Several years ago, we were asked to assist West Linn's Robinwood Neighborhood Association to convince the City to allow the Neighborhood to adopt an abandoned fire station and convert it for use as a Community Center. The effort was successful in achieving a temporary use permit from the City to use the facility for a limited time in order to demonstrate the building's value as a Community assett. Some work was needed to make the building habitable. The City squeezed out some funds for basic necessities, as did the Neighborhood Association. A volunteer non-profit organization was formed to oversee operations on behalf of the City. And members of the Community came out to clean, repair and renovate the building. The Robinwood Station Community Center has been officially open for almost a year, and is indeed proving to be an assestt to the Community and the City.
G+B originally proposed a bold, yet thrifty approach to renewing this building through adaptive reuse and addition. By upgrading and reinforcing existing structure, taking advantage of the current layout, then providing a small addition with a new roof element, we can effectively triple the current functionality of the facilty, providing the ability to host 3-4 individual events at a time. Also, it would provide the City a place to host larger events including wedding receptions, conferences, classes, etc. In addition, we propose to incorporate many 'sustainable' or green building strategies into the renovation of this facility that would make it both a proud model of future civic development and a learning tool for the School and Community. The proposed systems include: Solar electric panels to offset grid electric usage and expenses, Solar thermal collectors to provide hot water and radiant heat, rainwater harvesting from the new roof area to provide at least 10,000 gallons of site stored water for irrigation and toilet flushing, and a small vegetated roof to reduce building's albedo footprint. By incorporating these elements and their systems into the design, we intend to make them both functionally integral and economically sensible.
Soon, the temporary permit will expire and the Facility will need to be renovated to full Code compliance to remain open. Again, G+B has offered its services to take the project to its next inevitable step. We'd love to hear what you think...
This project demonstrates the fundamental belief of G+B that architecture is as much about place as it is about buildings. The care and concern expressed for a place, indeed the thoughtful nostalgia for the unique history and proud traditions, creates a beauty of its own in the sensibilities of the inhabitants. Our regionalist approach combines elements of strength with the delicacies of craft and a deferrence to nature in patterns, forms, and colors. The result is an artifact for the ages... a beautiful place for your life to unfold, that is at once both common and quite unique; modern and yet, timeless. The Robinwood Station project has been a most admirable effort on the part of this Community, and G+B is proud to have played a small part.
