Project manager, project architect and interior designer for this 6,000 square foot renovation of a historic railroad depot into a high tech conference and marketing center for the utility company. Project was certified LEED CI Gold and won AIA design awards at the local, state and regional levels as well as from the Alabama IIDA. 

Contemporary finishes and systems were incorporated into the interior design of the Alagasco Demonstration Center for Energy Technology to reflect the high-tech, innovative nature of the activities contained within. Storage modules for tables and chairs located below glass panels create a spatial separation between the central lobby and the large and small meeting rooms on each side, while large glass doors into the meeting spaces and continuous glass panels above provide views of the heavy timber trusses spanning from space to space, respecting the historical aspects of the original structure.

The Center is a renovation of 5,150 square feet of outdated meeting and storage space into a state of the art conference and marketing center for the utility company. The building which was originally built in 1905 as a railroad freight shed retained its exposed brick and wood truss structure through previous renovations; celebrating the structure was a major goal of this project. ALAGASCO was in need of multi-functional and flexible spaces that could serve meeting needs and marketing and equipment demonstration functions. The owner requested an updated space that accentuated the historic structure, yet conveyed a forward thinking image for their corporation. Creating a sustainably constructed space was also an important goal.

The new design opens up the space, returning the notion of a single shed structure to the interior by maintaining low interior walls and utilizing frameless, butt jointed glass. Large exterior freight doors where removed and replaced with windows to allow natural light to flow through all spaces. Two major meeting rooms and restroom functions open off of a new central foyer defined by low ‘structures’ covered in custom blackened aluminum panels containing storage.

The smaller of the meeting rooms is furnished with tables on casters to function as a conference room or a seminar room. The larger meeting room can be arranged with tables for meetings or auditorium style utilizing a stage at the opposite end of the room. Operable frameless glass partitions and roll down shades on both sides of the stage allow it to function as a marketing room open to the demonstration kitchen or as a stand alone conference room separated from both spaces.

2011 IDIE Award, Best of Assembly – Alabama Chapter, IIDA 

2010 Honor Citation – Gulf States Region, AIA 

2010 Honorable Mention, Renovation/Restoration – Alabama Council, AIA 

2010 Honor Award, Renovation/Adaptive Reuse – Birmingham Council, AIA 

2010 Associated General Contractors Build Alabama Award 2010 T.E.A.M Award – BCIA