIN, TEXAS Retrofit Team Architect: McKinney York Architects, www.mckinneyyork.com

Materials

With the school’s main entrance facing toward the city, there was the sense that the edifice turned its back to the families it served. Reprogramming resulted in orienting the official publicfacing uses toward the west side of the school while more intimate, community-focused spaces were accessible by the neighborhood to the east.

The architects realigned the main entry location and reconfigured the main circulation spine to connect the primary communal gathering spaces—dining, fitness, learning stair, library—and extended it outward to culminate in welcoming canopies at the east and west entries. The internal reorganization of the building also allowed the design team to combine previously disjointed exterior play and activity areas, improving access to the outdoor spaces.

An underutilized internal courtyard was repurposed into the learning stair, now a vibrant gathering space at the heart of the school. This newfound space extends the seating capacity of the dining area for community-wide events while providing a direct connection to the upper-grade-level learning areas and library.

Slithering down the main corridor of the school between the east and west entries is an undulating, striped, slatted wall inspired by a double-headed serpent. Coiling around the community gathering spaces and topping out at the roof, the decorative element is a symbol of how Sánchez elementary has been physically renewed, like a snake that sheds its skin, with a heart that remains connected to the history and heritage of the community.

Strategic use of colors, patterns and geometry helps create a sense of place throughout the school. McKinney York incorporated natural colors layered against a neutral backdrop and employed color blocking to define different program areas, accentuate points of entry and articulate circulation paths. Rich iconography was used in room signage and wayfinding, as seen in the scrolled serpent floor pattern in the dining area, which recalls a feature from the original building. The risers of the learning stair display virtue words in English and Spanish while room signage for communal gathering spaces employs three languages—Spanish, English and Braille—in addition to colorful pictographs and the serpent motif.

Hexagons, another symbol from the original school, form the ceiling of the dining area and flow through the learning stair, culminating in the library ceiling. There, hexagons in the millwork form cozy reading nooks while other hexagonal niches are used to

26 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

display cultural artifacts and artwork from throughout the school’s history. The consistent application of these design elements helps form a cohesive, whole-school identity.

The Retrofit

Pursuant to a voter-approved 2017 bond proposal, Austin Independent School District invested approximately $25 million in the future of this east Austin school. Built in 1976 and named after Dr. George I. Sánchez, a pioneer in bilingual education, the 80,000-square-foot modernized school is designed to serve a little more than 500 elementary students.

Working with a diverse community within a rapidly growing city, McKinney York Architects spearheaded intensive dialogue sessions with community stakeholders to enable all parties to contribute to the vision for the future of Sánchez Elementary.

Throughout the design process, McKinney York Architects led dual-language community meetings; envisioning exercises; listening sessions; and surveys with groups of stakeholders, including teachers, parents and community members.

BEFORE PHOTOS: courtesy McKinney York Architects

BEFORE

BEFORE

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 27

E D U C AT I O N

PHOTO: KMS Photography, courtesy The Henry Ford

THE HENRY FORD DEARBORN, MICH. Retrofit Team Maintenance Crew: The Henry Ford, www.thehenryford.org Equipment Dealer: ALTA Material Handling, materialhandling.altg.com

Materials

PHOTO: Combilift

The Henry Ford history museum complex contains a collection of authentic artifacts and stories of American ingenuity and innovation. Many items on display belonged to automobile industrialist Henry Ford himself.

David McKenna, technical support with Combilift, and members of ALTA Material Handling’s team were at The Henry Ford to demonstrate Combilift’s equipment and its usefulness for handling items at the museum. The Henry Ford’s maintenance staff members, who attended the demo, happened to receive a delivery of a 17-foot-long crate at the same time. Inside the crate was Henry Ford’s canoe, which was to be mounted on a wall in the museum.

The maintenance team discussed how they were going to maneuver the canoe to its planned location through a very tight hallway. McKenna offered to demonstrate the COMBI-WR4, a purpose-built four-way pedestrian reach stacker that combines multi-directional travel, innovative features and easy operation.

McKenna proceeded to easily drive the machine sideways through the tight space with the canoe onboard.

The Henry Ford’s maintenance team purchased two COMBIWR4 machines after the canoe was maneuvered to its rightful location.

Material-handling Equipment: COMBI-WR4 from Combilift, combilift.com/us/combi-wr4

28 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

VISUAL ARTS AND DESIGN CENTER

PHOTOS: Yuzhu Zheng Photography/Work Program Architects unless otherwise noted

TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE, NORFOLK, VA. Retrofit Team Architect: Work Program Architects, wparch.com

Materials

Students and visitors are greeted by a reception area in a doubleheight lobby, which also features an exhibition gallery space for the school’s permanent collection and visiting artists, a student gallery, and multipurpose space that serves as an extra gallery and event space. The 38,180-square-foot center also has 14 classrooms to accommodate drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture and printmaking, among other offerings. A shared computer lab is available to any TCC student.

Designers embraced the exposed concrete columns, softened by light-wood accents for warmth and large expanses of glass separating public spaces. Walls are primarily neutral as a blank canvas for artwork with exposed ceilings painted with a dark bluegray, inspired by the school’s official colors. Several classrooms feature tunable white lights, which can be used as a teaching tool to show effects of lighting temperature on color.

A major challenge of the project that required creative thinking and collaboration with the condominium association in the mixeduse structure was providing proper airflow, exhaust, and humidity to ensure student comfort and preserve artwork

BEFORE PHOTO: courtesy Work Program Architects

The Retrofit

Rising student demand for programs in graphic arts, videography, photography and graphic design drove a decision by Tidewater Community College to take over space once occupied by a large grocery store as the new home of its Visual Arts and Design Center. The space is at street level, under a high-rise condominium community known as Harbor Heights. With large windows fronting Norfolk’s busy Boush Street, the new center announces TCC’s art presence and course BEFORE variety to passersby and makes a connection to the Chrysler Museum of Art. TCC’s presence on the first floor also ties to the rest of the downtown TCC campus, providing connectivity for students and activating the streetscape.

Classes began in the new facility in Fall 2023. retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 29

E D U C AT I O N PHOTOS: Alan Karchmer

FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY

•

WASHINGTON, D.C. Retrofit Team Architect: KieranTimberlake, kierantimberlake.com Landscape Architect: OLIN, www.theolinstudio.com

Materials

The $80.5 million building expansion has made the historic building more accessible, welcoming and dynamic for teachers and students of Shakespeare, theater and literature lovers, and those who are curious to know more.

Highlights of the renovation include: • A new public wing, the Adams Pavilion, with 12,000 square feet of space, houses two modern, state-of-theart exhibition halls—the Shakespeare Exhibition Hall

30 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

•

• • •

and Stuart and Mimi Rose Rare Book and Manuscript Exhibition Hall.

Three commissioned artworks by contemporary artists offer visitors creative entry points through which to consider Shakespeare and the early modern world.

Lush new gardens, which include native plants and plants referenced in Shakespeare’s works, lead to new belowground entrances on both ends of the building.

An expanded gift shop offering mementos and merchandise inspired by the library and its collections.

The Reading Room features new ergonomic furniture designed by Luke Hughes.

Enhanced accessibility and upgrades throughout the building include accessible new entrances on the east and west sides for visitors using mobility devices and families using strollers; new ramps up to the plinth where visitors can see the Shakespeare bas reliefs and other historic details up close; inside, elevator service to all public spaces; new and expanded all-gender restrooms; and state-of-the-art new HVAC systems.

The Retrofit

The Folger Shakespeare Library, which houses the world’s largest Shakespeare collection, has reopened after a four-year renovation that transformed its historic home on Capitol Hill with a bold and accessible design.

The library welcomes visitors of all ages and provides numerous opportunities to engage directly with its world-class collection and the works of William Shakespeare. For the first time, all 82 copies of the Folger Shakespeare Library’s First Folios, the first published collection of all Shakespeare’s plays, will be displayed together; the First Folios collection is the largest in the world, preserving 18 of Shakespeare’s plays—including “Macbeth” and “Julius Caesar”—that may have otherwise been lost forever.

“Our reimagined space allows us to bring out the wonders from our archives and provides a blueprint for visitors to engage with Shakespeare in new and interactive ways through the power of performance, the wonder of exhibitions and the excitement of path-breaking research … all in one building,” says Folger Director Dr. Michael Witmore. retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 31

E D U C AT I O N

PHOTOS: Unico System

LINK AUDITORIUM ST. LOUIS Retrofit Team HVAC Installer: Unique Heating & Cooling Inc., www.uniqueheating cooling.com

Materials

Throughout its 115-year history, Link Auditorium has continually dealt with the extreme climate swings of the St. Louis region.

Coupled with the area’s high-humidity rates, the extreme winter and summer temperatures can be particularly brutal. Because central heating and air conditioning was not widespread at the time of the auditorium’s construction, there was no cooling system in the building and heat was provided through several hot-water radiators located throughout the large performance space and remaining areas, all fed by a central basement boiler. During cold days, the boiler would have to be fired up many hours before a scheduled performance to make the space comfortable for an audience. Because there was no way to cool the building during the summer heat, the auditorium simply closed from June through August.

As fate would have it, one of the auditorium’s new board members is the manufacturer of the Unico System, the smallduct central heating and air-conditioning system endorsed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Unico System agreed to supply the equipment necessary to bring the turn-of-the-century property into modern-day comfort without detracting from its original, iconic design.

Unique Heating & Cooling Inc. outfitted the first-floor auditorium and lobby areas with four Unico System air handlers housed

32 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

in the basement. The flexible supply tubing was snaked under the stage, and all runs terminate in the floor of the auditorium. One hundred four of the Unico System’s unobtrusive round outlets supply quiet, draft-free, even temperatures to the performance area.

Small-duct Central Heating and Air-conditioning System: Unico System, www.unicosystem.com

The Retrofit

During the Victorian era, when women were not encouraged to attend college or university, women started their own social clubs with the aim of providing tuition-free, ungraded educational experiences in the arts and sciences. One such group was The Wednesday Club, founded in St. Louis in 1890. In 1908, the club was able to move into its own building designed by famed architect Theodore Link, best known for having designed St. Louis’ Union Station.

The new space featured a 500-seat auditorium, occupying the first floor, with the second floor designed around a large reception hall complete with a full-service kitchen and rooms used for various purposes. The Wednesday Club met and held symposiums, lectures, concerts and theatrical performances until the 1970s when the space was repurposed as the Learning Center, a place for teacher training and educational innovation. During the next 40 years, the Learning Center honored The Wednesday Club’s mission through its own work.

In 2016, a non-profit board of directors was appointed to oversee upkeep and use of the building, now re-branded as Link Auditorium. This new organization seeks to expand on the missions established by The Wednesday Club and the Learning Center by continuing to present educational events and performances for the community at large.

BAYLOR UNIVERSITY WACO, TEXAS Retrofit Team System Integrator: CBORD, www.cbord.com

Materials

Networked Wireless Electronic Locks: Schlage AD-400 from Allegion, www.allegion.com

PHOTO: Allegion

Baylor University has launched NFC wallet-based mobile credentials on its campus in collaboration with CBORD, a provider of campus card and cashless systems. This move positions Baylor University as a trailblazer among Big 12 universities and exemplifies the institution’s dedication to enhancing the campus experience for students, faculty and staff.

Mobile credential technology allows students, faculty and staff to navigate campus securely and with ease using their smart-

phone or watch to make purchases, access their meal plan, attend events, check in to class and more. The technology seamlessly integrates with Schlage AD-400 locks, enabling students to utilize their smartphones for secure and convenient room access, eliminating the need for traditional physical keys.

CBORD and Baylor University were methodical in the planning and preparation process to address all use cases of the mobile credentials to ensure a best-in-class student experience.

“The implementation of the Baylor digital ID builds on our long-standing relationship with the Baylor Department of Public Safety, CBORD and our partnership with Allegion,” says Jon Allen, associate vice president, CIO and CISO for Baylor University.

“The combination of usability, convenience and security with this solution will enhance the Baylor campus experience for students, faculty and staff.”

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 33

E D U C AT I O N

PHOTO: GKD Metal Fabrics

MANDEVILLE ART GALLERY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO Retrofit Team Architect: Studio E Architects, www.studioearchitects.com Engineer: Syska Hennessy Group, syska.com General Contractor: Turner Construction Company, www.turner construction.com

Materials

Built in 1975 and designed by prominent Southern California architect A. Quincy Jones, the Mandeville Art Gallery has long been a fixture on the university campus. But the gallery was aging and not living up to its potential. The students even staged an “occupation” to get the attention of the university.

“The gallery was originally designed for students and faculty, but UCSD wanted to upgrade it and give it more prominence to attract outside artists,” says Brad Phipps, project manager, Capital Program Management at UCSD. “The original entry was recessed and wasn’t engaged with the sidewalk. We wanted to add a front porch that would let people know it’s there.”

34 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

Studio E Architects was brought on to reimagine the building, inside and out. The team established a design intent that looked beyond campus to create a social hub for the community. Syska Hennessy Group helped with the addition of a large, wrap-around media screen to draw the eye and provide artistic opportunities.

“We studied LED-embedded glass and metal-mesh systems for viewing angles, pixel sizing, cost, maintenance, programming and light spill,” recalls Robert Fagnant, associate partner with Syska Hennessy Group. “We selected the metal-mesh system by GKD Metal Fabrics, based on its transparency, cost and flexibility.”

GKD Metal Fabrics incorporates graphics into metal fabrics with LEDs for a controllable, illuminated solution. Customers can display digital imagery, logos, advertising, film and video through a web-based interface. For the art gallery, the mesh wraps on three sides of a metal frame. There were a few installation challenges, like wiring coordination and getting a precise fit on the metal frame, but GKD Metal Fabrics worked with the team to overcome these hurdles.

“The metal mesh looks great,” Phipps says. “We’ve already had several art installations display on the mesh. Our intention was never to use it as signage, but to create an entry feature that allows for artistic expression.”

Metal Fabric: GKD Metal Fabrics, www.gkdmetalfabrics.com

ESKASONI MI’KMAQ NATION SCHOOL BUILDINGS AND ICE RINK CAPE BRETON ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA Retrofit Team Electrical Distributor: Rexel Atlantic, atlantic.rexel.ca

Materials

LED Lighting: LEDVANCE, www.ledvanceus.com

The Retrofit

The Eskasoni Mi’kmaq Nation has nearly 5,000 members and is an active community that includes numerous businesses, a supermarket and cultural center.

PHOTOS: LEDVANCE

To reduce their energy consumption and costs, as well as eliminate the flickering effects, lumen depreciation and high-maintenance expenses associated with the buildings’ outdated lighting, the Eskasoni First Nation elected to upgrade fluorescent lighting within its two school buildings and ice rink. The upgraded lighting also would capitalize on attractive LED rebates from Efficiency Nova Scotia, a non-profit offering energy-efficiency solutions to homes and businesses across the province.

Following an audit of the lighting in the community’s two school buildings, Rexel Atlantic partners Michael Orychock, outside sales specialist, and Phil Deal, lighting specialist, recommended an energy-efficient new system featuring the following: • 1,676 35-Watt and 40-Watt Lay-In LED Panels • 54 LED Strip Lights • 29 165-Watt Linear LED High Bays • 32 180-Watt Vapor-Tight LED High Bay Fixtures Following the upgrade, the Eskasoni School District’s annual lighting costs of $156,500 were slashed to $78,000, and, thanks to additional rebates of $52,000 from Efficiency Nova Scotia, the payback period was just 1.25 years.

“The teachers and students like the new lighting and say that it brightens everything and makes the schools’ classrooms and common areas look clean, comfortable, fresh and inviting,” Orychock says.

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 35

BUSINESS

PHOTOS : Erik Rank, courtesy BDB Construction Enterprise unless otherwise noted

Time Is Money

Integrated Project Delivery Converts an Iconic 680-room New York Hotel into Student Apartments— with Kitchenettes—in Less than Seven Months

By Tallal Bhutta

M

ajor metropolitan areas, like New York City, continue to see demand for housing increase while full-service and extended-stay hotels in those areas are struggling with high-vacancy rates. Demand for urban student housing, in particular, is as high as or higher than it has ever been. This has led many hoteliers, developers and owner-investors to investigate conversion opportunities for existing properties—turning underperforming hotels into fully-occupied dormitories and student apartments. The upside of conversion projects like these are manifest: consistent revenue streams from a dependable, institutionally supported resident population combined with lower operating costs. But many remain 36 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

wary of the primary downside, a potentially lengthy construction period that is all cost and no revenue.

Happily, there are a growing number of major cities where policies being introduced at the state and local levels, including in Arizona, California, Missouri and New York, among others, provide incentives for investment in adaptive reuse for housing and aim to streamline the conversion process. These policies have been a boon to developers of student housing in cities densely packed with higher-education and research-science organizations. Leadership in these institutions regularly grapple with housing shortages and are eager to sign long-term leases within walking distance of their urban campuses.

BEFORE PHOTOS: courtesy Hilton Hotels

DURING PHOTO: courtesy BDB Construction Enterprise

BEFORE

BEFORE

BEFORE

DURING

Rapidly evolving approaches to construction methodology, especially integrated project delivery (IPD), greatly enhance the speed-to-market proposition for developers. Approaches to construction, like IPD, that shrink non-revenue phases of projects are of particular interest to developers and investors because of the improved outlook on return on investment.

This was the thinking behind the decision to convert a Doubletree Hotel property in Midtown Manhattan, for which developer FOUND Study engaged BDB Construction Enterprise as general contractor. Applying an IPD approach to this adaptive-reuse project allowed the project team to complete the 437,000-square-foot conversion within a timeline of just seven months from close of sale to the initial temporary certificate of occupancy. Perhaps most remarkably, the project required major infrastructure upgrades to support the addition of kitchenettes into apartment units, which the team accomplished on time and under budget even with the additional inspections and approvals required.

shared guest amenities that would be easy to adapt for use by academic residents.

BDB Construction Enterprise, engaged to spearhead the conversion effort, faced two considerable challenges to the accelerated seven-month timeline the firm had promised. For one, the building façade required major repairs to ensure compliance with Local Law 11, New York’s strict building safety code aimed at protecting passersby from falling debris. [Editor’s Note: Read the blog post by Tallal Bhutta about complying with façade inspection laws, like Local Law 11, at retrofitmagazine. com/four-tips-to-make-compliance-with-facade- inspection-laws-easier.] Even more challenging was a request from LIM College, one of two nearby institutions planning to sign a large lease at 569 Lexington.

According to Curtis Hoover, LIM College vice president of Student Affairs, the school wanted to offer

The Right Property

Developer FOUND Study, which specializes in taking non-student housing buildings and turning them into dorms or student apartments, identified the Doubletree Hotel at 569 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan as ideal for redevelopment. The building is located within walking distance of several nearby colleges and a range of appealing urban amenities. The hotel also boasted

A Doubletree Hotel property in Midtown Manhattan, was identified by developer FOUND Study as ideal for redevelopment. The building’s refreshed lobby features round-theclock security. retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 37

BUSINESS

PHOTOS: courtesy FOUND Study

residential options that would give students an experience similar to campus living. “When college students live on campus, it is easier for them to bond with their peers, and those connections enhance the entire educational experience,” he says. In the minds of LIM College leaders, that meant 569 Lexington should offer a communal kitchen amenity for socializing while cooking.

Adding kitchen amenities of any kind to what were previously conventional hotel guestrooms would mean introducing the required plumbing and electrical infrastructure. This presented the biggest obstacle to rapid conversion, especially with the likelihood of equipment delivery delays to exacerbate matters. Bringing BDB Construction Enterprise into the process early to participate in planning and decision-making, the developer indicated its confidence in BDB Construction Enterprise’s resourcefulness and innovation to achieve success as co-leader of the IPD approach.

The team was able to begin planning in the design phase how to capture the hotel’s supplemental electrical capacity so kitchen appliances could be added to the student apartments.

38 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

Overcoming Obstacles

Based on the firm’s familiarity with New York City’s code structure and typical building stock, BDB Construction Enterprise identified several inventive time-saving solutions. For example, adding kitchen appliances to the student apartments requires increased electrical capacity. Many contractors do not realize that most hotel properties in New York are built with available supplemental electrical capacity to accommodate the demands of large events. Knowing this, the team was able to begin planning in the design phase how to capture

Approaches to construction, like integrated project delivery, that shrink non-revenue phases of projects are of particular interest to developers and investors because of the improved outlook on return on investment.

this untapped infrastructure enhancement, eliminating the need for a major upgrade.

Including kitchens also typically means additional paperwork and inspections, adding to the construction timeline—one of the reasons they are not found in traditional dormitories. But familiarity with the code-compliance process combined with early involvement of all parties in an IPD approach meant that even bureaucratic delays, stemming from New York’s labyrinthine building safety codes, could be anticipated and avoided.

In addition to identifying existing assets, like supplementary electrical capacity, BDB Construction Enterprise was able to lead the team on coordinating and sequencing all shipments and construction activity in ways that would accelerate inspections and approvals.

IPD likewise compacted the timeline needed for façade repairs as required under the aforementioned Local Law 11. Aware of the requirements for compliance from the outset, the project team could fold façade repairs into planning and sequencing of the

To provide a communal meal-preparation experience, the project team combined three previously separate amenity spaces on a lower floor into a large, shared kitchen with multiple cooking stations.

construction schedule, utilizing each trade team at optimal efficiency and ultimately completing repairs in a timely fashion, supporting the client’s objectives for quickly moving from the construction phase to the post-occupancy revenue-earning phase.

Project Outcome

Responsible for the infrastructure upgrades, façade repairs, and renovations of all apartment units, BDB Construction Enterprise also led the effort to refresh and adapt shared spaces and amenities at 569 Lexington.

For residents looking for a communal meal-preparation experience, the project team combined three previously separate amenity spaces on a lower floor into a large, shared kitchen with multiple cooking stations. Other amenities include a refreshed lobby with seating, study rooms, round-the-clock security, high-speed Wi-Fi and laundry facilities. The project scope also called for a suite of penthouse offices for management, complete with a rooftop deck.

Students from LIM College and other higher-education institutions in the neighborhood moved in immediately and now enjoy a safe, healthy and productive college experience with access to everything Midtown New York City has to offer.

Hearing of this success, many assume that this project is a “unicorn,” so to speak. But in fact, comprehensive IPD approaches make this level of speedto-market entirely replicable for similar hotel-to-student-housing conversions. BDB Construction Enterprise followed up the successful adaptation of 569 Lexington, which includes 307 apartments, each with a kitchenette—now called FOUND Study Midtown East—with another project of similar scale just down the street; the former Marriott grand hotel at 525 Lexington Avenue has been transformed into a 1,355-bed student-housing complex. Dubbed FOUND Study Turtle Bay, the building required comparable attention to façade repairs and upgrades and was completed in around seven months. (FOUND Study Turtle Bay has no kitchenettes but includes a communal kitchen amenity.)

Identifying and purchasing an underperforming hotel property near one or more universities or colleges is no guarantee of a fast return on investment for a student housing or dormitory conversion. But assembling a capable project team that can form and implement an integrated delivery plan will improve those prospects.

Time is money, and IPD is the right approach for saving time. retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 39

ENERGY PHOTOS: courtesy Utah Clean Energy

A Model of Zero-energy Adaptive Reuse Utah Clean Energy’s Climate Innovation Center Makes a Commitment to the Future

By Kevin Emerson, MSc

U

BEFORE Located in the heart of Salt Lake City, the Climate Innovation Center breathes new life into a once dilapidated, energy-intensive, 73-year-old building.

40 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

tah Clean Energy is a mission-driven non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring healthy, thriving communities for all, empowered and sustained by clean energy. Since the organization’s inception in 2001, tackling pollution from the built environment has been at the forefront of Utah Clean Energy’s work.

The 14-person staff began to outgrow its small, rented office in Salt Lake City’s Avenues neighborhood.

When it was time to find a permanent home for Utah Clean Energy, it was imperative the organization led by example by finding a building that not only illustrated how buildings can be ultra-low and even zero emissions, but also be a community space in which to convene local leaders around climate solutions.

Located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, the Climate Innovation Center breathes new life into a once dilapidated, energy-intensive, 73-year-old building that had been empty for several years. Utah Clean Energy renovated the space to make it one of the most energyefficient, solar-powered, all-electric, transit-friendly and water-wise buildings in the state, showcasing the potential of what homes and buildings can be—spaces that are not only comfortable and inviting, but also produce zero pollution.

The building site was chosen for its approximation to Utah’s state capitol and public service commission— two locations central to Utah Clean Energy’s work. In addition, the location is near major bus and Utah Transit Authority TRAX lines, a vital element to lowering transportation emissions to and from the building.

Following a year of construction, the Climate Innovation Center is working toward two third-party

certifications: Zero Energy through the International Living Future Institute and ENERGY STAR NextGen through the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. The building is currently recognized as “Zero Energy Registered” and has achieved the “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR” certification. Full certification will come after the building has at least 12 months of full operational data to demonstrate that its real-world performance meets both certifications.

Leading by Example

In addition to serving as Utah Clean Energy’s headquarters, the Climate Innovation Center is a teaching tool and model of how to retrofit existing buildings to achieve zero emissions. This was essential to Utah Clean Energy’s mission, given that, globally, buildings contribute an estimated 42 percent of total energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions. (Learn more at www. architecture2030.org/why-the-built-environment.)

The all-electric building boasts branch circuits metered with CT clamp meters to enable staff to monitor electricity consumption by end-use: HVAC, water heater, EV chargers, plug loads, lighting, etc. The solar generation and battery storage also are monitored.

The Climate Innovation Center is estimated to annually generate enough clean energy to avoid the emissions of 37.2 metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent.

The equivalent is not driving an average passenger car more than 95,000 miles!

As an adaptive-reuse project, the team utilized the majority of the existing structure—three walls and twothirds of the original roof, as well as salvaged original lumber (2 by 6s and 2 by 8s for non-structural framing and blocking in the new building portion). The building envelope includes interior low-global-warming-potential spray foam insulation and rigid exterior insulation.

The new addition structure is primarily mass timber, including glulam beams, cross-laminated timber roof panels and vertical posts. A small amount of structural steel was used for the front cantilever structure.

To help more builders and developers adopt zero-energy practices, Utah Clean Energy developed a web page, utahcleanenergy.org/climateinnovationcenter, detailing the key steps, milestones and lessons learned from building the Climate Innovation Center. Consider the following eight steps to zero energy followed at the Climate Innovation Center:

The Climate Innovation Center is estimated to annually generate enough clean energy to avoid the emissions of 37.2 metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent.

1: Set an ambitious goal and create the right team (see “Retrofit Team”, page 43).

2: Design and recycle a building by renovating, rather than building new.

3: Use an energy model to create a plan to reach your energy target. (Energy calculations at the Climate Innovation Center were completed using IES VE [v.2021].)

4: Build a high-performance and airtight building envelope and put it through commissioning.

5: Install an ultra-efficient VRF HVAC system and put it through commissioning.

6: Have an onsite solar power system (37.1 kW installed capacity) that is grid-interactive and includes battery storage (30 kW nominal power rating).

7: Provide low-emission transportation options, including EV charging, bike parking and proximity to public transit.

8: Specify low-embodied-carbon-emission and waterwise materials, products and landscaping. retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 41

ENERGY

Financial Incentives

The Climate Innovation Center could not have been built without financial incentives, including the following: • Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart New Construction & Major Renovations incentive program, www. rockymountainpower.net/savings-energy-choices/ business/wattsmart-efficiency-incentives-utah/ ut-incentive-lists/wbnc.html.

• Rocky Mountain Power Wattsmart Battery incentive program, www.rockymountainpower.net/savings- energy-choices/wattsmart-battery-program.html.

• Rocky Mountain Power EV charger incentives, www.rockymountainpower.net/savings-energy- choices/electric-vehicles/utah-commercial- incentives.html.

• Blue Sky grant program (funded by Rocky Mountain Power customers), www.rockymountainpower.net/ savings-energy-choices/blue-sky-renewable- energy.html.

DURING

The all-electric building boasts branch circuits metered with CT clamp meters.

The solar generation and battery storage also are monitored.

• 179D Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction, www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/ energy-efficient-commercial-buildings-deduction.

• Investment Tax Credit (for solar and battery storage), www.energy.gov/eere/solar/federal- solar-tax-credits-businesses.

To find state and federal incentives for energy-efficiency and clean-energy upgrades, visit www.dsireusa. org. ENERGY STAR is a good resource for available tax deductions for commercial buildings: www.energystar. gov/about/federal_tax_credits/tax_credits_commercial _buildings. There also often are utility incentives available to help reduce energy waste. Visit your local utility website to learn more.

Looking Forward

This project embodies Utah Clean Energy’s dedication to transforming buildings to be ultra-energy-efficient, zero-energy and emission-free. Looking forward, Utah Clean Energy is excited to inspire greater adoption of zero-emission buildings through in-person tours for industry and community groups and through the organization’s website, utahcleanenergy.org. Just as planned, the building features an outdoor terrace, which connects to a large conference room with a bank of folding-glass doors, allowing the Climate Innovation Center to host community events and inspire generations of people to build and live green.

42 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

Retrofit Team

Materials

Architect and Interior Designer: Blalock and Partners, blalockandpartners.com

Zero-VOC Paint: Backdrop, www.backdrophome.com

Civil Engineer: Forsgren Associates Inc., www.forsgren.com

Carbon-neutral and Recycled-content Carpet Tiles: Interface, www.interface.com

Electrical Engineer: BNA Consulting, www.bnaconsulting.com

Recycled Counters: Paperstone, paperstoneproducts.com

Mechanical Engineer: VBFA, www.vbfa.com

Folding-glass Doors: NanaWall, www.nanawall.com

Structural Engineer: BHB Structural, www.bhbengineers.com

Brick Cladding: Interstate Brick, interstatebrick.com

Geotechnical Engineer: AGEC, agecinc.com

Faux Wood Cladding: Fácil Façades, facilfacades.com

Landscape Architect: G. Brown Design Inc., gbrowndesign.com

Spray-foam Insulation: HEATLOK HFO Pro from Huntsman Building Solutions, huntsmanbuildingsolutions.com

Building Envelope Commissioning Agent: Stantec, www.stantec.com System Commissioning Agent: Bernhard, bernhard.com Solar Designer, Engineer, Permitting, Battery Install, Electrical and Commissioning: Gardner Energy, gardner-energy.com Solar Installation: Creative Energies Solar, cesolar.com

VRF Heat Pump with Energy-efficient DOAS and Evaporative Cooling Stage: VRV from Daikin, www.daikinac.com/content/ light-commercial/vrv Energy-recovery Ventilator: Nova from Oxygen8 Solutions Inc., oxygen8.ca/nova-erv

PV Electrical: Intermountain Wind & Solar, www.intermtnwindandsolar.com General Contractor: Okland, www.okland.com

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retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 43

HISTORIC

The Best of What’s Around A Brutalist Library’s Style Is Embraced During Modernization, Programming Additions

By Susan Pruchnicki, FAIA, LEED AP ID+C, and Michelle Wells, AIA, LEED Green Associate

D

44 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

PHOTOS: DOCUMODERN unless otherwise noted

BEFORE PHOTOS: Bond Architects Inc.

esigned by Smith + Entzeroth in the late 1960s, expert, she was engaged by library leaders to help the University City Public Library in University assess the facility and develop a long-range plan. The City, Mo., is a striking example of Brutalist initial Facilities Conditions Assessment and Master design. Smith + Entzeroth is well known in St. Plan, completed in 2009, led to a partnership between Louis architectural history for a distinctive aesthetic University City Public Library and Bond Architects lastfound in commercial, educational and civic buildings ing almost two decades. across the region. The University City Public Library, a Over the years, Bond Architects would tackle facility highlight of the firm’s portfolio, is listed on the St. Louis issues outlined in the Master Plan as funding became County Historic Building Commission’s “Mid-Century available. These projects included roof and skylight Modern Architecture in St. Louis County: Outstanding replacements, building systems work, furniture replaceExamples Worthy of Preservation”. The architecturally ment, and a safety and security assessment. Finally, significant building needed to be modernized for more the culmination of the Master Plan came in 2019, after efficient, cost-effective operations. The challenge was a successful ballot issue provided the library with the also to modify the layout for today’s users while prefunds for a transformative, whole building renovation. serving the building’s beloved character.

Bond Architects Inc.’s relationship with University City Public Library began when Principal Susan Pruchnicki was still a student. Living in University City while studying architecture at Washington University in St. Louis, Pruchnicki developed a deep bond with her neighborhood BEFORE library. After gaining a professional reputaDesigned by Smith + Entzeroth in the late 1960s, the University City Public Library in University City, Mo., is a striking example of Brutalist design and a highlight of the firm’s portfolio. tion as a library design

A dramatic tapestry, created by local artist Muriel Helfman, was designed for the library’s atrium soon after it opened.

The tapestry, cleaned and reinstalled, provided the interior design inspiration of vibrant oranges, blues, and golds.

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 45

HISTORIC

BEFORE The distinctive bare brick walls of the library were restored and preserved with accents of rich color in tiles, flooring and furniture. Playful LED lighting fixtures evoke elastic Mid-century lines and shapes.

The Outside

Previous renovations had tackled isolated facility issues as they arose. A comprehensive interior renovation provided an opportunity to pause and consider a big-picture approach. After many discussions and empathetic listening, consensus was built around “bringing out the best of what was already there.” To ensure the facility’s longevity, the library chose to focus on addressing space needs, streamlining operations, improving safety, and preserving the building’s distinct sense of history and place.

The entrance to the children’s area is clearly marked with larger-than-life children’s and young-adult books.

46 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

The team started from the outside and worked its way inside in a phased approach. One of the biggest challenges the team faced was replacing the exterior windows. Smith + Entzeroth’s design featured 12- by 12foot panes of uninterrupted, uninsulated glass—a very cutting-edge look for the time. Although beautiful, these windows were problematic and not compliant with current code wind-load requirements. The single-glazed panes were highly sensitive to temperature fluctuations.

From the library’s opening day in 1969, the glass had been plagued by leaks and cracks. A change was badly needed, but the unique windows were an integral part of the original aesthetic.

A research trip to Saint Louis University’s Tegeler Hall, another Smith + Enzeroth project with a similar window design, provided a precedent of a mullion layout that would keep with the original design intent. Working with the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, the proposed changes were mocked-up with gaffer’s tape on the existing windows. Dark mullions, held to the building interior, blended with the gray-tinted glass, made the change in the window configuration less visible from the street.

While researching options for the windows, the team partnered with Western Specialty Contractors, a building envelope restoration specialist, to investigate the masonry cleaning and repair techniques, as well as products. The original iron spot Roman brick is no longer manufactured, so damaged units could only be replaced with bricks salvaged from the building. The porous pink sandstone was deeply stained and damaged.

Masonry soft joints and mortar joints had been spot-repaired with mixed success over the life of the building.

Materials and methods were tested in less-visible sections of the façade to ensure compatibility with existing materials before the comprehensive restoration was underway. The selected cleaner removed the surface stains without damaging the extensive site landscaping. More aggressive cleaners and patches were used

Contrary to Brutalism’s reputation for starkness, Brutalistera interiors often paired exposed architectural materials with strategic accents of color.

University City Public Library calls back this style.

strategically on stubborn stains and missing corners of sandstone, respectively. At one point, it was decided to leave the most challenging sandstone stains and accept them as part of the patina of a historic building.

More Programming Space

The library’s most pressing need on the building’s inside was more programming space. Meeting rooms in the library were constantly booked, for example. The library’s dense urban location locked it in on all sides. Without the ability to expand beyond the building’s footprint, the design team had to be resourceful. The solution was retrofitting the interior mechanical room by moving the equipment onto the roof. The former mechanical room had several advantageous features. Large louvers were easily converted into windows, letting in abundant

BEFORE The library’s art gallery had been hidden behind brick walls. The artwork on display now has a bigger visual presence in the renovated library. northern daylight. Because it formerly housed noisy equipment, the space was already acoustically separated from other program areas. After careful consideration, the space was turned into a makerspace and multipurpose room. The flexible new space, with a large walk-in storage area, is easily transformed for multiple types of activities.

When the mechanical equipment was moved to the roof, care was taken to not compromise the building’s aesthetic. Rooftop mechanical units were placed by verifying sightlines from the street to ensure they would not disrupt the appearance of the building. Inside, acoustical clouds were added where the ceiling had to be lowered to accommodate rerouted ductwork. These new clouds transformed a technical requirement into an appealing design feature that defined interior spaces.

The renovation also gave the library a chance to express its distinctive character. Integral to University City’s identity is the city’s artistic heritage: University City is home to Washington University in St. Louis’ renowned Sam Fox School of Visual Art and several performingarts venues. The library holds an extensive collection of art and artifacts from the city’s unique history. One of retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 47

HISTORIC

the highlights of the collection is a dramatic tapestry, created by local artist Muriel Helfman, which was designed for the library’s atrium soon after The new makerspace is in the former it opened. The mechanical room. tapestry, cleaned and reinstalled, provided the interior design inspiration of vibrant oranges, blues, and golds for furniture and finishes.

The new space also highlights contemporary artists. The library had an art gallery featuring rotating exhibitions by local artists, but it was hidden away in a corridor behind brick walls. To improve visual connections and security, the renovation removed interior walls to open the space. The artwork on display now has a

bigger visual presence in the library.

To celebrate the building’s Modernist legacy, the interiors call back to Mid-century design while taking full advantage of durable, contemporary materials. Contrary to Brutalism’s reputation for starkness, Brutalist-era interiors often paired exposed architectural materials with strategic accents of color. Calling back this style, the distinctive bare brick walls of the library were restored and preserved with accents of rich color in tiles, flooring and furniture. Playful LED lighting fixtures evoke elastic Mid-century lines and shapes. The new look “brought out the best in what was already there” by complementing the raw materials and elemental shapes of Brutalism.

Since the renovated library has reopened, the design team has received glowing feedback from library staff and patrons. The community has noticed a distinctively improved visitor experience while still feeling a strong personal connection to the building’s unique history and character.

Retrofit Team

Hollow Metal Doors, Frames: Curries, www.curries.com

Architecture and Interior Design: Bond Architects Inc., www.bondarchitectsinc.com

Automatic Doors: Stanley Access Technologies, www.stanleyaccess.com

•

Susan Pruchnicki, FAIA, LEED AP ID+C

•

Michelle Wells, AIA, LEED Green Associate

•

Andrea Giovando, NCIDQ

General Contractor: Raineri Construction, www.rainericonstruction.com MEP/FP Engineer: RTM Engineering Consultants, rtmec.com Structural Engineer: Larson Engineering, www.larsonengr.com Building Envelope Restoration Specialist: Western Specialty Contactors, westernspecialtycontractors.com

Materials Masonry Cleaning Products: ReVive from PROSOCO, prosoco.com/ product/revive Glazing, Storefront: Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, obe.com Acoustical Wall Panels: Golterman & Sabo, goltermansabo.com Awning: Firesist from Lawrence Fabric and Metal, www.lawrencefabric.com Countertops, Casework: Tops Unlimited, tops-unlimited.com, and Wilsonart, www.wilsonart.com Aluminum Door Frames: Curries, www.curries.com, and ASSA ABLOY, www.assaabloy.com Wood Doors: VT Industries, www.vtindustries.com

48 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

Fire-rated Glass and Framing Systems: Technical Glass Products, technicalglass.com Tile: Daltile, www.daltile.com Acoustical Ceiling, Drywall Accessories: USG, www.usg.com Flooring: Tarkett, commercial.tarkett.com; Shaw Contract, www.shawcontract.com; Bentley, www.bentleymills.com; and ArmstrongFlooring, www.armstrongflooring.com Walk-Off Carpet: Milliken, www.milliken.com Flooring Transitions: Schluter Systems, www.schluter.com Wall Base: Roppe, roppe.com Lighting: Lithonia Lighting, lithonia.acuitybrands.com; SpecLume Decorative from Spectrum Lighting, www.speclight.com; Indy, indy. acuitybrands.com; Nulite, nulite.lighting; AFX, www.afxinc.com; Pinnacle Architectural Lighting, www.pinnacle-ltg.com; ConTech Lighting from Leviton, contechlighting.com; and Juno Lighting Group, juno.acuitybrands.com Paint: Sherwin-Williams, www.sherwin-williams.com Demountable Walls: Allsteel, www.allsteeloffice.com Toilet Partitions: Scranton Products, www.scrantonproducts.com Toilet Accessories: Bobrick, www.bobrick.com Metal Lockers: Penco, www.pencoproducts.com

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This Retrofit project won first place in the Accents category in the ATAS 2022 Project of the Year competition. Originally built in the 1980s, the building’s exterior was remodeled to enhance daylight, improve solar performance, and create a dynamic second-floor facade. Repp & McLain Design & Construction selected a custom Slate Grey perforated wall panel for the renovation.

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HISTORIC

Welcome Home University of Alabama Prospective Students Are Greeted by a 21st Century Experience in a Refurbished 19th Century Building

By Eric Berg, NCARB

B

ryce Main, formerly the Alabama State Hospital for the Insane, was constructed in the 1850s in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It was in extreme disrepair when The University of Alabama acquired the property in 2010. In 2015, the university decided to adaptively reuse the deteriorating building, bringing it back to its original glory.

The program required complete renovation of the 130,000-square-foot facility to create a new welcome center for student admissions; Theatre and Dance de50 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

partment offices, classrooms and rehearsal spaces; and a mental health museum honoring the building’s past.

As part of the master plan, a new Performing Arts Academic Center currently is being connected to Bryce Main. The performing-arts center will create a new focal point for the campus and a beacon for the surrounding community.

Extensive renovations were required to bring the aging building back to life, including the demolition/reconstruction of the east wing, which was no longer structurally sound. The entire building envelope also was updated,

PHOTOS: Chad Baumer unless otherwise noted

Bryce Main, formerly the Alabama State Hospital for the Insane, was constructed in the 1850s and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It was in extreme disrepair in 2010 when The University of Alabama acquired it.

including new exterior coatings, windows and roofing.

Extensive field measurements, investigations and studies were completed as part of the process to ensure historically significant elements were maintained throughout the project. These studies included the replication of the cupolas, eave brackets, windows and surrounding details, as well as refurbishment of the small rotunda dome and large central dome.

Master Planning

DURING PHOTOS: Petersen

The Kirkbride System, which in 1851 had been adopted as the official and accepted standard of the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane, was selected by the trustees of the new hospital and was implemented in the planning by architect Samuel Sloan.

Both an administrative and architectural design, the Kirkbride System drew heavily from the 1788 plan of the French Academy of Science’s “Pavilion-plus-link”, which Sloan adopted and called the linear plan. Each hospital corridor was terminated with large triple windows, providing daylight into the building center. The new spaces were configured to maintain the original design intent, keeping the ends of the corridors open to flood the interior with daylight.

The 4-story Central Pavilion, largely influenced by the Italianate style, was utilized as the administrative center of the hospital. It now hosts the welcome center and will act as the anchor to the Performing Arts Academic Center. Great care was taken to delicately separate the Bryce Main facility from the new building with the use of courtyards and limited touchpoints. The Theatre and Dance department occupies the second and third floors of Bryce Main and will connect to the new Performing Arts Academic Center via enclosed bridges on the second floor and open-air walks on the main level.

Patrons will have access to the main levels of the Bryce Main Central Pavilion during theater performances and can visit the mental health museum on the second floor and other gathering spaces that are incorporated into the overall facility master plan.

DURING

DURING

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HISTORIC

The most significant space in the Welcome Center is the Roll Tide Room, where visitors are fully immersed by rolling screens that make them feel part of the action as they “move around” campus to different events.

Stepping into the Future, Honoring the Past

lengthened using similar proportions to the original balusters. The new structure was designed to allow for proper water drainage, and new Ipe wood flooring was added to provide a long-lasting material. Ceilings of the porches were painted haint blue in keeping with Southern tradition. The original wall sconces at the front door were refurbished and re-installed while the adjacent entrances received replicas.

The original cast iron stair, located immediately upon entering the front door, was purchased as a kit of parts out of the Sears Roebuck catalog and assembled onsite. To create a more welcoming entrance, the team decided to move the stair back behind the main cross-aisle of the Central Pavilion. Because the stair was in disrepair and did not meet current codes at the upper level, a new curb was constructed to achieve the minimum height required at the guardrail without altering the balusters.

New stair members were cast to replace missing or damaged parts.

The stair now leads visitors up to the mental health museum and the second floor of the future Performing Arts The design team worked tirelessly to determine the best materials and systems to achieve the desired architectural details of the Italianate style.

Academic Center.

The Central Pavilion’s existing front porch had replaced the original cast iron portico in 1883 to create a monumental entrance to the administrative portion of the building. During the recent renovations, the entire porch was removed and reconstructed to replicate the 1883 design. To meet modern codes, the balusters were

52 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

The original cast iron stair was purchased as a kit of parts out of the Sears Roebuck catalog and assembled onsite. To meet current codes at the upper level, a new curb was constructed to achieve the minimum height required at the guardrail.

Exterior Upgrades with Modern Durability

As a result of the building’s disrepair, two of the remaining four wings were demolished and rebuilt to precise measurements to ensure new construction matched the original design. Existing brick was salvaged for reuse and existing wood framing was milled to be used for finished wood flooring on the second-floor mental health museum and second-floor central corridor. Salvaged brick and milled flooring also were installed as finished surfaces in the rotating art gallery, which is located on the first floor of the Central Pavilion.

The design team, including the university’s partners, worked tirelessly to determine the best materials and systems to achieve the desired architectural details of the Italianate-style building and meet current code requirements.

Extensive studies were completed to determine the best material to use for the exterior skin over the existing masonry load-bearing walls. Furthermore, window detailing was paramount because of the large number of windows that covered the exterior walls. Custom

Alabama Department of Mental Health Museum The significance of Bryce Main’s original use as a mental health hospital was not lost on The University of Alabama’s leaders. There was a strong desire to honor patients (and their families) who passed through the doors and received treatment.

Today, a museum that allows visitors to explore and learn about the historical significance of the Alabama State Hospital for the Insane and what daily life was like within its walls was created on the second floor of the Central Pavilion.

Many of the original artifacts found onsite, such as a fireplace mantel, grave markers, a site model created by a patient, metabulator, sewing machine, pews and a wheelchair, have been preserved within the exhibit, along with written and graphic explanations of life in the facility.

The hospital’s front door was recreated using the original transom window to give visitors the sense they are going back in time and experiencing the historic hospital.

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 53

HISTORIC

panning profiles were created to match the existing profiles, and muntins were designed to replicate the original window patterns.

The iconic dome atop the Central Pavilion was in complete disrepair. It suffered water infiltration, rusting metal, peeling paint and deteriorating wood. Exhaustive studies were conducted to determine the best path forward to bring the distinctive feature back to life.

The dome’s crown had significant dry rot and required total replacement. The old crown was removed and sent to the fabricator so an exact replica could be fabricated. All the wood cladding was stripped and replaced with new materials to replicate the original design. Paint was stripped down to bare metal; rusted metal was repaired; and the entire surface was recoated with a high-performance paint.

Extensive light studies were conducted to uplight the dome through discreet placement of fixtures without impacting the visual appearance of the dome.

Salvaged brick and milled flooring were installed as finished surfaces in the rotating art gallery.

Roll Tide!

Today, prospective students and their families are greeted at the Welcome Center where they can engage with the interactive displays to gain better knowledge of what attending the University of Alabama means and how it can positively impact their futures. Students can enjoy the space at their own pace and learn about the experiences that await them once they join the student population on campus.

The most significant element within the space is the new Roll Tide Room, where visitors are fully immersed by rolling screens that make them feel part of the action as they “move around” campus to different events.

Visitors are then directed to the theater/auditorium to learn more about the university before going on a campus tour. After the tour, students return to Bryce Main where they meet one-on-one with the Admissions staff.

Use the Hammer-Lock feature Bryce Main now is a welcomto lock the shape of Flex-C Trac. ing front door to the campus and a tribute to the intentional blending of historic preservation, code Toll Free 866-443-FLEX (3539) and energy-efficiency upgrades, FlexabilityConcepts.com as well as modern and relevant MADE IN THE USA programming.

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54 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

Retrofit Team Architect and Interior Designer: TURNERBATSON, turnerbatson.com Structural Engineer: MBA Engineers Inc., www.mbasei.com

Dome Uplighting: Inter-lux, www.inter-lux.com Carpet Tile: Interface, www.interface.com

Mental Health Museum Design: Kelton Designs, www.keltondesign.com

Epoxy Terrazzo Flooring: Key Resin Company, www.keyresin.com

Welcome Center Design: The Maude Group LLC, maudegroup.com

Wood Flooring: Existing Heart Pine

General Contractor: Harrison Construction, www.harrison-const.com

Metal Roof: Tite-Loc Plus in Slate Gray from Petersen, www.pac-clad.com

Roofing Contractor: Deason Inc., www.deasoninc.com

Asphalt-shingle Roof: GAF, www.gaf.com

Materials The dome atop the Central Pavilion was in complete disrepair. Exhaustive studies determined the best path forward to bring the distinctive feature back to life.

Decorative Pendants: Needles Hang, Urban Electric Co., www.urbanelectric.com

Lobby Chandelier: Scalloped Tole Chandelier from Iatesta Studio, www.iatestastudio.com

Paint: PPG Paints, www.ppgpaints.com

Exterior Skin over Existing Masonry Load-bearing Walls: DPR from Dryvit with Custom Texture, www.dryvit.com/ products/textured-finishes/dpr-finishes Replicated Windows: Marvin, www.marvin.com

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TREND ALERT

AI IMAGE: HWKN Architecture

The Digital Revolution

Data-driven Design Is Poised to Transform the Built Environment

By Jim Schneider

I

t’s no secret the power of data is changing the world in ways that, a decade ago, few would have imagined.

Since the advent of the digital age, the potential for gathering information has been on the rise, but oftentimes the limiting factor was how to process or utilize the sheer volume of it.

Emerging technologies, like artificial intelligence, or AI, have provided additional powers to take those next steps and put all that data to practical use. The potential for the built environment is enormous, and architects are beginning to step into a new age of data-driven design.

“I still remember the transition from physical drawings at my university to the first use of computer-enhanced design work,” recalls Matthias Hollwich, founding principal of HWKN Architecture. “The breakthrough collaboration of architects and technology, like AI, demonstrates how creative industries can truly benefit from the data and develop an advanced world. AI is poised to revolutionize how we plan, experience, and manage buildings and cities, ultimately transforming the architectural landscape.”

“Data-driven architecture and design involves using data to inform and guide every aspect of the design and construction process. Traditionally, architects, engineers 56 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

and builders rely on their expertise to make design decisions, which are then documented in CAD or BIM files,” explains Kimon Onuma, FAIA, president of ONUMA Inc., and workgroup lead of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) Digital Twin Integration Subcommittee.

“This traditional approach often results in data becoming obsolete once the design is finalized,” Onuma continues. “In contrast, a data-driven process starts with data, capturing and managing design decisions as valuable assets throughout the project. This data is used to create the physical structure and maintained for the building’s entire life cycle, ensuring it remains a valuable resource for owners and operators. It transforms data into a long-term asset rather than a transient byproduct of the design process.”

“The most significant advances have been in how climate affects design decisions and how a building can respond to the powers of nature,” says Damon Leverett, AIA, NCARB, NOMA, senior lecturer at the University of Arizona. “In the 1970s and 1980s, most of this information was available in almanacs, charts and graphs.

Today, extensive online databases can connect to an architect’s climate model, potentially producing more accurate building responses.”

Digital Twins

Tools, like CAD and BIM, represented the initial steps into the universe of data-driven design. Today, these technologies are common; in fact, many younger architects haven’t experienced some of the more manual design processes. AI is one of the new technologies moving the industry forward. (Read retrofit’s article about AI’s potential for design and construction, retrofit magazine.com/artificial-intelligence-presents-new- possibilities-considerations-and-challenges-for- architecture-and-construction.) Another is digital twins,

Better modeling, prediction and analysis can lead to more efficient design.

a technology that generates a virtual representation of a real-world object, system or process to accurately reflect its physical counterpart.

“The integration of BIM and digital twins has many benefits for the architecture and construction industry, especially being able to have a visualization of your building throughout the whole development process,” Hollwich says. “Architects can now quickly scan buildings into a digital platform and the entire process is more interactive, resulting in innovative designs.”

“Although BIM has been around for a while, digital twins are a new concept in the AECO industry,” says Zahra Ghorbani, BIM manager at Penn State. Ghorbani also serves as officer on NIBS Digital Technology Council Board of Direction and, along with Onuma, was involved in producing a recent position paper titled, “Digital Twins for the Built Environment”, www.nibs.org/ blog/new-paper-bim-and-digital-twins-coexist-drive- sustainability. “The paper clarifies the relationship between BIM and digital twins to help the industry understand how to leverage both technologies. It discusses data standards, use cases and execution. Some of the applications for digital twins are for facility operations and maintenance, such as monitoring assets or visualizing asset data.”

“The NIBS paper emphasizes the importance of a data ecosystem, or a system of systems where tools

and processes are interconnected,” Onuma explains.

“The key message is that no tool, organization, consultant or vendor can claim to be ‘the digital twin’ unless it can connect to this data ecosystem. Just as we expect connectivity in our mobile devices, we must bring this expectation into the building industry and adopt a cloud-native, cloud-first approach to avoid isolated applications.”

“Many different types of digital twins are possible,” Hollwich says. “One is a 3D model that can be directly used to order materials and construct a building. The enhanced model extends the use of the digital model in the operation of a building with systems and the implementation of the building mirrored between the physical and digital models. The ultimate model allows the digital twin to live in the metaverse with people using it as a virtual environment to engage with the company they work for, colleagues and clients. Think about a Zoom call in 3D in a digital twin of a real building.

Here, the building serves as the background for social engagement but can also be enhanced with additional applications, spaces and features. In this scenario, the physical and virtual worlds create a new unity of possibilities.”

The Role of AI

Artificial intelligence is acting as a disruptor in many industries, for good or bad. Of course, much of the public conversation around the rise of AI is focused on ways

AI IMAGE: Damon Leverett, AIA

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 57

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AI IMAGE: Damon Leverett, AIA

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it may replace human tasks and, more specifically, human jobs. However, the technology can be used as a support, time saver and potentially the only way to process incredible amounts of data, like that generated by a building.

“AI will be part of every tool we already use, as plugins or revisions to existing devices and software,” Leverett predicts. “The chief goal of using AI in architecture is to make tasks we perform more efficient, allowing architects to spend more time on the humanistic concerns of the built environment.

Some areas where AI is prevalent today are text-to-image, site and building planning, project management and code analysis. What’s exciting is that AI can assist us in developing smart cities that promote sustainable neighborhoods and communities.”

“Artificial intelligence is already helping to eliminate mundane tasks. Who wants to churn through pages of poorly written project requirements, messy tables or conflicting information sources?” Onuma asks. “AI helps us process this mundane information efficiently.

However, we still need to spot AI’s ‘hallucinations’ and know how to ask the right questions. The next level is pattern recognition. As architects, we’re trained to look at history and precedent to find design patterns and develop new solutions. We’ve used AI to analyze data and create BIMs using tools we’ve developed over the years.

It helps us find patterns or sentiments from tens of thousands of work orders submitted by building occupants.”

“There are two directions where AI can help,” Hollwich says. “One is optimization, such as running through many scenarios and developing a building with a digital twin to be more efficient, sustainable and buildable. The second option is enhanced creative thinking fostered by using AI. Here, out-of-the-box thinking can be applied and tested. With a digital twin, new forms and usages can be tested first in the digital world and, once deemed successful, they can be translated into the real built environment. The digital twin can de-risk the development of buildings. A building and its context can be used as a laboratory until the right solution emerges.”

Smart Future

Bringing these technologies together, utilizing the power of data gathered in construction and operation of buildings, has the potential of transforming the built environment. Better modeling, prediction and analysis can lead to more efficient design. Although concerns about ethics, security and practicality of use are out there, many see enormous potential upside.

“AI and digital twins are already creating new opportunities for innovation and new business models while disrupting existing ones, as seen in other industries,” Onuma says. “The pace of change is so rapid that it’s hard to predict what the industry will look like in 10 years, but we likely won’t recognize it in less than a decade.”

“It is easy to envision distinct opportunities in building and component construction,” Leverett says. “By merging BIM, digital twins and AI with the already proven method of building a complete structure with 3D-printed concrete, there may be an opportunity to leverage the AI diffusion process to achieve extraordi-

nary outcomes. It is important to note that a sound BIMdigital twin-AI system will require an extensive Internet of Things, including considerable probes and sensors to collect the necessary data.”

“Advanced technology is transforming the future of urban development globally and will continue to drive the future of architecture. We are at a pivotal moment in architecture that has not been seen since the Modernist movement of the 19th century, and we stand on the brink of a new revolution with AI completely reshaping our design processes and revolutionizing construction methods,” Hollwich predicts. “While some fear that AI will potentially replace jobs, my firm emphasizes understanding how this new creative tool can be used to raise the bar and tackle previously unsolvable challenges. AI gives us the opportunity to create more economical, social, sustainable, and beautiful buildings when architects are properly trained on how to incorporate the technology and participate in the shaping of AI applications in design.”

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 59

PRODUCTS

Small Aperture Lighting Creates Quiet Ceilings CSL (Creative Systems Lighting) has launched Whisper Multiples, overhead lighting featuring small apertures that provide precise and powerful illumination from a quiet ceiling. Sharing the same benefits of Whisper Flex, Whisper Multiples level up with the option of two, three or four independently adjustable (0- to 30-degree tilt and infinite rotation) heads for increased flexibility and control. The lights provide general or accent lighting as needed; each 3/4-inch round aperture LED head delivers up to 816 lumens for expansive illumination. SilentVu Optic Technology removes harsh glare and provides soft, even light throughout the space. Whisper Multiples are available with round trims in multiple colors (Black, Champagne, Satin Aluminum and White) or trimless.

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Automated Shades Are Available with Two Side Guide Options PowerShades has updated its line of automated window shades and screens for outdoor applications with a choice of two versatile side guide options—Wire Guide or ZipperTrack. With the Wire Guide system, the outdoor shade is guided up and down by tensioning wires at each end. This system can be more versatile in terms of shade size and design, accommodating various window and outdoor structure configurations, including floor-to-ceiling applications. With the ZipperTrack system, a zipper track runs down each side of the shade for ultimate closure. Designed for outside-entertaining areas, the ZipperTrack offers privacy and protection from the sun, wind, rain and insects year-round. In addition to the new hardware, which is available in different colors and finishes, PowerShades’ outdoor automated shades are offered in 20 new outdoor fabric options and three new opacities—20, 5 and greater than 1 percent, as well as the existing 10 percent.

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Polycarbonate Mesh Now Available in Ruby Red Kaynemaile has made available its polycarbonate mesh in Ruby Red. The RE8 bio-circular architectural mesh is a patented product, made with a high-grade engineering polycarbonate. The product has more than 60 years of material science and research behind it. The translucent properties of the Ruby Red mesh make it suitable for dividing rooms, creating a special feature inside or using for sun shading on exteriors.

www.kaynemaile.com 60 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

Roll Colors Promote Healthier Environments Matter Surfaces has released 25 new PURLINE 1500 roll colors. The refreshed collection spans six new color palettes—Brights, Earth, Modern, Natural, Neutral and Pastel. PURLINE 1500 is not LVT; it’s crafted from renewable raw materials, aiming to promote healthier commercial environments. The biopolyurethane-based flooring is free of carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic substances, as well as meets Cradleto-Cradle Silver emissions standards.

PURLINE exceeds ASTM F925 standards and will not stain, even when cleaned with bleach, alcohol or ammonium hydroxide. It is GREENGUARD Gold and Declare LBC and REACH compliant.

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Incorporate Modules of Different-colored Wall Panels on a Building

Restroom Partitions Extend from Floor to Ceiling Bradley Company has broadened its Euro Style Restroom Partition Collection with two new ultra-private models— Skyline and Highrise—that extend from floor to ceiling and are custom-engineered to the precise dimensions of each restroom application to ensure a perfect fit and the utmost privacy. Skyline partitions are made from enameled tempered glass. Available in a variety of soothing colors, Skyline brings brightness to the restroom. Alternatively, Highrise partitions are made of durable water-resistant Phenolic LT material. Highrise offers LED occupancy indicators, which turn from green to red. In addition to their floor-to-ceiling structure, Skyline and Highrise minimize noise with soft-closing doors, creating a private space that is comfortable and easy to use.

www.bradleycorp.com/euro-style-partitions

CENTRIA, a Nucor company, announces INTERCEPT+ modular metal panels for exterior walls, powered by NEXGEN Metal Design Systems. Featuring a modular design, the INTERCEPT+ system offers architects the versatility to incorporate modules of different shapes and sizes for a variety of rainscreen and façade applications. The panels require little to no maintenance, and the 100 percent metal substrate is highly recyclable at the end of its long service life. Proven and tested, INTERCEPT+ panels integrate seamlessly with one another and feature full-perimeter returns to create a flat panel surface with sharp, crisp edges and corner options. Profiles include ENTYRE, which creates a smooth and flat wall surface; LVLZ enables designers to vary panel depth for visual interest; RZR allows designers to slope a panel’s depth across the length or width of the panel; and HLZ offers a perforated panel for screen applications requiring ventilation or a degree of light transmission.

centria.com/product-series/rainscreen-systems/intercept-plus

Optimize Office Space and Strategize Effectively Accruent, a provider of workplace and asset-management solutions, has launched Accruent Space Intelligence (ASI), its latest space optimization and planning solution. ASI is designed to help organizations manage the complexities of the current workplace landscape.

The space intelligence solution provides centralized insight from aggregated data that empowers companies to make informed, strategic decisions based on a comprehensive view of their portfolio.

The solution’s primary module offers a single pane of glass analytics tool that simplifies complex utilization data by transforming it into actionable insight.

This capability allows corporate real-estate professionals to gain a holistic understanding of their current space usage and to strategize effectively.

Complementing this is a forecasting capability that acts as a virtual testing ground, enabling teams to simulate departmental restacking and scenario comparisons, enhancing planning accuracy and foresight.

www.accruent.com

Three Primer Products Are Combined into One LATICRETE has introduced LATICRETE Primer Plus, an all-in-one primer solution, which is a consolidation of the brand’s NXT Primer, SUPERCAP Primer Plus and FRACTURE BAN Primer products. Primer Plus’ formulation with nanoparticles penetrates deep into substrates to prevent the absorption of moisture from an underlayment. In doing so, Primer Plus enhances the performance of self-leveling underlayments and crack isolation peel-and-stick membranes. It can be applied with a broom, roller or sprayer on concrete, wood, gypsum, substrates and more. Primer Plus is available in a 1-gallon jug, 5-gallon pail and 264-gallon tote.

www.laticrete.com/en/products/primer-plus

retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 61

PRODUCTS

Fabrics for Acoustic Products Are Affordable

Rebranded Coatings Offer Same Performance APV Engineered Coatings has introduced a new brand name for its flagship line of field-applied coating systems for new and existing exterior surfaces and roofs. Launched in 2009, NeverFade Façade Restoration Coatings with Kynar Aquatec PVDF resin are now NeverFade Exterior Paints with Kynar Aquatec PVDF resin. The paints are formulated to revive and protect commercial and residential building façades for more than 20 years. APV backs this claim with a non-prorated, 15-year product and labor warranty on fade resistance that is fully transferrable to building owners. NeverFade Exterior Paints are easy to apply at a uniform thickness via brush, roller or spray. Their one-part chemistry and long pot and shelf life help reduce product waste.

They can be applied at a much lower thickness than acrylic-based paints, which need significantly higher thicknesses to offset film erosion over time. In addition, NeverFade is a waterbased paint with low VOCs and very low odor for minimal disruption to building occupants.

www.apvcoatings.com

AVL Systems Inc. has made available the AVL Signature Series, the company’s own branded fabrics for its decorative acoustic solutions. The first two fabric styles in the Signature Series—Emerge 2907 and Concord 5939—feature high-quality material in multiple colors at an affordable price. The fabrics are the answer for architects and designers who have been limited by the rising cost of acoustic products featuring fabrics. Now, customers have more creative freedom and can opt for fabric facings in a variety of colors and order custom colors for a nominal fee for projects using more than 300 yards. The Emerge 2907 and Concord 5939 fabric styles are available on all AVL products that offer fabric facing, including AcousTech Wall & Ceiling Panels, Ceiling Baffles and Clouds, and Pyramid Diffusers and DiSorb Diffusers. The fabrics are 100 percent polyester and contain post-consumer recycled material.

signatureseries.avlonline.com

Metal Coatings Are Cured with Energy PPG has launched the PPG DURANEXT portfolio of electronbeam (EB) and ultraviolet curable backers, primers, basecoats and clearcoats that brings the energy efficiency and high speed of energy curing to metal coil coaters. Unlike traditional coil coating systems that require very high temperatures to drive the curing process, PPG DURANEXT coatings use EB or UV energy to convert a liquid coating into a fully cured solid finish in seconds without any significant loss of thickness or weight. The coatings are engineered for durability and reduce energy usage, water consumption and CO2 emissions, compared to traditional thermal-cure coatings. Solutions can be customized to meet most requirements for weatherability, durability, chemical resistance and flexibility.

www.ppg.com/en-US/ppg-duranext

Bifold Doors Can Be Opened with Strap Latches The newly designed and patented Strap Latch from Schweiss Doors offers simplicity, cleanliness, and reliability with every opening and closing of a bifold door. Strap latches, available in black, gray, white and yellow, eliminate the need for cables, chains, sprockets, pulleys, extra motors and additional parts. All-strap doors operate efficiently with 90 percent fewer moving parts. The new design firmly holds the door against a building in all positions, securing the door when open or partially open and will firmly lock the door when closed.

It offers added protection from wind gusts while the door is in any position of operation.

www.bifold.com

62 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

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AD INDEX

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SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2024

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Belimo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11 www.belimo.us

Greenheck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 3 www.greenheck.com

Hanover Pavers . . . . . . . . . Page 10 www.hanoverpavers.com

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Flex-Ability Concepts . . . . . Page 54 www.flexabilityconcepts.com (866) 443-3539

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retrofitmagazine.com // RETROFIT 65

I N S P I R AT I O N

PHOTOS: Marcus Bredt

Hyparschale An Innovative Shell Structure Constructed with Poured Concrete Is Reopened as a Multipurpose Event Center

W

hile few know the name Ulrich Müther, his innovative shell structures are mid-century icons that earned him the moniker, “the Oscar Niemeyer of the German Democratic Republic.” Born in 1934, Müther created about 50 so-called “hypershells” of innovative poured-concrete construction behind the Iron Curtain, as well as in West Germany and internationally. Sadly, many have been lost but one of Müther’s best-known examples, Hyparschale, has been restored for events and exhibitions.

Constructed in 1969 in Magdeburg, about a twohour drive west of Berlin, Hyparschale has been revived for the local government client by gmp Architects.

Stephan Schütz, gmp Architects’ executive partner, reconceived the badly dilapidated shell (the building had not been used since 1997). In a compelling example of merging historic knowledge and technical excellence, gmp Architects enhanced the interior effect of the shell 66 RETROFIT // September-October 2024

roof while boosting the building’s load-bearing capacity using state-of-the-art carbon concrete technology.

“A basic prerequisite of any successful conversion is an appreciation for what others created in the past,” Schütz says.

“Along with Ulrich Müther’s grand gesture of the sweeping roof, we reopened the ribbon-shaped rooflights so, as originally intended, they once again heighten the four shell wing shapes and drench the interiors with copious daylighting.”

New structures designed by gmp Architects have been added inside the hall, staying close to Müther’s square-grid design and creating 15-foot-wide, cube-shaped rooms with galleries inside, all connected by pedestrian bridges.

“The flexible layout provides rooms that can be combined for smaller events, seminars, exhibitions and eateries in the periphery of the large event space for up to 500 people in the center of the hall,” Schütz notes.

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