adaptive reuse

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Civil Rights and the Evolution of Design

January 12, 2012 in Community Service, Construction Trends | 2 comments

Birmingham Mayor William Bell assists with ground breaking at ILR

There is something special about every project we build. Some bring vitality to communities. Adaptive reuse breathes new life into existing–often historical–buildings. LEED projects promote sustainability.

Last fall, we broke ground on a project that was more than special. It’s an honor.

Independent Living Resources provides community-based, non-residential services and advocacy for those living with disabilities. The new location we are building in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District seems more than fitting. As IRL Executive Director Dan Kessler, told The Birmingham News, “Human rights is a part of (the Civil Rights) mission, and disability rights is big part of that movement.”

Beyond all ILR gives the community, what most impressed us about their folks was the focus on something called Universal Design.

Universal Design centers on accessibility for as many people as possible. This can be in the form of environments, objects and systems. For followers of the concept, buildings should to be usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability or status in life.

Independent Living Resources is able to take universal design to a new level, because the majority of people on staff have disabilities. Involving them in the design process has been particularly enlightening.

Here are a few ways Universal Design is being used at ILR:

Door Openers. Standard accessible entrances include a push button for access, which excludes those who lack upper body mobility. ILR will be installing a version that can be activated using a wheelchair footrest. These will be placed inside and outside at the front and back doors.

Quiet Room. Individuals with stress disabilities or those prone to migraines can use this space to relax. It will be equipped with a daybed, and no cell phones or work materials are allowed inside.

Parking spaces. The 14 spaces closest to the building are divided by bollards and feature a detectable paver system for the vision-impaired. This also provides good visual separation for all drivers.

HVAC. The building has been divided into smaller HVAC zones, giving more control of the temperature in personal workspace and increasing the comfort of those people who work and visit.

Workstations. Areas such as the reception desk will have low and high transaction counters for better access for those who are doing business from a wheelchair.

Light. The lighting has been designed to minimize triggers for people who suffer seizures and other similar conditions. The open workspace features lots of windows, and glass partitions let the light flow throughout the office.

Site Selection. The building is located with convenient access to public transportation and sidewalks have been modified with ramps down to the street for access by people with disabilities.

Community Connectivity. The site is within walking distance of the power and gas utility companies, the Social Security office, and several other public buildings and community service organizations.

What we’re learning is that the principles of Universal Design make sense. Open spaces, wider halls, additional light and facilities that can be modified don’t just benefit people with disabilities. They make buildings better for us all.

What accessibility changes have you made to make your facilities better for everyone?

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

 

 

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If You Want the Win, Practice and Prepare.

July 14, 2011 in Customer Relationships, Leadership, Project Estimates | 1 comment

We recently made a presentation to a prospective customer who had an adaptive reuse project that seemed perfect for us. It involved revitalizing an area of the city, which is exactly the type of project we enjoy. We confidently answered all the questions in the RFI, and the presentation seemed to go flawlessly.

As we left the meeting, I told my two colleagues that we had nailed it. There was no way they would use anybody else. A few days later I received a call from the architect informing us that we were not selected for the project.

This disappointment was a great reminder for me. I realized that despite my optimism, I had not spent enough prep time on the presentation. Yes, I had answered the customer’s questions, but I hadn’t gone beyond that. I let an over-booked schedule get in the way of the dress rehearsal one of our project managers suggested. It might have cost us the project.

I know better. Over the years, these have been my tried and true rules for successful presentations:

Don’t oversell yourself. Owners don’t want to have to spend time weeding through contractors who make lofty promises.

Ask, then listen. A contractor who asks questions, carefully listens to the responses and then makes a reasoned proposal is more believable.

Work for your wins. No matter how many projects you have won in the past, you are not a shoe-in for the opportunities you persue. In the end, it’s good to know that you got the job not off only from past merits, but because you came prepared, then went above and beyond.

Think like an athlete. The pros don’t just practice before games. It’s a year round job.

Every day is an opportunity to practice selling what you do and promoting your services. When the next opportunity comes up, how will you get ready?

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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email

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What Does it Take to Make Existing Retail Space Useful? Imagination.

October 7, 2010 in Construction Trends, Recession, Remodeling | No comments

As I see it, the need for large store platforms is diminishing, for a while at least. The retail community is starting to think outside the box.

When the economy was booming and credit was easy to obtain, consumers were buying goods at a record pace. Retailers began building bigger and bigger box stores to meet the demand. Now that the economy has cooled and credit has tightened, people aren’t buying as much. Fewer goods are required to satisfy the decreased demand, and suddenly these stores don’t need that extra space. Most of the new box stores we are building today are 15 to 20 percent smaller than five years ago.

But what about all the old locations that companies have abandoned? There are nearly 9,000 box stores ranging in size from 15,000 to 50,000 square feet sitting empty in the United States. What should we do with all this space? There are several possibilities:

● Adaptive reuse. Take a building and modify it into something different from its original intended purpose. A prime example can be found in North Carolina, where the old American Tobacco Company has been transformed into condos and office space.

● Backfilling. Bring in new stores to take over empty space in malls and other shopping centers. Be creative. There is no reason why an old department store can’t find a new retail life.

● Rightsizing. Turn a single store into multiple units. Take a 50,000 square foot box and divide it into two 25,000 square foot stores (or three 16,000 square foot entities). Both Walmart and Target announced recently that they are looking to open smaller 20,000 footprint stores in urban areas

The buildings are there, waiting to be used. We just need to effectively redevelop and remodel them for the good of the communities.


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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email.

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Trend Spotting: Adaptive Re-use of Existing Commercial Properties

October 5, 2010 in Conservation, Construction Trends, Remodeling | No comments

It’s not surprising that in the U.S., only one new enclosed mall has opened in the last 4 years. In that same time, it has been estimated that nearly 500 of the 2,000+ malls in our country have closed. That translates to a lot of property and structures available for immediate use. But who wants to buy mall space nobody is frequenting? That’s where a growing trend comes into play.

Renovation and adaptive re-use of malls and other commercial properties is on the rise. Many of these properties are strategically located but need to be oriented in another direction. The focus is on taking existing assets and making them stronger by redeveloping them or retrofitting them for a use different from the original intent.

According to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, Simon Properties has earmarked its entire $200 million-plus construction budget this year for renovation and redevelopment rather than new building. Others are taking a similar path by changing vacant properties for completely new uses. From my involvement, I see this movement continuing, at least in the short and mid term future.

Another trend we see is, where weather permits, the concept of opening enclosed spaces to the outdoors. It’s “de-malling” the mall, so to speak. That doesn’t mean the existing structures have to be torn down. We are just finding new ways to use these older properties.

The bonus? Adapting existing structures for new use is about as green as it gets. We’re not disturbing any untouched land and we’re cutting back on suburban sprawl. It’s a win-win.


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Merrill Stewart is Founder and President of the Stewart Perry Company, a commercial building contractor based in Birmingham, Ala. Contact him via email.

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