ADAPTIVE REUSE EFFORTS AT THE NAVY INCLUDE VINTAGE TOUCHES
Our field services staff recently visited an adaptive reuse project at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam which demonstrated the Navy’s achievement in utilizing historic building for its current mission needs.
Historically known as the Shell House, Building 434 in the Kuahua Naval Ammunition Depot historic management zone was built in 1921 to house ammunition before it was sent by rail to be loaded on ships. Kuahua stopped supplying ammunition in 1934 when the Lualualei Naval Ammunition Depot opened and most of the buildings were demolished. Those that remained—including Building 434—were converted to general storehouses.
The adaptive reuse project placed a new use inside the historic exterior. It kept the original historic features, including structural steel trusses, terra cotta block walls and steel panel doors, while changing the non-historic interior to support the new functions. The design and construction team developed new construction techniques to reinforce the exterior walls so they could stand the weight of the new elements.
One whimsical touch was the salvage and re-installation of the vintage signage used in a previous period. The hand-painted wooden signs supplemented the mass-produced and standardized signage in common usage today. The bold arrows for the fire extinguishers and light switches add personality that is part of the charm of historic places.
The resulting “building inside a building” includes state-of-the-art systems to support the functions while still respecting and perpetuating the history of the past century. One of the Navy sailors working in the building told our staff that it is the finest facility he has worked in during his career.
The adaptive reuse and rehabilitation project at Building 434 will receive a Preservation Award at the 42nd Preservation Honor Awards on May 27.
Learn more about this year’s honorees and projects by following the hashtag #2016HonorAwards