Lake|Flato Architects shared with us another project, the Armstrong Oil Gas, Denver, that’s awarded in the 2011 – AIA Honor Award for Interior Architecture.
This project, an adaptive re-use of an industrial machine shop built in the early 1900’s with a rich and colorful history, was intended to launch a new identity for an established local business in lower downtown Denver (LoDo). Charged with bringing new life to an underutilized building the design team planned the enclosed program around existing elements in place and created generous, sophisticated spaces filled with daylight, natural ventilation and views to Denver’s skyline. Maintaining the existing shell and structure of the building eliminated tons of waste from local landfills while preserving a venerable building which contributes to the historic nature of its context.
Entry to the building is through a gated court on the shaded street front which acts as a threshold to the courtyard plan of the building. The interior courtyard which continues the drift of street trees is surrounded by two brick volumes that contain the buildings more public spaces on one side while the other volume houses the private office spaces. The two volumes are connected by a conference room and waiting area on the lower level while the upper level connection is through a sequence of communal spaces that include an employee lounge and open air bridge and roof terrace which provide outdoor meeting and entertaining spaces adjacent to the courtyard tree canopy with dynamic views to the neighborhood and city beyond.
To create the centralized courtyard which now provides abundant natural light and ventilation to all of the buildings interior spaces, the center section of the buildings roof was stripped away. Heavy timber roof beams and wood decking was removed to express the steel frame, and the wood was repurposed into many of the custom fabricated interior furnishings. In keeping with the historic manufacturing roots of the building, the structural steel is architecturally expressed throughout the building. To delineate between new and existing structure, the existing steel was shell blasted, sealed and left in place, while all new structural steel was painted or blackened. Existing wood framing and brick was also shell blasted to remove decades of paint and express the original materials.
The main-level work space consists of individual offices and workrooms separated by translucent materials providing a balance between natural light and privacy. Circulation and conference spaces have custom doors and partitions built of steel and polycarbonate placed into existing openings in masonry walls or between steel columns. These items provide highly flexible spaces that flow into the private courtyard and facilitate the natural ventilation of the building. Work spaces are organized within the existing structural grid of steel columns and exposed roof beams. Artifacts of the buildings past use as a machine shop were salvaged during the renovation and are located throughout the project. Most prominently is an old gantry beam crane which was pressed back into service by steel erectors during construction and now resides in the new courtyard.
In order to maximize head room, shallow steel beams were used to support the floor joists at the new second floor area. Saw-tooth roofs, recalling the industrial origins of the building, enclose the balance of the upper level work spaces, providing abundant natural light and views. Steel deck was used at the saw-tooth roof to span between the trusses to minimize roof structure and maximize the clerestory glazing. At the low end of the saw-tooth roof a structural gutter, fabricated from bent steel plate, was incorporated to span between the trusses and support the steel deck.
The existing corrugated steel-clad penthouse was repaired and now serves as the primary office of the firm’s owner. The existing corrugated steel roof over the main second floor office had deteriorated over the years due to water infiltration. The original structure consisted of four gabled steel trusses with riveted connections with wood framing spanning between. Two of the trusses were salvaged and two were replaced with new trusses, which were fabricated using double steel angle members to replicate the historic trusses, but welded connections were used to differentiate the old and new. The wood framing was replaced with an 18-gauge steel deck clear spanning between trusses. The existing cupola vent was replaced with a steel framed and glazed monitor to provide additional light and ventilation to the office.
Primary vertical circulation is provided by two folded steel plate stairs that cantilever off of a central tube structure. A new catwalk fabricated of steel angles and bar grating is suspended on steel rods from the existing roof framing and links the upper Lounge and second floor offices through the double height space of the main meeting room.
The buildings were upgraded for earthquake and wind loads by integrating new braced frames in the floor plan and creating moment resisting rigid frames from the new steel columns and trusses that form the new saw tooth roof. Where new openings were made in the existing brick walls, the lintel was created by sandwiching the head of the opening with a steel channel on each side, secured in place with through bolts. The expressed lintel not only contributed to the historic aesthetic of the space, but also allowed for a safe and economic construction sequence. By installing the lintel first, the brick could be removed and the need for temporary shoring avoided.
Website: lakeflato.com
