Project Description
The structure of this turn-of-the-century brewing company warehouse
serves as the framework for a new building envelope and interior that
now houses offices and an organic restaurant/bar. “The intent was to
keep and refurbish two of the things that had any value: the concrete
foundation and the Douglas fir post-and-beam structure,” says Joshua
Aidlin, who was on the project team.
Since the building is on the
National Register of Historic Places, the city’s planning department
placed strict limitations on the fenestration and on the corrugated
siding. But light and air were needed. The solution: replace the
original siding with a zinc skin perforated with small holes that allow
light and air to pass through to new windows hidden behind.
Inside, a minimal number of elements were integrated into the existing
structure. Metal and glass apertures inserted into the original frame
open up the interior. The largest of these areas is a bridge traversing
the two-story lobby terminating as a reception desk for second-floor
offices. The designers also used a number of sustainable building
strategies (see "Good Bones"). Judges praised the “exceptional design that retains the [original] materiality but reinvents it.”