Woodward Lofts, one of ARCO’s recent housing projects, was named a winner of the prestigious 2023 The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Housing Awards in the multifamily category! According to the AIA, it is one of only 10 projects in the United States that represent the best in residential architecture for new homes, as well as renovations and restorations.
Built as a commercial printing firm in the 1920s, the structure is a monument to the evolution of industrial factory design and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. ARCO and the project team preserved the original beauty of the vacant, 235,000 SF building by renovating it into 164 loft-style apartments that utilize dramatic window openings and an open floor plan.
Read more about the project and the other AIA 2023 Housing Awards recipients at the link:
https://www.aia.org/awards/7936-aia-housing-awards
Adaptive reuse of the original structure is highlighted by steel purlins and trusses, timber decking, mushroom-capital columns, and board-formed concrete. Several elements of the open floor plates persist, including original oak office partitions that now shape co-working spaces and original terrazzo floors that now shine after hiding beneath decades of dirt. The factory’s re-use resulted in a 60% reduction in new construction costs at the time, a financial success for the client. With its historic foundation, Woodward Lofts is a substantial and compelling bookend to the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood at one of its busiest intersections. The historic brick “head house” originally housed Woodward & Tiernan administrative offices, capitalizing on access from the elevated Tower Grove Ave to maintain a commercial presence. The original entrance and east end are accessible once again, hosting ground level retail spaces and semi-public amenities that feature original office partitions.
Sections of roof are deliberately peeled away to create signature community garden spaces shared by up to 10 units each. A number of unique floor plans also capitalize on soaring factory ceilings, working lofted bedrooms in amongst the worn steel trusses and timber decking of the original structure. Flat-style units condense the features of a modern apartment into a compact ‘core,’ highlighting board formed concrete and mushroom capital columns that were engineering innovations of the era. A rooftop lounge features seating areas cut from tanks that stored water for the original sprinkler system, a 360 degree panorama of St. Louis, and rooftop pool with skyline views.
