The Trend of Adaptive Reuse

The Conco Companies have been on the forefront of many innovations in the concrete industry.  As such, we are extremely interested in all aspects of the building industry, including new trends, which is why we have started blogging about them.  This is the last in our series and is about adaptive reuse.   The idea for our blogs is based on an article about the latest building trends from the Chicago public media organization, WTTW.

Adaptive reuse is the restoration and or adaption of a building that is no longer being used for its original purpose.  Many older, sometime abandoned buildings throughout the country are being repurposed from their original use as factories, warehouses, or train stations and being developed into apartments, offices, restaurants, hotels and retail malls. 

This practice encourages the urban revitalization and economic development of neighborhoods that were formerly blighted and has the full support of historic preservation organizations.  In addition there are many tax incentives available to builders who undertake such projects. 

 

 

Several years ago, Conco worked on a repair and reuse project for the Los Angeles Hall of Justice.  The building, constructed in 1925, had been heavily damaged, and consequently completely abandoned after the 1994 Northridge Earthquake.  Plans for the renovation had been discussed for many years before anything happened.  Finally the County of Los Angeles awarded Clark Construction Group California along with design partner AC Martin the Hall of Justice Repair and Reuse Project.  Work began in early 2012 and was completed in 2014. 

The renovation project was a perfect example of how smart solutions were necessary to save the project.  Our collective expertise, experience and cost-effective techniques were put to good use.  By using shotcrete, we were able to construct walls faster and with less material to save both time and money, which is what the renovation of the Hall of Justice needed.  The structural retrofit would have been economically impossible without the use of shotcrete. 

Source:  interactive.wttw.com/tenbuildings/ten-building-trends-could-change-america

When your project demands exceptional services and the best value, Conco can deliver. We partner with clients on every project from the pre-construction stage right through to final completion offering cost-effective solutions to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry. We have four regional offices serving California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada and Colorado.