Morris Nathanson, principal of Morris Nathanson Design, envisioned the Design Exchange as a consortium of designers, craftspeople, and artisans. The name of the complex was crafted for its dual meaning as a collaborative exchange of design ideas at an arts-centered location on Exchange Street. The proposed renovation project will complete Nathanson’s vision.

Through our relocation, we’re emphasizing our commitment to building restoration, adaptive reuse, and design collaboration. We will be occupying the top floor of the four-story building. Partner Kathy Bartels notes, “The existing space is raw enough to put our stamp on it and call it our own.” Chris Ladds mentions that it provides the loft-like spaces that are conducive to a collaborative work environment. He adds that, “Collaboration is a big part of our practice… it will be strengthened in this kind of studio setting.”

With floor plates at 5,000 square feet, the size of the building is a perfect fit for us; we hope to find like-minded creative professionals to fill the second and third floors. “The goal is to attract creative professionals to the Design Exchange to forge opportunities in collaboration under one roof. Graphic designers, engineers, marketing strategists – these are all design disciplines that would thrive within a creative neighborhood.” Others in the area include Morris Nathanson Design, The GAMM Theatre, Fuller Fine Jewelry, Orange Square Design, and the Pawtucket Armory Center for the Arts.

Even though our current location in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence has served us well, we have outgrown the Queen Anne Victorian house owned by our late partner, Steve Lerner. “It’s been an asset to have a space where we could expand or contract as needed. It’s also been great being in this location, but for some years now, we’ve been bursting at the seams,” says Bartels.

We started a search for the perfect building some fifteen years ago. Although our ultimate goal was to remain in Providence, we ventured to East Providence and Bristol before finding a place to settle in Pawtucket.

Despite the complication in financing and renovating an existing mill building, we steered away from purchasing a plot of land and constructing a new building. “The firm is really committed to the redevelopment of urban land and we saw this as the perfect opportunity to practice what we preach –sustainability and environmental responsibility,” Ladds said. Proximity to the highway, access to public transit, and a walkable community add to the appeal of the location.

The project could not have succeeded without the tireless help from several people. John Garrahy and Paul Harley, of the law practice Moses & Afonso, assisted the partners tremendously in shepherding the project through multiple closing agendas, including the complicated tax credit program.

Ray Bourcier at DEC Consulting Company is the project manager for the renovation of the Design Exchange. Bartels commented, “Hiring Ray was a great decision. We’ve developed a strong relationship with him through our projects at Brown University and the Moses Brown School and we know he can handle the project while we stay focused on our current clients and projects. He also provides us with a friendly reminder, at times, to take off our architect hats and put on our developer hats.”

Jim DeRentis of Residential Properties, formerly chief business officer at BankRI, will be marketing the leasable space on the second and third floors of the Design Exchange to prospective design professionals. The general contractor, Case Construction, has begun construction and will bring the project to life with historic mill character and state-of-the-art building systems.

In the coming months, the Design Exchange will develop a website which will include video tours and floor plans at www.161exchange.com.
  

Understandably, the public is curious. “Nearly every Rhode Islander passes through the doors of the DMV. You can’t say that about most government buildings,” notes principal Kathleen Bartels. “And that experience hasn’t been good.”

The team expects that to change, but as the Providence Journal article noted, not right away. That’s because the new computer systems won’t be ready in time for opening. “It would have been much easier for the DMV to say: ‘Here’s our equipment; design around it.’ But instead they took the harder and more commendable route, seizing the move as an opportunity to redesign the whole system. There will be bugs to work out.” In the long run, the long lines will be a thing of the past. “Wouldn’t it be nice if you have business at the DMV, you don’t have to take a day off work and pack a lunch,” joked Bartels.

The new building will not only have new systems, it will be a more humane environment. “Right now, the customer walks through the door bracing for aggravation. The employees start the day bracing for hostile customers. It’s a negative environment from the start, in temporary space [the old Apex] that was never designed for the DMV.”

As the Providence Journal article noted, visitors will enter into a large airy space “bathed in natural light as part of a three-story atrium in the center of the building.” The team took advantage of the existing features of the building – including the skylight and atrium – to design sustainably and efficiently. “At first, moving from a one-story space to a three-story building was a huge design challenge,” said Principal Chris Ladds. “However, we turned it to an advantage by using the levels to filter transactions. We also used the levels to make our mechanical systems more efficient.” Creative Environment Corp designed the heating and cooling system. In addition to high-efficiency mechanical systems and daylight dimming, the building also incorporates green materials such as bamboo, linoleum, recycled carpet, and durable porcelain tile.

Project Manager Aimee Goodwin Lombardo, who has helped shepherd the project from its inception through construction, is thrilled at the emerging result. “It’s been a long haul, but it’s so rewarding to see it come together. It was a great opportunity to recycle and repurpose an old building, especially one that no one thought could be turned into anything redeemable. We love a challenge.”

Read the article at www.projo.com.

See more images of the renovation for the RI Division of Motor Vehicles.  

This year, the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built, and operated, named the URI facility a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold building. It is the first Gold recognition for URI. The top LEED designation is platinum, with gold, silver, and certified following in descending order.

The Princeton Review’s Guide to 286 Green Colleges, published this spring cited URI as one of the nation’s most eco-friendly campuses. The U.S. Green Building Council, the same council that designates the LEED awards partnered with the Princeton Review to create the list.

“The LEED award is the result of a determined team of design architects, building committee, capital planning and capital project staff and many more that worked on the design and construction,” said Robert A. Weygand, Vice President for Administration and Finance. “It is very difficult for a research and teaching laboratory building to reach this status. Complicated ventilation systems can be very, energy consuming. We were able to put in the most energy efficient system and as a result we were able to construct a sustainable building.”

Lerner Ladds + Bartels served as the associate architect and led the efforts in attaining LEED Gold certification. Payette Associates was the architect and Gilbane Building Co. was the construction manager.

The structure’s sustainable features include a ‘green’ roof that is partially covered in vegetation that filters pollutants and reduces heating and cooling needs; a rain garden and storm water treatment feature with a sophisticated drainage and detention system; daylight harvesting technologies that brighten rooms and warm the floors; and an energy efficient heating and cooling system. One hundred percent of the wood used in construction was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to have come from forests managed in a sustainable way. About a third of the materials used in the building had been previously recycled. Speaking of recycled, 79 percent of construction waste was recycled.

The energy efficiency measures installed in the building save about $135,000 per year in utility costs.

Principal Chris Ladds reviewed the challenges and solutions for Brown’s  J. Walter Wilson at the 2010 SCUP North Atlantic Regional Conference on March 25th. Michael McCormick of Brown University and Ron Simoneau of Shawmut Design and Construction were also at hand to share their point of view to provide a comprehensive look at the project. Ladds discussed the opportunities for a collaborative design process that included the client, contractor, and end users. Through the adaptive reuse of a cumbersome and neglected campus building, Lerner Ladds + Bartels found an appropriate design solution that vastly improved the building and the campus surroundings.

Download a PDF of the presentation here: Lerner Ladds + Bartels – SCUP Presentation.pdf (7 MB)  

Stay up to date with the project by checking back here for more news or visit the Walpole Public Library Building Project blog at http://walpolepl.blogspot.com/.  

The conference was a huge success and we’re considering a spot at the annual conference in DC. Be on the lookout.  

Read the full article and see photos of the rededication mass at The Rhode Island Catholic.