Article of Interest

Preservation and Reuse of Existing Facilities

Demolishing and building new is not always in the best interest of the client or the environment.

As both owners and their consultants become more conscious of the long-term benefits of adopting sustainable and “green” approaches to facility construction and operation, we find that it is important to look at proposed facility upgrades with a critical eye to the big picture. It is not unusual to see proposals for construction of new facilities where existing facilities are deemed inefficient, or just old. In many cases, older buildings are torn down based on a perceived lack of energy efficiency. In many cases, the assessment that came to this conclusion did not take into account the often significant amount of embedded energy inherent in the structure, energy that is lost when the demolition debris is landfilled. Oftentimes a broader view suggests that the most environmentally friendly approach is one that retains and reuses existing buildings. In many cases ancillary elements are reuseable, including portions of the existing transportation and utility infrastructure.

Wright-Pierce has been fortunate to work with a number of clients that recognize the benefits associated with the redevelopment and adaptive reuse of existing facilities. Ongoing projects of this nature include the Rising Tide Community Market in Damariscotta, Maine and the Brunswick Naval Air Station. In both cases, our clients have been clear about their desires to conduct their projects with a genuine sensitivity to the environment. An example is the Rising Tide Community Market which found that it had outgrown its existing space and looked around for larger quarters. It was important for the organization to stay close to downtown Damariscotta, and available sites were limited. Following an initial period of feasibility assessments, Rising Tide acquired a vacant former auto dealership and initiated a project to retrofit the facility to meet its needs.

Following a decision by the Federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission in late 2005 to close Naval Air Station Brunswick (NASB) and the nearby Topsham Annex, the impacted communities created local redevelopment authorities (LRAs) to address their redevelopment. While the primary facility is a 3,200-acre military enclave within the town limits of Brunswick, affiliated parcels also include the McKeen Street family housing site, the 74-acre Topsham Annex and the 69-acre East Brunswick transmitter site. Overall, the facilities include several hundred housing units and nearly 1.7 million square feet of non-residential space. Following a formal RFP process, the LRAs retained the services of a team led by Matrix Design Group of Denver, Colorado. Wright-Pierce was initially responsible for addressing existing conditions assessments and developing recommendations related to utility and transportation infrastructure during development of the base reuse master plan.

Following completion of the reuse master plan for NASB, the consultant team was retained by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) to assist with development of an operations plan for the facility. Under that contract, Wright-Pierce is presently conducting additional investigations and providing advice relative to future improvements through the development of a twenty year capital improvement plan and operational considerations to water, sewer, natural gas, stormwater management, electricity systems, as well as streets and roadways.