Noise, odor, and visual pollution don’t usually come to mind when picturing a pleasant residential neighborhood in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But for a tight-knit community in Minneapolis that has abutted the city’s Hiawatha Maintenance Facility for nearly a century, pollution in many forms was a daily reality.
The public works site was “a real eyesore,” said Marc Partridge, AIA, CID, LEED AP, a senior associate at local design firm RSP Architects. According to Steve Maurelli, a project manager at RSP, the buildings on the 10-acre site were sorely in need of repair and maintenance. The sense of irony—that a facility devoted to maintenance could itself be so ill-kempt—added to the long-simmering tension between the city and the residents of the adjacent neighborhood, who for decades felt that the city was exploiting them by allowing this blot on their visual landscape.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Hiawatha Maintenance Facility, Minneapolis, Minn.
Building Team
- Owner/developer: City of Minneapolis
- Architect: RSP Architects (submitting firm)
- Structural engineer: Palanisami and Associates
- MEP engineer: Paulson & Clarke Engineering Inc.
- General contractor: Knutson Construction
General Information
- Size: 33,0000-sf office space; 28,000-sf maintenance bay, 20,500-sf storage area
- Construction cost: $10.8 million
- Completion date: June 2010
- Delivery method: Design-bid-build
Built in 1914 as a single brick warehouse and garage, the original building served as a horse infirmary for the local fire department. Population growth spurred the city to erect 18 more facilities, and for more than 90 years the Hiawatha facility has been home to the city’s streets and sewers department.
Tearing down the buildings and starting anew would have been a swift, albeit expensive solution, but the city wanted to preserve the rich history of the facility while also paying respect to the sensitivities of its neighbors.
“When we started this project, one of the goals was to recycle and reuse as much as we could,” said Greg Goeke, director of property services for the city of Minneapolis. The city’s Public Works Department has a “rich tradition” of public service, and repurposing the existing facilities was part of preserving that tradition. The result: about 98% of construction demolition waste from the project was reused.
Click here to view profiles of other reconstruction projects that have been recognized as part of BD+C's 28th Annual Reconstruction Awards.
New construction added space where needed without inflating the mass of the original structures. The original brick building was renovated to complement the surrounding community, while industrial materials were stored on the side of the building facing the highway, out of view of the neighbors.
A new circulating glass curtain wall brought light deep into the facility and made the exteriors more aesthetically pleasing. Recycled materials—metal beams, concrete slabs forming an exterior patio, and wood and bricks salvaged from the original blacksmith shop—lent an elegant but still understated feel to the façade.
According to RSP’s Partridge, an important goal of the renovation was to keep the building functional, not precious. “Public works is raw stuff, and we wanted the building to reflect that,” he said. “In terms of maintainability and the honesty of the materials, everything had a purpose. We wanted to make sure the palette was true to the work being done there.”
Effecting cultural change through design
Before the reconstruction began, city workers were isolated in their respective departments in various parts of the building, each group with its own lunchroom, kitchen, and equipment collection—a layout that lent itself to communication breakdowns and resulting inefficiencies.
2011 RECONSTRUCTION AWARD PRODUCT LIST
Hiawatha Maintenance Facility, Minneapolis, Minn.Structural Steel: MacSteel
Overhead Door Aluminum: Haas
Structural Deck: Vulcraft-Nucor
Corrugated Metal: CMI Inc.
Lockers: The Locker Guy
Precast Concrete: FabCon
Aluminum Storefront Curtainwall: Old Castle
Ready-mix: Cemstone
Hollow Core Planks: Molin
Remix P/6473 Carpet: Milliken
Windows DH: Pella
Aluminum Storefront Entrances and Doors: Old Castle
Light Gauge Metal Items: Clarkwestern
Louvera: Nystrom
Linoleum: Forbo
Metal Stairs: Lapeyer
Una-Clad: C Firestone
VCT Tile: Daltile
Thermal Batt Insulation: Owens Corning
Insulation: Johns Manville
Gypcrete Green 2000: Maxxom
Alucobond: Alcan
Modular Carpet: Lee's Carpet
Gypsum Board: National Gypsum
Flagpoles: Poletech
Vinyle Tile: Daltile
Gymspum Board: USG
Vinyl Tile: Daltile
Tread Riser: Nora
Rubber Base: Roppe
Rubber Tiles: Nora
Translucent Panel: Kalwall
Misc. Metal Shapes: Nucor
Structural Steel Joists: Vulcraft-Nucor
Overhead Steel Doors: DoorLink
The Building Team—which, in addition to RSP Architects, included Palanisami and Associates (structural engineer), Paulson & Clark Engineering (MEP engineer), and Knutson Construction (GC)—set to work with the municipal administration to find ways to maximize workflow by opening up the floor plan. “We did a lot of programming to see what resources and tasks could be shared between groups, and then designed the space so that the groups were thrown together in shared experiences,” said Partridge.
Today, the Hiawatha facility takes in 33,000 sf of office space over two floors, a 28,000-sf maintenance bay, and 20,500 sf of storage. It is home to five public works departments whose workforce has experienced something of a collective cultural change as a result of the new space adjacencies. “Making the building more open brought everyone together,” said RSP’s Partridge. Daily task work has improved, response times have quickened, and overall functionality has been streamlined.
“They now realize how much more collaborative their work really is,” he said.
A tough building complex that reflects the hardy work being performed inside—this is what the Building Team envisioned. And it works. “On a day-to-day basis, our employees have an environment that works much better for them without compromising [individual departmental] goals,” said the city’s Greg Goeke—and a great justification for the project to earn Gold honors from BD+C’s Reconstruction Awards jury.
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS a commitment to the community
During the planning of the Hiawatha Maintenance Facility, a directive from the city of Minneapolis required the Building Team—RSP Architects, Palanisami and Associates (SE), Paulson & Clark Engineering (MEP), and Knutson Construction (GC)—to achieve LEED Gold certification. But with the high level of reused materials—nearly 98%—the team was able to reach even higher.
“Not only does a public works facility need to protect the city, it also needs to protect the environment,” said Greg Goeke, the city’s director of property services. “We have high recycled content that made achieving environmental goals fairly easy.”
Old timber repurposed for millwork, recycled switchboards and crane rails, and salvaged metal beams supporting the site’s fueling station helped earn the project LEED Platinum for new construction, the city’s first municipal building to earn this rating. An old open-grate bridge that used to cross the Mississippi River was converted into a perimeter fence.
Artifacts of the building’s past are now displayed along the walls, paying homage to the building’s nearly century-long history. Old photographs, remnants of an old asphalt plant, and materials from the infirmary were reincorporated into the building construct.
The project’s high level of sustainability demonstrated the city’s commitment to the local community’s welfare, said Goeke. By the end of the process, residents who had started out mistrusting the project became its strongest advocates. “People now see that something built nearly a century ago still has value today,” he said. +
Related Stories
Geothermal Technology | Jul 29, 2024
Rochester, Minn., plans extensive geothermal network
The city of Rochester, Minn., home of the famed Mayo Clinic, is going big on geothermal networks. The city is constructing Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) that consist of ambient pipe loops connecting multiple buildings and delivering thermal heating and cooling energy via water-source heat pumps.
High-rise Construction | Jul 29, 2024
Safdie Architects’ Shanghai office tower features glass-enclosed corner garden that ascends the 35-story structure
Safdie Architects has announced the completion of LuOne Mixed-Use Complex—a business, retail, and entertainment development in the Luwan district of Shanghai, China. The mixed-use complex consists of an eight-level retail galleria, which opened in 2018, and a 35-story office tower, which recently reached completion.
Casinos | Jul 26, 2024
New luxury resort casino will be regional draw for Shreveport, Louisiana area
Live! Casino & Hotel Louisiana, the first land-based casino in the Shreveport-Bossier market, recently topped off. The $270+ project will serve as a regional destination for world-class gaming, dining, entertainment, and hotel amenities.
Smart Buildings | Jul 25, 2024
A Swiss startup devises an intelligent photovoltaic façade that tracks and moves with the sun
Zurich Soft Robotics says Solskin can reduce building energy consumption by up to 80% while producing up to 40% more electricity than comparable façade systems.
Codes and Standards | Jul 25, 2024
GSA and DOE select technologies to evaluate for commercial building decarbonization
The General Services Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy have selected 17 innovative building technologies to evaluate in real-world settings throughout GSA’s real estate portfolio.
Great Solutions | Jul 23, 2024
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.
Senior Living Design | Jul 23, 2024
The growing importance of cultural representation in senior living communities
Perkins Eastman architect Mwanzaa Brown reflects on the ties between architecture, interior design, and the history and heritage of a senior living community’s population.
MFPRO+ News | Jul 22, 2024
Miami luxury condominium tower will have more than 50,000 sf of amenities
Continuum Club & Residences, a new 32-story luxury condominium tower in the coveted North Bay Village of Miami will feature more than 50,000 sf of indoor and outdoor amenities. The program includes a waterfront restaurant, dining terraces with resident privileges, and a private dining room outdoor pavilion.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 22, 2024
5 healthcare building sector trends for 2024-2025
Interactive patient care systems and trauma-informed design are among two emerging trends in the U.S. healthcare building sector, according to BD+C's 2024 Healthcare Annual Report (free download; short registration required).
MFPRO+ News | Jul 22, 2024
6 multifamily WAFX 2024 Prize winners
Over 30 projects tackling global challenges such as climate change, public health, and social inequality have been named winners of the World Architecture Festival’s WAFX Awards.