FEATURE ARTICLE, JANUARY 2005

THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGE
The end result often outweighs difficult challenges in adaptive reuse.
Jeff Gill, AIA

MCG Architecture designed a Bed Bath & Beyond store to fit an existing building at First Avenue and 61st Street in Manhattan.

In life, change is constant and can often be a good thing. Of course, change is regularly a difficult concept for most, full of hurdles and opposition. From an architectural standpoint, when change involves the conversion of an existing structure into a new use — an office tower converted into a mixed-use retail/multifamily property, for example — it is a daunting task that involves multiple physical and logistical challenges that must be successfully navigated to ensure the success of the property.

A common conversion project of late has been the transformation of an existing office tower into a mixed-use multifamily project with multiple levels of retail space on the bottom floors. Conversions of this sort are becoming common throughout the country as undeveloped land becomes scarcer and cities attempt to re-energize their urban cores with 24-hour populations. The architectural requirements for an office structure and a mixed-use property are obviously quite different, making conversions of this sort very difficult.

Plainly speaking, a mixed-use retail/residential building does not fit into an office tower. The layouts are not compatible; the building is simply not meant to be. Yet, the architect must find a way to fit the square block into the existing round hole. The most common challenges that architects must overcome with these types of conversions regularly include divergent bathroom layouts requiring multiple vertical shafts; the introduction of balconies and required drainage systems, which need to be incorporated into the interior of the building; entry and access needs for multi-disciplines are quite different; retail layout requires uncommon, often unorthodox design, as well as vertical challenges for shoppers and their carts; and the time-honored jurisdictional challenges encountered with any major construction project.

Clearly, the central core requirements as designed in a typical office tower differ from those in a mixed-use project. The conversion process requires a fundamental redesign of the core restroom and building use layouts, yet confronts the problem of immovable pipes and the difficulty of major plumbing work in a pre-existing building. Fundamentally, this issue is resolved by tearing up floors and walls and running thousands of feet of additional plumbing throughout the building to accommodate the needs of hundreds of residential units. The plumbing conversion process often leads underground, as well, as the water flow in the building will undoubtedly increase, requiring the retrofitting of the pre-existing sewer lines.

The conversion of office suites into residential use often includes the introduction of balconies to the building, which also requires the installation of drainage systems. The addition of dozens of balconies and their drainage pipes often requires inventive design by the architectural team in order to provide the fundamental water removal while maintaining the visual attractiveness and leasability of the property, as well as meeting the clearance needs of the lower floor tenants.

When designing a mixed-use building, architects separate the retail space from the multifamily space by designing entryways that segregate residents from the retail shopper. Retail stores’ access requirements differ from those of residential facilities, and residential areas of the building should be shielded from the often noisy and boisterous world of retail commerce. Of course, this can be a very difficult accomplishment with a conversion project. Because total separation of entryways is often impossible, architects must think ‘out of the box’ to accommodate both users. Elevator lock-downs for residential use are common practice when encountering this obstacle, but security must be provided for all building uses. Retail concourses must be architecturally enhanced to appear seamless from the residential component by day, but secured to prevent access from the public and upper floor residences during retail off-hours.

Additionally, retail space in these conversion projects typically consumes multiple floors. The average floorplate of a conversion project is not typical of most major tenant prototype designs, forcing them to operate multi-level facilities. This vertical retailing normally requires the introduction of transportation systems in order to efficiently move the consumers and their goods between floors. Over-sized elevators and conveyor systems are often introduced into the retail component of the conversions to accomplish this and have been very effective at meeting consumer’s needs.

In 2001, MCG was tasked with designing the retail component of a major conversion at First Avenue and 61st Street in Manhattan. The retail component consisted of a large Bed, Bath & Beyond store, and the vertical retailing posed a significant challenge. The layout of the existing building required the introduction of centralized glass elevators, escalators, and vermiports in order to transport shopping carts between the retail floors. Vermiports, or shopping cart conveyors, had never been utilized in New York, and required close coordination with the city in order to receive approval for their use.

The success of this project, and conversion projects like it, hinge upon the coordination of the team members, including the architects, the developer, the contractor, and the city.

Design is often impacted by the existing structure, requiring flexibility and creativity. A well-coordinated team, however, can overcome the inherent challenges of a conversion project, while successfully reusing a building that has outlived its original purpose.

Jeff Gill is a managing principal with MCG Architecture.

©2005 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.