by Gronych + Dollega Architekten
The renovation to the decommissioned Canadian factory for the Bata Shoe Company, is an adaptive reuse project that revitalizes the original shoe factory into a sustainable mixed use building, bringing new life to the town. The project brings together ground floor commercial spaces leasable to local businesses with a double-height lobby and sculptural steel staircase that connects to a second floor intended for exhibition space and educational facilities. Home to future technological labs, studios, and lecture hall, the second level also includes offices and a community event space. The remaining upper floors of the five-storey building include 47 rental residential units, encouraging financial accessibility for the residents.
The new design retains and celebrates the original concrete structure of the 1930’s factory while revitalizing its Modernist heritage through materials and design elements. The interior material palette is rich in colour and warmth, utilizing wood veneered panels that flow from the exterior (underside of canopies and balconies) to the interior (lobby ceiling and feature wall) to the upper floor lobbies to connect the various spaces. The entrance canopy, with dramatic LED lighting, extends inward, welcoming residents home and inviting visitors to enter.
On the main level, a new terrazzo floor in the public spaces and on the stair treads speaks to the vintage of the building and ensures durability for a high-traffic area. A faceted steel stair wraps around an intentionally exposed original concrete column, featuring it in place as a homage to the original factory structure. An oversized light fixture floats over the lobby sitting area comprised of furniture from primarily local suppliers. Materials were selected for long life-spans, durability and eco-friendly characteristics right down to the carpet tiles made from recycled fishing nets and low VOC finishes.
The renovated building retains the original 1939 concrete structure, saving close to 80% of the embodied carbon from the original building. The new façade features the exposed concrete structure with new glazing and brick cladding that echo the factory’s original appearance. The regular rhythm is interrupted by the projecting central volume, with its own wood-clad recessed terraces that add playful voids to the otherwise planar façade. The HVAC systems are powered entirely through a geothermal energy source, and any new materials or systems are as sustainable as possible.
Category:Sustainable HousesYear:2022Location:Heuchelheim, Germany Architects:Gronych + Dollega Architekten Lead Architects:Peter Gronych and Yvonne DollegaContractor:Rinn XI GmbHClient: Petra and Christopher RinnPhotographer: Petra and Christopher Rinn