For a market that receives little attention or fanfare, the U.S. reconstruction and renovation sector is the lifeblood for many of the nation’s architecture, engineering, and construction firms—large and small. From office fitouts to adaptive reuse to historic preservation to run-of-the-mill renovation work, more than $100 billion in construction spending flows into reconstruction projects each year.
For some perspective on the importance of this sector to the AEC market, we turn to the 2019 Giants 300 Report, BD+C’s annual ranking of the largest AEC firms in the country (BDCnetwork.com/Giants2019). Of the 486 companies that participated in the Giants report this year, 364 (74.9%) reported earning at least some design or construction revenue from reconstruction work in 2018. And more than a quarter (27.0%) of all reporting firms earned at least half of their total 2018 revenue from the reconstruction sector.
Then there are the specialists, like Clune Construction, Consigli Building Group, Hoffmann Architects, and Jensen Hughes, which garner three-quarters or more of their overall revenue from the reconstruction market (40 companies in all, or 8.2% of the Giants 300 reporting firms).
From a community impact perspective, few new construction sectors (outside of healthcare, perhaps) rival the reconstruction market, as evidenced by the 22 winning projects in our 36th annual Reconstruction Awards. When planned and executed properly, redevelopment projects not only save and reenergize dated or landmark structures, they can spark the revivification of entire neighborhoods and districts. Take, for example, the MGM Springfield development in Springfield, Mass. The city used this landmark casino project—it is the first full-service casino in Massachusetts—as a catalyst for a $960-million, 14-acre redevelopment in the heart of downtown. The project involved the restoration or reuse of several historic structures, including the relocation of the First Spiritualist Church and the adaptive reuse of the long-vacant State Armory building.
In Little Rock, Ark., an enterprising AE firm (Cromwell Architects Engineers) purchased the oldest remaining industrial building and turned it into The Paint Factory. The $7.9 million mixed-use redevelopment has been hugely successful since opening in March 2018, sparking some $75 million worth of new construction in the neighborhood.
There are numerous success stories among our 2019 Reconstruction Awards winners—from Linode’s new headquarters in a converted bank building in Philadelphia, to Springfield Technical Community College’s student services center in a military munitions manufacturing plant in Massachusetts. Check out these projects and more featued in the November 2019 issue of BD+C. Enjoy!
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| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Feb 11, 2011
Former Richardson Romanesque hotel now houses books, not beds
The Piqua (Ohio) Public Library was once a late 19th-century hotel that sat vacant and deteriorating for years before a $12.3 million adaptive reuse project revitalized the 1891 building. The design team of PSA-Dewberry, MKC Associates, and historic preservation specialist Jeff Wray Associates collaborated on the restoration of the 80,000-sf Richardson Romanesque building, once known as the Fort Piqua Hotel. The team restored a mezzanine above the lobby and repaired historic windows, skylight, massive fireplace, and other historic details. The basement, with its low ceiling and stacked stone walls, was turned into a castle-like children’s center. The Piqua Historical Museum is also located within the building.
| Jan 21, 2011
Manufacturing plant transformed into LEED Platinum Clif Bar headquarters
Clif Bar & Co.’s new 115,000-sf headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., is one of the first buildings in the state to meet the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The structure has the largest smart solar array in North America, which will provide nearly all of its electrical energy needs.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
| Jan 21, 2011
Music festival’s new home showcases scenic setting
Epstein Joslin Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., to showcase the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, as well at the site’s ocean views.
| Jan 19, 2011
Industrial history museum gets new home in steel plant
The National Museum of Industrial History recently renovated the exterior of a 1913 steel plant in Bethlehem, Pa., to house its new 40,000-sf exhibition space. The museum chose VOA Associates, which is headquartered in Chicago, to complete the design for the exhibit’s interior. The exhibit, which has views of five historic blast furnaces, will feature artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution to illustrate early industrial America.
| Jan 19, 2011
San Diego casino renovations upgrade gaming and entertainment
The Sycuan Casino in San Diego will get an update with a $27 million, 245,000-sf renovation. Hnedak Bobo Group, Memphis, Tenn., and Cleo Design, Las Vegas, drew design inspiration from the historic culture of the Sycuan tribe and the desert landscape, creating a more open space with better circulation. Renovation highlights include a new “waterless” water entry feature and new sports bar and grill, plus updates to gaming, poker, off-track-betting, retail, and bingo areas. The local office of San Francisco-based Swinerton Builders will provide construction services.
