Businesses, developers, and civic leaders are repurposing existing structures to celebrate history, attract tenants, and serve as a catalyst for future development.
In Flint, Mich., an 1895 brick structure considered the birthplace of the global auto industry has been reimagined as a community resource and showcase of the legacy of General Motors. Located on the city’s riverfront, the former carriage-assembly building now houses offices, event space, a heritage center, and a research library with archives from Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute).
SmithGroupJJR oversaw the restoration to help GM preserve its heritage with the city and spur economic development. “Across the country, we’re seeing that the historic preservation and restoration of a single building can reenergize an entire urban district,” says Lise Newman, AIA, SmithGroupJJR’s Director of the Workplace Practice.
In Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, the former headquarters of lease-to-own retailer Aarons is being turned into the 309 East Paces Ferry office/retail complex. Former Aaron’s CEO Robin Loudermilk partnered with developers Knox Properties and the Redan Group to redevelop the 11-story tower.
ALSO SEE: BD+C Giants 300 reconstruction giants
Top 160 reconstruction architecture firms
Top 105 reconstruction engineering firms
Top 115 reconstruction construction firms
Balfour Beatty collaborated with architect Lyman Davidson Dooley to implement Lean construction and offsite fabrication of the building’s exterior wall panels. “In a span of 25 working days, we clad the whole exterior, using a third of the workforce required by traditional construction,” says Mike Macon, VP and Business Unit Leader at Balfour Beatty.
Shuttered retail spaces are also ripe for redevelopment. A former Borders bookstore in Omaha, Neb., was transformed into Do Space, a digital library and community education center. HDR worked with civic leaders to explore the library-of-the-future concept. “It’s a community information hub, providing technology access to everyone for free,” says HDR Design Principal David Lempke, AIA.
SEE ALL 2017 GIANTS 300 RANKINGS
Related Stories
Contractors | Nov 14, 2022
U.S. construction firms lean on technology to manage growth and weather the pandemic
In 2021, Gilbane Building Company and Nextera Robotics partnered in a joint venture to develop an artificial intelligence platform utilizing a fleet of autonomous mobile robots. The platform, dubbed Didge, is designed to automate construction management, maximize reliability and safety, and minimize operational costs. This was just one of myriad examples over the past 18 months of contractor giants turning to construction technology (ConTech) to gather jobsite data, manage workers and equipment, and smooth the construction process.
Engineers | Nov 10, 2022
U.S. engineering firms cash in on a volatile, expanding market
New practices and markets drive growth for U.S. engineering and engineering-architecture firms. And firms are getting serious about reducing projects’ carbon footprint.
Architects | Nov 10, 2022
What’s new at 173 architecture firms for 2022
More than 295 U.S. architecture and architecture-engineering (AE) firms participated in BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 survey. As part of the Giants survey process, participating firms are asked to describe their most impactful firm innovations and noteworthy company moves in the past 12 months. Here is a collection of the most compelling business and project innovations and business moves from the 2022 Architecture Giants.
Giants 400 | Nov 9, 2022
Top 50 Data Center Contractors + CM Firms for 2022
Holder, Turner, DPR, and HITT Contracting head the ranking of the nation's largest data center contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 9, 2022
Top 60 Data Center Engineering + EA Firms for 2022
Jacobs, Burns & McDonnell, WSP, and Alfa Tech top the ranking of the nation's largest data center engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 9, 2022
Top 30 Data Center Architecture + AE Firms for 2022
HDR, Corgan, Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects, and Gensler top the ranking of the nation's largest data center architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 8, 2022
Top 75 Sports Facility Engineering and EA Firms for 2022
Alfa Tech, AECOM, ME Engineers, and Walter P Moore head the ranking of the nation's largest sports facility engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 8, 2022
Top 110 Sports Facility Architecture and AE Firms for 2022
Populous, HOK, Gensler, and Perkins and Will top the ranking of the nation's largest sports facility architecture and architecture/engineering (AE) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Nov 8, 2022
Top 60 Sports Facility Contractors and CM Firms for 2022
AECOM, Mortenson, Clark Group, and Turner Construction top the ranking of the nation's largest sports facility contractors and construction management (CM) firms for 2022, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
Hotel Facilities | Nov 8, 2022
6 hotel design trends for 2022-2023
Personalization of the hotel guest experience shapes new construction and renovation, say architects and construction experts in this sector.
