OTTAWA STREET POWER STATION REHABILITATIONAIA Michigan 2013 Honor Awards Program

Category: Building

Lansing’s Ottawa Street Power Station, located on the Grand River not far from the commercial center and state capitol, is a unique Art Deco masterpiece. Constructed in 1939 and 1946 as the region’s primary coal-fired electrical generation plant, the nine-story building’s exterior masonry color rises from black at its base through reds and oranges up to gold at its peak, turning the entire building into a stylized flame symbolizing the combustion of coal. Decommissioned in 1992, the building stood purposeless, challenging the design, development, and construction communities to find a strategy for reusing its largely floorless, 164 foot tall tower. Rising to that challenge, the design team, developers, contractors, and building users created a national corporate headquarters, fitting 122,000sf of Class A office space into the historic building and accommodating another 105,000sf in a compatible addition. Working closely together, they delivered the project on schedule and within the original budget, returning the building to its status as a local landmark. 

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES• A riverfront site with significant pollution in a flood

plain• Views of building disrupted by later additions and

adjacent construction • Programmatic need for nearly 50% more floor

area than building offered• Significant cracking and movement of the exterior

masonry• Rusted, energy-inefficient windows • No usable floor area in the former boiler stack• Showplace turbine hall with significant volume, but

limited floor area• Exposed masonry walls with no insulation• High style historic entry lobby hidden behind

inappropriate alterations• Visually intriguing steel structure with no fire

protection 

Project StatementOttawa Street Power Station RehabilitationAccident Fund Holdings (client) Christman Capitol Development Company (developer)

 DESIGN RESOLUTION

• Sculpted site to shift flood plan away from building• Created pedestrian spaces adjacent to the river,

established a pedestrian link to the adjacent street• “C” shaped addition that reflects scale and

materials of original building and established visual connection between new and old

• Extensive restoration of the complex masonry exterior, installation of new energy efficient windows with custom details to closely match look of original windows

• Created Revit model using laser point cloud technology, precluding dangerous and time-consuming field survey

• Removed excess original structure and installed significant structure to support new floor plates

• Hung new floors in turbine hall for necessary floor area while protecting the historic glazed tile walls, retained sense of space’s volume

• Engineered insulation of the exterior masonry walls to minimize vapor damage the walls; exposed masonry at exterior walls

• Reclaimed original Art Deco lobby; museum-quality restoration of unique lobby elements

• Created contemporary office space while retaining structural elements and industrial details

 SUSTAINABILITY

The design team successfully incorporated sustainability into the design process to achieve LEED Gold certification. The building’s sustainable design features include 41% less water usage than typical new developments, a raised floor mechanical system distribution that gives employees temperature control in their workspaces, and low emitting interior finishes and furnishings. The design takes every advantage of the ample daylight to lessen energy use and ensure that every workspace benefits from ambient light and striking exterior views.

Project Statement (continued)Ottawa Street Power Station RehabilitationAccident Fund Holdings (client) Christman Capitol Development Company (developer)

The project connects the heart of downtown Lansing with its scenic riverfront.

South and West Elevations

Before

A contemporary design vocabulary for the addition provides a vibrant visual relationship between the old and the new.

D

The scale and location of the addition reinforces the scale of the historic building while emphasizing the drama of its tower. The dark stone base and vibrant orange brick of the addition reinterprets the design of the original building while remaining respectful of its iconic status. North and East Elevations

Before

The former service entrance was transformed to create an entry

court where the historic building and its new addition meet.

A glass atrium connects the two buildings and opens a path from

the street to the riverfront.

Before

A skylight atrium unites the historic building to the new addition, functionally and visually connecting the old and the new.

Skylights at the atrium echo the

window pattern of the original building

while offering a dramatic view of the

historic tower.

The restored original exterior windows

now present interior views of the atrium

and addition.

Before

Transformation of the former coal yard into a plaza

visually and functionally extends the employee

dining room and creates a riverfront space for public

events.

New floors provide necessary additional office space, but

maintain the original turbine hall’s sense of scale by hanging

from new beams.

Careful detailing of the new and

old beam intersections

avoided damage to decorative

elements of the historic glazed

terra cotta walls.

Before

A large industrial crane and steel doors are reminders of the building’s original use.

Before

Brick walls and exposed original steel framing

throughout the building are reminders of its original

industrial use.

Exposed brick maximizes the visual impact of public spaces and circulation areas. Exterior walls in other locations are insulated with an engineered system to ensure that the walls are not damaged by condensation. Mechanical and electrical distribution through a raised floor system optimizes energy efficiency and user comfort.

The Art Deco lobby with its unique

steel doors was carefully restored to its historic

appearance.

J

Historic BuildingNew Bldg

ACCIDENT FUND NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

ACCIDENT FUND NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

ACCIDENT FUND NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

The project transformed a polluted industrial site and obsolete power station into corporate headquarters with outdoor amenities and a public river walk that connects two city parks.

South and East Elevations

Before