Michael Viveiros, a principal at Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels Architects, believes in the concept of recycling historic buildings rather than tearing down and starting anew. The Providence firm is presently working on a project to convert a former mill in Lowell, Mass., into a $24 million health care center.
Viveiros recently took some time to discuss the project and the challenges of converting historic buildings to 21st-century uses.
PBN: I understand that you are working on the Lowell Community Health Center project. Can you tell us about that?
VIVEIROS: Lowell Community Health Center is an exciting project for DBVW Architects and for me personally. It involves the conversion of 100,000 square feet of industrial mill space to health care space. This project was a natural fit for DBVW because of our familiarity with historic mill buildings, our experience working within historic tax credit programs, and our focus on helping improve communities.
When we started this project, we had been working with the Lowell Community Health Center organization, helping them expand their Metta Clinic. So we were familiar with retrofitting older buildings for health care space, and excited to work in the very special and historic Hamilton Mill.
LCHC is very community-focused, and this has been a driving force behind the design. The $24 million center will support programs designed to enhance the health of the culturally diverse Greater Lowell community. During the programming phase, we worked closely with Stantec (formerly Burt Hill Architects) along with our client and we talked a lot about creating a facility that would empower individuals to maximize their overall well-being. Programs include those that you would normally find in a health care facility, like family practice, adult primary care, walk-in clinic/testing and dental, alongside programs that you might not typically expect, such as innovative programs for youth development and overall health promotion.
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PBN: Is it common to convert historic structures for health care purposes?
VIVEIROS: It is becoming more and more common, and with good reason. Historic buildings can be saved and adaptively reused often times for less money, and almost always with more character and individuality than a new building could offer.
In fact, it is becoming more common to adaptively reuse historic structures for all types of purposes. We’ve converted historic buildings into health care, housing, office, theater, art, education and municipal space, just to name a few uses. Accommodating these atypical programs in historic buildings requires a combination of creativity and technical expertise, and we work hard at DBVW to offer both perspectives. We play the role of adviser to our clients, listening to what they need and offering thoughtful suggestions based on experience and opportunities presented by these unique historic buildings.
PBN: It seems to me that historic buildings would be hard to convert for health care uses because of all the special needs of the medical profession. Wouldn’t it be easier to just start from scratch? Why or why not?
VIVEIROS: In some cases, it might be easier to start from scratch, but in other cases, it makes much more sense to use an existing building. At DBVW Architects, we firmly believe that one of the most sustainable things we can do is to save and adaptively reuse existing buildings. We have completed several projects that successfully combine the preservation of historic buildings with LEED certification. Because over 85 percent of our work involves historic buildings, we are familiar with their requirements and are able to renovate and reuse them in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner.
In terms of renovating historic buildings specifically for the medical profession, I believe historic buildings provide a distinct advantage when designing warm, welcoming, and friendly health care space. Historic buildings usually possess all of these characteristics. It’s important to make patients feel comfortable when they are at their doctor’s office. At LCHC, the main entrance is through a wonder set of historic brick archways and then across a bridge spanning a gently flowing canal. The canal is formed by the walls of the historic mills on either side. This is a setting that can’t be duplicated today, and it’s a very peaceful way to approach your doctor’s office.
PBN: So what kinds of health organizations are willing to retrofit an old building?
VIVEIROS: Organizations offering primary, behavioral, rehabilitation, dental and similar care. There are many financial benefits to using an existing building, so organizations that provide health care at reduced costs also see the advantages of using historic buildings.
At DBVW, we often work with organizations that are focused on their communities. They love the idea of taking a building that exists in their neighborhood and has a story in the community, and converting it to a place that makes people well and keeps their population healthy. These community-focused facilities foster a strong sense of place and become hubs for their communities.
PBN: Are there lessons learned from converting historic buildings to medical purposes that transfer to other historic rehab projects?
VIVEIROS: Programs for health care are very specific in terms of the type, size and function of spaces. Combine this with health care regulations and the HVAC needs for such a facility and you have a very substantial set of drivers that must be accommodated. Our experience with LCHC shows just how adaptable historic mill buildings are to new uses. Our experience with LCHC also shows that compliance with Secretary of Interior standards, while not easy, is very workable and not the onerous standard often portrayed if you have the right experience on your team.
We feel fortunate to be working on this project and are excited about the challenges and opportunities it presents. LCHC is a fantastic organization and client and I’m so happy to be collaborating with them on this project for the community of Lowell, Mass.
