AIAENY Tours

ARCHI text AIAENY Tours

Photo Credit: ©David Sundberg

On October 27, team members from Thaler Reilly Wilson led participants through Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs, NY. The project received an Honor Award in Adaptive Reuse at this year’s Design Awards celebration. The High Victorian Gothic church designed by Elbridge Boyden in 1871, was unsafe and on the verge of demolition. TRW was tasked with both saving the building from collapse, and to also adapt the former church into a premiere performance venue. A focus on respecting the existing historic fabric was paramount in the rehabilitation. Acoustics were a concern as the building was not originally designed to accommodate amplified sound. Secondly the performance hall needed to accommodate a minimum of 700 guests in a comfortable environment for the duration of a concert. Also necessary was a new mechanical system that did not detract from the historic appearance was needed; as well as a complementary entry addition and elevator to provide accessibility to all levels of the building. Other project scope included general masonry repair and repointing, as well as restoration of the roof, over 40 original doors; 50 historic stained-glass windows; and all wood frames, casings, and trim. The participants learned the strategies employed to solve the issues that varied from traditional methods to specialized one-off solutions to complement the existing high-Victorian finishes. If you haven’t had the opportunity to experience the venue yet, we recommend you check out their upcoming events at https://universalpreservationhall.org/.

Balcony Before

ARCHI text AIAENY Tours, cont’d

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Pedinotti-Haynes

On November 16, twenty-five members of AIAENY engaged with team members from Phinney Design Group and the impassioned owners and staff at Common Roots Brewery to understand the process of rebuilding the brewery following a devastating fire and how the brewery crafts an experience. For the owner, the essence starts and ends with the glass. Their passion to create the perfect drink drove numerous innovations, dictated scale, and created a sense of community. The project received a Citation in the Commercial/Industrial Large Project category at this year’s Design Awards celebration. Beginning with a series of design charettes with the owners’ team and then worked with the General Contractor to fast track a pre-engineered metal building that would house the brewing operation. Locally fabricated steel mezzanines were added within the structure to keep the package simple and allow it to move quickly into production. The new tap room, a wood frame volume merges with the brew house behind it and includes dining space, commercial kitchen, and support services. A glazed, double height timber frame structure defines the entrance. Glass overhead counter doors open from the bar out to an inviting beer garden, which instantly became a favorite, rear-round meeting place. Independent breweries often occupy existing buildings which inevitably leads to compromises. This was a rare opportunity for the owners to design their “forever brewery” and to maximize safety and efficiency while increasing their annual production capacity from 5,000 to 12,000 barrels. Large clerestory

windows allow ample daylight into the production space. This greatly reduces lighting loads while providing a drastically improved work environment for the brewers. A low carbon footprint has always been a major goal for Common Roots and the new facility afforded the space to incorporate a 100,000 KW roof-mounted photovoltaic array and evacuated tube solar water heating. This significantly lowers the need for fossil fuels to heat their production liquids and feeds electrical power back into the local grid. The new Common Roots Brewery and Taproom provides a welcoming gathering space not previously available in the Village and has become a catalyst for the revitalization of the area. The brewery is a draw for beer enthusiasts throughout the region and created the stage for expanding the brewery’s distribution in the Northeast US and beyond. The rebuilding process forged profound relationships out of adversity and reinforced Common Roots’ existing emphasis on civic engagement and sustainability. The brewery is not only an amenity for the village but has spurred the launch of the Common Roots Foundation to support, assist, and elevate the community that has been their growing businesses’ lifeblood. The restaurant and brewery is so successful that the owners have planned a $3.65 million dollar expansion that will increase their production capacity and add a restaurant and events space and Phinney Design Group is designing the new building. We look forward to planning another tour when the project is completed in 2023.