SIGNAL

Material, Time, and Use Repository

During investigation and design, the spaces, materiality, and structure of 305 were extensively documented. Existing finishes were masked-off and preserved, floor finishes and paint was left in-place, and new insertions were carefully considered to complement the existing materiality without  becoming a parody. Research and discovery drove design, mapping remnants, former wall locations, removed cabinetry, abandoned stairwells, and the imprint of past uses of 305. What was not done to the building became as important as what was changed.

Where possible, existing materials were rehabilitated and reused within the building, minimizing the environmental impact of the renovation. Flooring removed from the attic–in the double-height gallery spaces–was reused on level one, while bead-board salvaged from the ceiling is patched into wall and ceiling surfaces. The 200-year-old Douglas fir attic floor joists that were removed in the art studio and gallery spaces were carefully salvaged, catalogued, and milled into new stair treads and risers. Through patching and grafting of old and new materials, a rigorous preservation methodology builds upon traces and the patina of time to engage the new uses in a dialogue with the past.

New Life

The programmatic adaptations are reverent to the existing structure of the building, in some places even replacing structure that was removed.  On the first floor, art galleries and art studio spaces anchor the South and North ends of the building respectively, occupying bright airy spaces where attic flooring has been removed to highlight the sectional volume. A long gallery hallway connects these two spaces along the West side of the building, spilling out to the social stair, new, wide ramp that welcomes all mobilities into the building, and covered outdoor classroom and gathering space.

Classroom and support functions occupy the core of the building within single-height spaces, conducive to focused work. The cloistered spaces of the basement, surrounded by stone and masonry, host the local independent radio station KPTZ, providing sound-controlled spaces for recording, broadcasting, offices, and archival materials. The wide basement corridor, defined by flagstone foundation walls and masonry piers, runs end-to-end to accentuate the length and structural bays of 305. The attic nestles two large writers’ workshops overlooking the double-height spaces.

True to the ideology of a warehouse, the spaces created are large and flexible. 305 is now seismically retrofitted and raceways are oversized and readily accessible so that future retrofits and technological integration is easily accomplished, enabling the next 100 years of flexible use.