Vestas Wind Systems moved its North American sales and service headquarters to a facility origi- nally built as a warehouse for a department store chain in 1927. Designed for LEED Platinum certification, it has been transformed into one of Portland’s most environmentally friendly buildings.
greenfield site reduces costs, saves energy and cuts carbon emissions. Building on a developed site might also reduce traffic congestion and vehicular emissions from employees who would have to drive to a more remote location. The Green Exchange in Chicago, touted
as “the country’s largest sustainable busi- ness community,” is housed in a facility first built for the Vassar Swiss Underwear Co. nearly 100 years ago. Today, the center is at 86 percent capacity with businesses, eco organizations, nonprofits, a bank, restaurant and retailers. David Baum of Chicago-based Baum Development says, “The greenest thing about this building is the fact that we didn’t tear it down.” According to Baum, four-fifths of the energy required to build a similar facility goes into the core and shell. Portland, often hailed as a sustainable
trailblazer, has combated its lack of new com- mercial construction with increased building repurposing and neighborhood rehabilita- tion. Many of those who have lost their homes are moving into apartment buildings that were once downtown offices. Mike Wells, managing director at Los Angeles-based CBRE, says, “We’re seeing more buildings go to market and sell than we’ve seen during the last several years combined.” Portland corporations have followed
suit. Wind-turbine maker Vestas Wind Sys- tems transformed a 1920s-era warehouse into its headquarters. Keen Inc., a shoe manufacturer, operates its 500,000-square- foot headquarters in a repurposed office building.
44 RETROFIT // September October 2012
Community Ties Building repurposing respects the fabric of a historic neighborhood, thereby maintain- ing the functional and emotional ties that many long-time residents have established with their cities. The cities of Schenectady, N.Y., and Ridgefield, Conn., plan to transform community landmarks into movie com- plexes with little impact on the exterior. This strategy makes good financial sense and creates more community appeal than a new featureless box or a new complex with an artificial “New Deco” appearance. The Rouse Co. headquarters, a vacant
office building originally designed by Frank Gehry and built in 1974, is a landmark cherished by the residents of Columbia, Md. Current development plans call for transforming this facility into a mixed-use hub that will revitalize the city and attract new residents. Upscale grocer Whole Foods Market will anchor the repurposed facility, which is also planned to include several restaurants, offices and a fitness center. Co- lumbia resident and Howard County Design Advisory Panel member Phillips Engelke called Whole Foods “a magnet for the kind of downtown we’re looking for, and if it’s in one of the most iconic buildings in the area, so much the better.”
The Downtown Makeover “Adaptive reuse is the basis for any urban redevelopment,” Bombick says. “The intrinsic value and historic significance of an area, as well as its proximity to transportation hubs,
factor into its ability to be revitalized.” With their children leaving and their large homes getting harder to maintain, many recently retired suburban Chicago baby boomers are migrating downtown. They have money to spend, and they seek an active lifestyle. Developers are taking advantage of the post-recession exodus of many corpora- tions by converting downtown vacant office buildings into mixed-use environments that attract retirees. Parts of Chicago’s Loop that were dead at night 15 years ago are reemerg- ing as vibrant, 24-7 communities. In 2013, the historic Harper Court
mixed-use development will reemerge as a community anchor and a beacon for the arts in Chicago’s diverse Hyde Park neigh- borhood. The project includes renovation of a half-block strip of retail, theater renova- tions, a hotel, apartments and a University of Chicago office building. The benefits of repurposing facilities
in a mixed-use environment can extend to healthcare providers challenged by the skyrocketing costs of medical services and fierce competition. A provider that occupies an existing facility in a well-respected development not only saves costs over building a stand-alone facility, but also profits from heavy traffic at other facilities within the mix.
Driven by Transportation High-density development along estab- lished transportation nodes is a sustainable response to urban sprawl. The Oakland,