flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Historic power plant converted to modern offices in Minnesota

Architects

Historic power plant converted to modern offices in Minnesota

In 2010, a flood in Owatonna, Minn., damaged a power plant that Leo A Daly has renovated 


By Leo A. Daly | August 17, 2015
Leo A. Daly transforms Owatonna power plant after 2010 flood

Images courtesy Leo A. Daly

A landmark power plant in Owatonna, Minn., damaged in a 2010 flood has new life as the headquarters of Owatonna Public Utilities following a renovation by architects Leo A Daly.

When the Straight River flooded in 2010, 12 feet of water stood in the basement of the Owatonna power plant, a brick Italianate building with a distinctive neon sign, arched windows, and three silver smoke stacks. The flood damaged its generators, but OPU sought Leo A Daly's help in re-purposing the building into its new headquarters.

The interior volume of the turbine hall — 50 vertical feet of open space that had previously accommodated the plant’s massive boilers — guided Leo A Daly’s approach to space planning for the administrative and customer service spaces that would occupy the building.

Using the interior steel structure as scaffolding, Leo A Daly laid out atrium spaces and floating offices that cantilever over the ground floor. The effect is a series of connected spaces all lit by daylight through the building's large windows.

The building integrates artifacts from its pre-flood days. Boiler doors, valve covers, and valve wheels are re-presented in a gallery space. Bar grating is reused in the new building as railings. Energy efficient windows were installed while keeping the original window framing and some of the original glass in place. Colors, textures and materials from the original floor and equipment are incorporated.

To prevent future flood damage, flood doors were installed in a conditioned space below the flood line, which will allow river water to come and go without disrupting operations above. To pull this off, the architects had to raise the first occupiable floor by one foot.

Leo A Daly sees the Owatonna renovation as part of a growing trend. More cities are interested in repurposing their heritage facilities, rather than simply razing them and building new.

 

Tags

Related Stories

| Jul 2, 2014

Grimshaw's 'kit of parts' design scheme selected for Qatar sports facilities program

The series of projects, called the Al Farjan Recreational Sports Facilities, have been designed in such a way that the same basic design can be adapted to the specific requirements of each site.

| Jul 1, 2014

Peter Zumthor's LA art museum plan modified with bridge-like section across main thoroughfare

After his design drew concerns about potential damage to LA's La Brea Tar Pits, Peter Zumthor has dramatically revised his concept for the Los Angeles Museum of Art.

| Jul 1, 2014

China's wild circular skyscraper opens in Guangzhou [slideshow]

The 33-story Guanghzou Circle takes the shape of a giant ribbon spool, with the floor space housed in a series of boxes suspended between two massive "wheels." 

| Jul 1, 2014

Hyper-speed rendering: How Gensler turns BIM models into beauty shots in seconds

In search of a fast rendering solution, Gensler looked to the gaming and moviemaking industries for the next breakthrough tool: Octane Render.

| Jul 1, 2014

Sochi's 'kinetic façade' may steal the show at the Winter Olympics

The temporary pavilion for Russian telecom operator MegaFon will be wrapped with a massive digital "pin screen" that will morph into the shape of any face.

| Jul 1, 2014

7 ways to cut waste in BIM implementation

Process mapping, split models, and streamlined coordination meetings are among the timesaving techniques AEC firms are employing to improve BIM/VDC workflows.

| Jul 1, 2014

Winning design by 3XN converts modernist bathhouse to university library

Danish firm 3XN's design wins competition for a new educational facility for Mälardalen University in Sweden, which will house a library, communal spaces, and offices for 4,500 students and staff.

| Jul 1, 2014

Zaha Hadid's flowing Heydar Aliyev Center named Design of the Year for 2014

The Design Museum's Design of the Year award has been awarded to Zaha Hadid's Heydar Aliyev Center. Hadid is not only the first woman to win the top prize, but the center is the first architectural project to win the overall competition.

| Jun 30, 2014

Autodesk acquires design studio The Living, will create Autodesk Studio

The Living, David Benjamin's design studio, has been acquired by Autodesk. Combined, the two will create the Autodesk Studio, which will "create new types of buildings, public installations, prototypes and architectural environments."

| Jun 30, 2014

San Antonio green lights multimodal transit center

The new 90,000-sf development will principally service San Antonio’s growing network of city bus and VIA PRIMO bus rapid transit service, including real-time arrival updates, as well as become an iconic public plaza for the city.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021