The project began when the owner envisioned co-locating a program of home and office into a live | work environment in an urban location. And inspired by requests for space in the building after the initial occupancy, the unused lower level was recently repurposed into a co work office space, effectively making the entire building a “shared” work space.

The  historic  warehouse  structure  was  selected  in an overlooked industrial neighborhood  and is one  of  just  a handful  of  “survivor”  buildings from  a  former  rail  yard in what was a gritty, industrial edge of town that is presently situated on a prominent corner demarcating the entrance to downtown at a major arterial intersection.  

Time and numerous  misguided  alterations  had  taken  their  toll,  leaving the structure in a state of ill-repair.  However the developer appreciated the building’s historical significance and grasped its capacity to catalyze the neighborhood’s revitalization.

The history along with cues of past industrial machining inspired a concept where the original building components are reinvigorated and exposed in their original character while contemporary industrial warehouse and machinist elements are integrated in an honest expression.

A  century  of misguided  building  remodels  were  stripped  away  by  vigorously removing  layers  of  paint,  uncovering  original brickwork and refinishing overlain floors into authentic distressed hardwood floors.  The existing building was kept intact and repaired whenever possible.  

The new construction is respectful of the existing structure, a nuanced dialogue between new and old.  In some locations, the two are carefully delineated.  In others, modern interventions take a back seat to historic character. Throughout the building, transparency and compatible finishes allow space to flow freely.  The interior layout takes a cue from the expansive floor space that the original warehouse | factory allocated to varied uses.  Original exposed brick walls, wooden floor assemblies, exposed roof structure and polished concrete floors provide a rich backdrop for each space. 

To maintain each areas characteristic feel, use of new materials was limited to a simple palette of translucent glazing or polycarbonate, metal, reclaimed second-use plywood and wood pallets, and painted gypsum. 

Nothing is more sustainable than breathing new life into an existing resource and adaptive-reuse strategies have augmented this 1917 structure in preparation for another 100+ years of relevance.  The project tells an important story about the role historic buildings can play in anchoring urban revitalization with sustainable principles - both in building program and in building function - and the story has been preserved in a documentary highlighting  the  strategies employed.

The project has helped catalyze redevelopment within the district with a series of investments since the building’s completion that have followed T square live | work’s lead in respecting the existing fabric and expanding the mixed-use of the district.