Built in 1966, a warehouse in Stamford, Conn., spent 45 years as a manufacturing plant for Clairol’s Herbal Essence shampoo. By summer 2012, the warehouse was turned into a 400,000-square-foot recreational facility. The adaptive reuse project saved the warehouse from being demolished and ending up in a landfill. The project is the cornerstone of a privately funded, $250 million transformation of a former 33-acre industrial site.
Located on 19.4 acres, the new Chelsea Piers Connecticut sports facility includes an aquatics center with an Olympic-sized swimming pool; two NHL regulation ice hockey rinks; 20,000-square-foot gymnastics facility; turf fields for soccer, lacrosse, football, field hockey, softball and baseball; seven tennis courts; 12 squash courts; two basketball courts; trampoline center; baseball/softball training area; childcare/preschool; food service; pro shop; catering and party/event spaces.
While the original warehouse was in excellent condition, there was one problem with turning it into a recreational facility. The building’s square footage was right for the project, but the lack of large column-free spaces created a potential obstacle, since sports facilities usually require column-free areas in excess of 100 feet wide.
Key design strategies included constructing king post trusses out of the in-place existing roof structure, allowing the columns to be cut away and constructing 150,000 square feet of additional column-free space on the building’s structurally reinforced rooftop, explains Erica Schietinger, vice president, corporate communications at New York City-based Chelsea Piers Management.
Column Extraction
According to Jeffrey Smilow, PE, F.ASCE, executive vice president, USA director of building structures at WSP, New York City, 31 columns had to be removed from the warehouse. The goal was to remove the columns while keeping the entire roof structure in place. The biggest challenge was finding a cost-effective way to remove them. “We studied numerous options prior to selecting the one chosen, which was highly cost effective,” says Smilow.
To remove each column, Smilow explains the contractor had to loosen all the bolts on the steel members framing into the column. The nuts on the anchor rods were also loosened, allowing the columns to be jacked up to induce camber into the future tress. The contractor then welded the gussets to the column and beams, and installed the four steel angles on each side of the column. “This forms the lower chord of the king post truss,” explains Smilow. “Once the angles were bolted up, the contractor cut and removed the column directly below the gusset plate. Lastly, studs were shot into the top chord of the truss (the existing roof beam), and concrete was poured on the existing roof deck. The new concrete roof slab works compositely with the new king post trusses.”
While WSP has removed numerous columns from many buildings throughout its history, Smilow notes that this is the first time they had to remove 31 in one building on a tight budget. He says the company started right after the contract award and the process only took a few weeks to complete. WSP created fully developed shop drawings for the bid including connection design using its detailing operation based in Sharpsburg, Md., enabling the contractor to start fabricating right away. Steel erection of the trusses began one week after the contract award.
Building Addition
In addition to removing the columns, two large pre-engineered buildings with metal wall and roof panels from Star Building Systems, Oklahoma City, were added on the roof to create a second floor with large column-free expanses. The one building features a full-size soccer pitch and the other has seven tennis courts. Smilow explains that the mezzanine levels were added within the existing building, effectively turning the one-story manufacturing building into a three-story sports complex: ground level, mezzanine area and roof area.
With the floor area growing and the change of use, Smilow notes that the code required that lateral force resisting systems be updated. “The existing building has an expansion joint bisecting the building in both the north-south and east-west directions,” he explains. “This effectively creates four separate buildings. Lateral force resisting bracing was designed and installed for each section of the building.”
Finally, strip windows were added that interrupted the existing bracing of the perimeter concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall. Smilow explains that this required a new cold-formed steel structure to be designed to brace the existing CMU wall, which was installed around the entire perimeter.
Community Outreach
Schietinger notes that in addition to providing the area with unparalleled athletic and event facilities, Chelsea Piers has reinvigorated the neighborhood from a post-industrial dead zone to a popular entertainment destination, drawing more than 1 million annual visitors, while simultaneously attracting additional businesses to relocate to and invest in the area.
She goes on to add that strategies for innovative partnerships with on-site subtenants, including Stamford Hospital, nearby schools and educational groups, retail and restaurant spaces, and sports and fitness training programs provide additional amenities to create a one-stop sports and wellness haven and help foster healthy lifestyles throughout the community.
Slated to open later this year is a 65,000-square-foot expansion, which will include a membership health and fitness facility and clubhouse. The company’s highly rated sports club in New York inspired the new addition. Located north of the existing squash facility, the facility will include two stories of strength and cardio equipment, three group studios, aerobics/dance and resistance training area. In addition to a wellness center that will showcase Pilates and other types of classes, the new facility will have two lounges near a café that will serve smoothies and health foods made with local ingredients.
Awards
Chelsea Piers Connecticut received the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)’s Presidential Award of Excellence in Engineering in the 2013 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel awards program (IDEAS2). The Presidential Award is a special honor given at the judges’ discretion for projects representing outstanding achievement in a particular discipline.
A judge in the competition, Mark Simonides, vice president and operations manager for Turner Construction’s Great Lake Region, said: “Great innovation and an adaptive reuse of an abandoned space. An idea that can be replicated.”
The project has also received the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) 2012 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards for Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures and the Society of Engineers of New York annual award for Excellence in Engineering for Forensic Analysis/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation of Structures.
Chelsea PiersConnecticut, Stamford, Conn.
Owner: Chelsea Piers, New York City
General contractor: AP Construction, Stamford
Architect: James G. Rogers Architects, South Norwalk, Conn.
Structural engineer: WSP Building Structures (formerly WSP Cantor Seinuk), New York City
Steel detailer: WSP Mountain Enterprises Inc., Sharpsburg, Md.
Metal building system: Star Building Systems, Oklahoma City
