Page 218 - Beyond Decommissioning

Experience and lessons learned 199

University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services teams working on medical isotope
research, and the production of isotopes used to diagnose and treat patients with can-
cer, heart, neurological and other diseases. The structure includes a cyclotron, labo-
ratories (clean rooms, radioisotope, chemistry, R&D, instrumentation), materials
handling and administrative offices (HFKS, 2017).
A nice example of adaptive reuse can be seen in the renovation of 20 Washington
Street, Princeton University, NJ. The building, built in 1929 with several subsequent
additions, contained large laboratory classrooms, offices, and mechanical spaces. It
housed the Department of Chemistry until the new Frick Chemistry Laboratory nearby
opened in 2010.Then the former chemistry building became obsolete. However, its
central location and “iconic collegiate gothic structure” 20 Washington Street was
too significant to demolish. Thus, the university decided to convert the building into
the new venue of the Department of Economics and other university’s international
programs and services. The renovation focused on “[striking] a delicate balance
between preserving the most appealing features of this building—its stone walls,
wood-beamed lobby, leaded windows, and collegiate-gothic flourishes—and trans-
cending its limitations—a gloomy interior, mazelike corridors, and a woefully inef-
ficient mechanical system.” Basically, the project involves maintenance of the
gothic exterior, with a remodeled interior, which is light, airy, and fulfills today’s
needs. Primary interior spaces were also preserved. The project meets state-of-the-
art standards for the reuse of a historic structure, including reuse of materials such
as the stone exterior and interior woodwork, use of sustainable materials in finishes,
storm-water management, and energy efficient temperature, lighting, and plumbing
systems. The project is noteworthy as a great combination of sustainability and pres-
ervation (Campus Plan, 2016).
Another project involving a university building can be quoted here. Situated in
the old north campus of NC State, University, Raleigh, the Park Shops building is
a historic, three-story masonry structure built in 1914 to house the Mechanical
Engineering department. NC State joined with architectural consultants to pre-
serve this historic building while creating an industrial design esthetics that mer-
ges old and new. The adaptive reuse of the Park Shops building has resulted in a
contemporary, multiuse building housing anthropology and archaeology laborato-
ries, classrooms and video-conferencing facilities, a caf e, and office spaces. The
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project included a full renovation of 4450 m of existing space and an addition of
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80 m for a new glass-enclosed entrance canopy. To accommodate the new video-
conference facilities, an area of existing wood floor had to be removed and rep-
laced with a new steel and composite concrete structure to create an unobstructed
space and for better acoustics. Classrooms are located under existing clerestory
windows to maximize the exposure natural daylight, and laboratories are situated
under existing roof trusses and are supported by the new floor structure. The
masonry shell of the building remains a central motif for the design (Clark
Nexen, 2013).
The redevelopment of the Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio) at Wayne State
University (WSU), Detroit, MI, was faced with an enormous task—transform a
1920s auto dealership into a state-of-the-art biomedical research facility.