Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries

John Thill Library 200 Prof. Givens May 8, 2009

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Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries

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Abstract

The recent glut of abandoned large scale single occupancy retail sites, colloquially known as big box stores, has raised the formidable question of whether these buildings are good candidates for adaptive reuse as public institutions.

This paper explores public library ventures into the

rehabilitation of these sites. The text explains the many problems and notable advantages of reusing and remodeling these buildings as libraries.

At length the paper discusses the

considerations of location and structural compatibility, and the opportunities that such open floor plans allow, which can create opportunities for libraries to expand services. This paper is a guarded endorsement of new construction over rehabilitation in most circumstances, though future possibilities for more guided redevelopment of big box sites may forthcoming.

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Introduction

With the publication of Big Box Reuse (2008) Julia Christensen brought the idea of adaptive reuse of buildings formerly occupied by retail giants to the fore. The book landed numerous reviews in popular media including the New York Times, The Washington Post and Slate Magazine. The text details several projects in which former Wal-Mart and Kmart sites have been converted to other uses. Among the projects highlighted in the book was the LebanonLaclede Library in Lebanon, MO, a repurposing that was often a prime feature in reviews of the book and interviews with Christensen.

The sudden visibility of this project raises many

questions about the potential viability of similar library projects that involve the rehabilitation of former large scale retail spaces. If such projects are feasible, are they advisable or are the limitations and built-in constraints of such a structure disadvantageous to library design? Over the past few years there have been a number of library building projects which have attempted a positive conversion of vacant retail space into a functional library and with this added press coverage more administrators ate likely to consider this an option. Adaptive reuse or functional rehabilitation of large-scale retail spaces offers many advantages in the realm of design, as well as for plausible expansion of library services, but such projects may also present considerable risks in the realm of unforeseen costs and structural problems.

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Table 1: Library Big Box Adaptive Reuse Projects to Date

Library Lebanon-Laclede County Library McAllen Public Library Bedford Public Library University Park Library Library Station East Branch Library Eden Prairie Library Oberlin Library

Location Lebanon, MO

Year

McAllen, TX Bedford, TX Jacksonville, FL Springfield, MO Rockford, IL Eden Prairie, MN Oberlin, OH

Structure Used 2003 Kmart

2009? 2009? 2004 2004 2009 2004 1990

Walmart Food Lion Kmart Payless Cashways Barnes & Noble Lunds Fazio's

Cost $7.5lmil

Sq/ft 41,000

$28mil 128,604 $7mil 40,516 $8.4mil 72,000 $5.3mil 36,000 $4.7mil 23,000 $17mil 40,000 Unknown Unknown

(Christensen, 2008; Geller, 2006; Deleon, 2008; Jacksonville Public Library, 20099; Babcock, 2004, Pinkowski, 2008; Maxxon Level-Right, 2004)

Background

During the past few decades there has been a proliferation of what are colloquially called “big box” stores throughout the U.S., large retail spaces with little in the way of architectural flourishes (Reed, 2009, ¶ V-VI). In their paper on the adaptive reuse or functional remodeling of these structures Killingsworth and Farrow note:

These unused facilities constitute eyesores, reduce local property tax revenues, and impede the attraction of new retailers and manufacturers. Limited success has been realized through the adaptive reuse of these structures. However, more must be done as the building industry attempts to positively impact the worldwide effort to use resources efficiently (Killingsworth, 2007, p. 3).

With the success of big box business model many communities have seen a succession of “big box” stores come and go, leaving large unoccupied buildings, often in prime locations.

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Christensen cites the telling example of Bardstown, KY, which is currently on its third Walmart (2008, p. 20). The resulting blight has been a major concern for urban planners and citizens alike. Infrastructurist editor Jebediah Reed calls the phenomenon “hole[s] in the local fabric,” which have long lasting aesthetic and safety concerns for communities (2009, ¶ V). Adaptive reuse, or the remodeling of a building with a new function in mind, has been considered as a possible solution to the glut of empty large-scale retail spaces in the U.S. While there have been many different remodeling projects involving big box stores, those involving libraries have been on an uptick in recent years. This essay will examine some of the major issues involved with such a program of reuse. While it is fairly easy to enumerate the negative effects of big box retail it is apparent that this particular model is here to stay, perhaps with some modifications (Sochar, 2008, p. 699700). In his study on Wal-Mart logistics David Karjanen notes that “Walmart builds about 200 stores per year within the United States, it also vacates about half that number each year” (2006, p. 159). At least for the foreseeable future, this process seems inevitable, especially when one considers the quantity of retailers now closing their doors due to economic difficulties (Reed, 2009, ¶ 1). As of May 2009 Walmart alone had 180 buildings offered for sale on their website (walmartrealty.com, 2009). Add that figure to the number of stores Kmart and Circuit City have shed stores in the past few years and you have a rather large real estate stock ripe for redevelopment.

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Real Estate Considerations

Seemingly the simplest solution to the glut of vacant large retail properties would be to redevelop them as like retail establishments.

Unfortunately many leases established by

companies like Wal-Mart contain a stipulation which prevents other large retailers from opening shop after they have vacated (Sochar, 2008, p. 700-01).

Another problem is the diffuse

ownership of these buildings. The land and the leases on both the structures and the properties create a something of a real estate quagmire wherein as many as “ten real estate companies from all over the world [can be] involved in one site” (Reed, 2009, ¶ XX). Following the so-called Wal-Mart model, it is often cheaper for a retailer to build a new structure rather than wend through the red tape and cost of redevelopment. Beyond this, as noted Wal-Mart critic Stacy Mitchell states “Big box stores are cheaply constructed and designed for only one thing: big box retail” (Mitchell, 2006, p. 123). Taking ownership of one of these buildings often may be more of a liability than a financial gain. If big box properties are so toxic in the cultural sphere why would any library be desirous of remodeling such buildings? One of the main advantages is location. Lebanon-Laclede County Library serves as a particularly pertinent example. It’s location on what Christensen calls the “new Main St.” in Lebanon puts it at the center of an amalgamation of “gas stations, strip malls, movie theaters and national drug store chains” (2008, p. 145). Abandoned big box centers tend to be located as the “gravity center[s]” of these retail complexes and come replete with “the infrastructure…that makes these big boxes convenient;” large parking lots, multiple entrances and wide roads near busy roadways (Christensen, 2008, p. 146, 15). In his text on library design Nolan Lushington notes “libraries need to be located where people go in their

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everyday activities,” making former retail sites particularly desirable (2002, p. 81). If a library can take advantage of a building positioned so optimally it can reap at least some of the benefit and can once again become “central to civic life” (Christensen, 2008, p. 169). One should not underestimate the importance of access and location in choosing a library site because it often foretells patron traffic. Repeatedly this consideration is cited as a primary reason for choosing a big box store for remodel. Rockford public library lauded “better location” as one of the primary reasons for moving their East Branch Library into a former Barnes and Noble Bookstore (Pinkowski, 2008, ¶ 1). Of all the big box conversion projects completed to date only the oldest is more than a block from a major highway or interstate route.

These high traffic locations are often

incentivized with lower price tags due to the abandonment (Lushington, 2002, p. 81).

The

McAllen Public Library’s director has noted taking advantage of big box real estate “offers a quick answer to three major challenges faced by libraries: finding a site, finding room for parking and providing an [arguably] cost-effective solution” (Hardo, 2008 ¶ XXI). The Springfield, Missouri Library Station project converted a former Payless Cashways grocery into what they have termed a “destination library,” themed around that city’s rich transportation industry heritage (Babcock, 2004, ¶ XI). Located near the intersection of the North Kansas Expressway and Interstate 44 the library is notable for its fortuitous location. The library’s location is so convenient to the community that it has become a common meeting ground for “having lunch and scheduling meetings…a community gathering place” (Babcock, 2004, ¶ XIX). While designed as a destination in and of itself, it is clear this transportation themed library relies on convenient access by automobile to thrive as a community center.

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An oft mentioned advantage to adaptive reuse is that of cost. As even a Library Journal article as old as 1982 notes, an “upswing in space solutions other than all new construction [has been] accompanied by severe funding shortages nationwide” (Thomas, 1982, p. 2230). More recently Jose Gamez, director of the McAllen Public Library has used this argument to sell a plan to convert a vacated Walmart into the city’s new main library (Suite, 2008, ¶ II). The project, now estimated at $32 million, when compared to other like-size libraries constructed over the last year is on par with the average new construction cost, making the cost benefit of renovation in McAllen close to nil (Library Journal, 2008; Fox, 2007). In fact the benefit of overhauling the Wal-Mart location came into question in the political sphere as well in May of 2008 when city commissioners discovered the architect could demolish the existing structure and build from scratch for approximately the same price (Osborne, 2008, ¶ III). As of May 2009 the conversion project was still in the works though cost estimates had far overrun the city’s original budget of $14.8 million (Osborne, 2008, VII). A recent Canadian survey of larger institutional adaptive reuse projects illustrates the cost risk in an even more illuminating fashion. The mean cost for an 18,000-50,000 sq/ft adaption is $200 per sq/ft. while a like size new construction incurs a cost of $195 per sq/ft. (Shipley, 2006, p. 507-8). Insufficient data was available for larger sized buildings. Obviously in most cases the cost savings for projects such as this have been overstated. Unforeseen cost overruns are clearly common in these projects as is the misperception that remodeling may be cheaper. On the other hand, the Lebanon-Laclede Library has seen a definite cost benefit by remodeling a vacant Kmart facility. In fact the library was able to complete the project for approximately $6 million, most of which was funded by community donations and volunteer work (Christensen, 2008, p. 148). In fact many amenities in the building were “sold” to donors

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including meeting rooms, story rooms and furniture (Christensen, 2008, p. 165). But much of the savings seem to be due to community organization rather than building stock. LebanonLaclede has taken a much different tack in remodeling their structure in order to gain this support. The process was begun with an exterior facelift, which was important in winning the hearts and minds of the community so that they might collaborate on the project (Christensen, 2008, p. 152). Volunteer hours and dollars proved invaluable to the Lebanon project. They were made possible because the county was able to overcome the “culturally toxic” character of the building early on (Christensen, 2008, p. 119). By infusing the exterior with color, the psychological victory of convincing the community that the library was not going to look like an abandoned Kmart helped excite formerly skeptical parties about the project.

Public Perception

The negative cultural perception of big box buildings is a major hurdle over which prospective project directors must overcome. Why should a community choose a renovated retail building over a fresh construction, especially in a case where cost savings are not great? Julia Christensen notes in her study that these building are perceived as little more than a “decorated big box shed” (Christensen, 2008, p. 118). The Laclede-Lebanon project was notable for understanding that their refurbishment of a Kmart to build a “new” library might have a negative effect on community morale. Understandably the “aesthetic disposability” of these buildings may be discouraging to users who view the public library as an important cultural institution (Reed, 2009, ¶ VI). This concern was made clear in the lead up to Bedford, Texas’ conversion of a former Food Lion grocery. Director, Maria Redburn, conceded to the press that

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 10 the Food Lion site was “very commercial” and would need exterior redesign in order to “let people know it’s a library” (Oder, 2008, ¶ II). There has been much critique of the design pattern that modern box buildings employ, especially because the pattern known as “flexible design” creates spaces that have no explicit purpose and often fall into the pitfalls of being “bland,” “overcrowded” and “unpleasant” for users (Lushington, 2002, p. 6). Making space purposeful in a cavernous empty Wal-Mart may seem like an insurmountable task to planners, but then again it may also be seen as an opportunity for an architect with vision. One suggestion noted in conjunction with Bedford, Texas’ conversion was the use of “wayfinders,” including color and material schemes to guide patrons in a particularly large space (Oder, 2008, ¶ XIV). It is clear that signs in a library space the size of a monolithic retailer needs to be as least as good as it was during its former commercial life. Transmitting one’s positive vision of how such an ugly vacant space can be used beneficially is a key aspect in making such a construction plan work, as is playing up the more positive aspects of the building, such as ease of access. For a clear example of how the culturally perceived negative of the big box can be turned into a positive for library one might consider Arizona’s Burton Barr Library near downtown Phoenix. Burton Barr is not a retail space conversion, though it acts almost as if it were. The library takes definite design cues from the likes of Wal-Mart. The library was constructed with the express purpose of being “essentially a 280,000 square-foot box” (Mattern, 2007, p. 64). As one Phoenix librarian puts it a “box is easy for the public to understand” and allows for “flexible use of interior spaces and easy expansion of the building in the future” (Mattern, 2007, p. 66-67). The library was also placed in a location that is “easily accessible from major transit routes,” in this case the 10 Freeway and the arterial Central Avenue. In another imitation of large scale

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 11 retail architecture Burton Barr has pushed all plumbing an electrical wiring to the building’s periphery freeing the library for “easy adaptation” (Mattern, 2007, p. 67). While these may seem like rather pragmatic goals one might remember that an easy to use library is preferable to a strikingly designed library. Despite what one might expect to be a bland character the building has been modeled into one of the “Phoenix Points of Pride,” and it does contain striking interior details such as an elevator which rises from a reflecting pool at the building’s center (City of Phoenix, 2009, ¶ XI).

Big Box Libraries as Multi-Use Sites

Phoenix’s positive utilization of the blank slate of the box is no anomaly. It is a common argument in favor of big box refurbishment that these projects allow room for “flexibility” and “creativity” (Christensen, 2008, p. 159). Filling the immense spaces these buildings offer often allows planners to think outside the box, so to speak. It is common for libraries occupying a big box to use the extra space available to incorporate entities not traditionally part of the library institution. As we will see, the multi-use capabilities of the big box are one of the strongest arguments in favor of the adaptive reuse of these buildings, especially within the library context. To see the multi-use capabilities in an unclouded aspect, it may help to look at how a non-library institution has made use of the space. In 2009 after major flooding on the campus the University of Iowa Art Department moved into a former Wal-Mart building. The resulting art triage had a number of positive effects on the department and implications for any institution occupying such a space. The most notable was summarized as such;

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 12 When a community super-sizes to fill up the monolithic space of a big box building that group begins to function differently. Design shapes the dynamics of community interaction (Christensen, 2009, p. 71).

Among the sudden points of interaction were a variety of “interdisciplinary integration[s]” due to sudden “departmental adjacencies” within the building (Christensen, 2009, p. 74). Interestingly the same is visible in libraries that have attempted a similar feat.

Inclusion of Other Community Organizations

In her thesis paper on the adaptive reuse of a vacant Walmart, Heather Dysart of the University of Nebraska puts forth a potential plan for 119,000 square-foot “one stop community center” (Dysart, 2006, p. 9). In this structure the library is at the center, but the basis of the idea is a collaborative space in which multiple public institutions can flourish and mutually benefit from each others’ resources.

Dysart’s design incorporates an adult education center, a

gymnasium, a restaurant, and conference rooms into the space surrounding a centered library facility (Dysart, 2006, p. 26). Her intention is that the library will “benefit the students taking classes” and “bring additional users into the building” as “the one space where anyone and everyone [can] come” (Dysart, 2006, p. 31, 71).

While her building program is from an

architectural rather than library perspective, it does an impressive job of showing how community interconnectedness can benefit a library, bringing in non-traditional users and encouraging collaboration.

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 13 Lebanon-Laclede County is a prime example of how the extra room in such a large structure can generate ideas that encourage the interconnectedness of agencies. Laclede County as a whole is home to 32,000 residents (OSEDA, 2000). The large interior of Lebanon’s former Kmart was seen as a space that offered flexibility but that was too large for the community (Christensen, 2008, p. 152-3). In order to take advantage of this extra space in a way that would draw more patrons to the library, the county added a Route 66 Museum to their floor plan, thereby creating an auxiliary reason for people to visit the library. Making the relationship even more beneficial, the library serves as an archive for Route 66 literature while the museum makes its business the collection of Route 66 artifacts and paraphernalia (Christensen, 2008, p. 159). To make the web of interconnection greater the county’s literacy council, also housed on site, sells cook books inside the library’s leased café space as a fundraiser (Christensen, 2008, p. 168). As Cathy Dame, the library’s director has stated there is a mutual benefit to having the attraction on site. The museum serves as “a compelling tourist attraction” that brings business “not only to the building but to the entire town” (Christensen, 2008, p. 158). Big box sites seem to lend themselves to this kind of design pattern due to their large size.

Both Missouri big box

conversions have been turned into what are known in library parlance as “destination libraries” or as it is defined here a library that “draw[s] people into the structure for reasons beyond just checking out books” (Christensen, 2008, p. 59).

Much like the University of Iowa project a

larger space has allowed for new types of interactions. Therefore, the library has become more than just a large institution in a small town, it has become a multifaceted community center wherein multiple services are provided under the same roof and the community has been provided with a positive gathering place.

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 14 The incorporation of non-traditional spaces into the library framework is the rule rather than the exception when it comes to these big box conversion projects. Springfield, Missouri’s Library Station project incorporation of ten meeting room spaces, which have a combined capacity of 2000 may seem excessive when viewed from a traditional library standpoint, but as noted in Babcock’s article on the project, this change has allowed the library to become a more central to the community (Babcock, 2004, ¶ XIX-XXII). The library’s success since reopening has even been attributed at least in part to the addition of these extra rooms. After reopening the library saw foot traffic double and heavy usage of the meeting rooms by local clubs and organizations (Newsline, 2004, p. 5). McAllen Public Library’s current plan to remodel a vacated Walmart includes a provision for several public meeting rooms, an auditorium, and an after-hours computer lab (Ardis, 2008, ¶ VI). These added features have been among the most popular elements of the library plan (Ardis, 2008, ¶ VI). What might be considered the frills of these reuse plans often seem to be their best selling points. Bedford, Texas is using the extra space in its Food Lion conversion project to build a large meeting room, a gallery space, and several study rooms. Better yet the transparent planning process for Bedford’s multi-use floor plan was used as a public relations victory for a library once beleaguered by closures and budget short falls (Deleon, 2008, ¶ IV; Oder, 2005, ¶ I). The University Park Branch of the Jacksonville Public Library has taken a different tack to using the excess space available in the converted Kmart building that houses the library. Instead of housing other service organizations the project allowed Jacksonville to house the vast majority of the support services for its large library system under one roof. The new library has become home to processing, cataloging, the Friends of the Library, collection development and distribution services. (Carter, 2004, ¶ XXII; Jacksonville Public Library, 2009). Beyond this, a

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 15 former auto shop at the rear of the building has been converted into a garage for parking and repairing the city’s two bookmobiles – a novel use for one of the most awkward areas for conversion in this type of site (Carter, 2004, ¶ XXII). The new support services offices are big enough to handle the increasing workload of a growing metropolis while providing a consolidated headquarters for like services in the library system.

Inclusion of Commercial Interests

Another way that multi-use is easily incorporated into to these big box buildings is through the commercial sphere. Clearly these formerly retail focused buildings lend themselves easily to sublease by commercial interests. In multiple cases restaurant facilities have been located within the libraries in question, providing a convenience benefit for patrons and a financial benefit for the library. Rockford, Illinois’ usurpation of a Barnes and Noble site was lauded as beneficial because it provided more program space and donated bookshelf fixtures, but it also allowed the library to take over the bookstore’s built in café facilities (Pinkowski, 2008, ¶ II). As is often noted, the café in large scale bookstores like Barnes & Noble are popular, so much so that similar cafes have been added to libraries across the country; San Jose Public Library is just one close at hand example (City of San Jose, 2008). Rockford is certainly not alone in wanting to incorporate a consumer draw into their library model. In the case of Lebanon-Laclede, leased commercial restaurant space is given over to Maria’s Route 66 Café, which fits in well with the overall concept of the library because it mimics a roadside diner common on old Route 66. Paired with the Route 66 Museum on site this diner is a good fit. The diner is also doubles as an in-house catering service for events. This is

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 16 an added and possibly unexpected benefit.

The restaurant also, while adding to overall

atmosphere, encourages patrons to linger longer on library grounds (Christensen, 2008. 165). As Coffman has discussed in his much discussed article “What If You Ran Your Library Like a Bookstore?” this is one of the things commercial bookstores do well that libraries might imitate – providing inviting spaces for patrons to linger (Coffman, 1998, p. 40). Lebanon-Laclede appears to have accomplished this goal. Christensen terms the busy location “central to civic life” in a way the public library in that community had not been for many years (Christensen, 2008, p. 169).

Structural Concerns

While the large open format of big box stores is the aspect of their structure that lends itself best to reuse by libraries much of the infrastructure in these buildings might be points of concern. Noted big box opponent Stacy Mitchell derides the structures as “cheaply constructed and designed for only one thing: big box retail” (Mitchell, 2006, p. 123). She calls adaptive reuse of such buildings “unusual” and “relatively rare” (Mitchell, 2006, p. 123). An even clearer statement of the problems involved with reuse comes from the Albany Law Review, which puts it this way:

The abandoned big box is often unsuitable, or at least unattractive, for other uses because of the lack of interior structure and lack of exterior design. The big box retailer constructs its stores with a certain floor plan to match its other stores, which is often unsuitable for other uses without major renovations.

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 17 The big box does not contain many interior walls and instead resembles a warehouse once the retailer leaves. A business willing to reuse the building normally must construct interior walls, wire for telephones, add plumbing, install carpet, or otherwise retrofit the space to accommodate the new use. In addition, the exterior of the big box also deters reuse because the building typically does not have windows (Sochar, 2008, p. 704).

It is not uncommon for adaptive reuse projects of this type to run head on into many of these limitations. In fact these limitations create a relatively strong argument against the rehabilitation of such a building for an institution as important as the library, especially when one considers the lack of a good template for attempting such a project (Reed, 2009, ¶ XX). The warehouse like feel of these buildings can be overcome to some degree by adding interior walls, carpeting and sound dampening, but often a very large, difficult to manage space is left at the center of the library. Lebanon-Laclede encountered this problem early on in their design process, discovering that a normal library layout would require more staffing to manage the enormous space. The solution was to install the service desk as a panopticon, a place in which all other parts of the library are directly visible (Christensen, 2008, p. 162). This allowed the library to keep staffing levels the same while spreading the collection out in ripples away from the central desk, like a rock dropped into water (Christensen, 2008, p. 162). A similar problem at the prospective McAllen Public Library site has lead that library’s director to concede that the buildings extreme length may necessitate it being split into a number of “mobile units” or clusters (Hardo, 2008, ¶ XXIII). Any way one parses it, these large single story buildings can make distances between locations too vast to be patron friendly.

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 18 Beyond the simple concern of size these retail establishments have not been built with books in mind, excepting the Rockford Barnes & Noble project, of course. Many retail spaces may require reinforced flooring to handle the higher load capacity that libraries require (Lushington, 2002, p. 81). In the case of Springfield’s Library Station project flooring became a major concern resulting in unexpected added costs. Former tenants had used makeshift floor patches to repair cracks and allowed uneven subfloors to go unrepaired. Compounding the problem a large structural crack was present through the building’s designated lobby area. The problems were severe enough to require hiring a specialized flooring contractor to assess and repair the damage (Babcock, 2004, p. 55). Vacated retail structures may be host to a slew of unforeseen structural problems not apparent during a project’s initial stages. The Springfield incident certainly provides an argument for vetting and assessing potential sites completely before any project is green lighted. Also difficult to manage is the issue of natural light, which is scarce in these commercial retail giants, too scarce for a public institution to be welcoming. Phoenix Public Library for all it’s mimicry of big box architecture still provides patrons with a reasonable quantity of windows which let in natural light (Mattern, 2006, p. 67). Libraries reusing commercial structures, especially Wal-Mart or other big boxes must inevitably cut windows into their buildings to make them more palatable to library patrons. A library that fails to add windows would doom itself to being party to the negative stereotypes of modern design as expressed by Lushington in his text; anonymity and blandness (2002, p. 6). Clearly cutting windows adds cost and complication to a project, but it has been deemed important enough that most architectural redesigns have decided it to be necessary. Hennepin County Library’s Eden Prairie remodel of a former grocery store added large windows to a vaulted entryway to improve the lighting in that portion of the library,

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 19 as well as adding windows to other exterior walls (DCD, 2004). Dysart’s plan for a prospective Wal-Mart redesign adds several windows to an auditorium space and to exterior walls (Dysart, 2006, p. 30-31). There is rarely a case when the addition of windows is not present, especially if one wants to create a more energy efficient structure out of the raw building. Phoenix’s Burton Barr would not achieve its degree of energy efficiency without having in place shaded exterior windows (Mattern 2006, p. 67).

Conclusion

Despite all the caveats, the derelict stock of these buildings is not going to disappear. At some point these buildings will need to be demolished or reused. However, considering the risk and lack of an easy-to-follow design pattern for these buildings it may not be a viable development project for many libraries. Though the variety of designs and sheer invention of these projects makes them interesting, it may be easier for libraries to borrow the design and functional ideas that work in these adaptive reuse projects and incorporate them into new constructions. For example, a library may want to consider incorporating like organizations in a larger facility or using more adaptable design patterns. There are some cases, however, when big box redevelopment might be considered beneficial. A library with an extreme lack of funds in dire need of a new location might consider a graded remodel of a large retail center, working in new sections of the building as funds become available. While a program like this has not been attempted by a library, a Charter School located in Buffalo, NY has remodeled a Wal-Mart from the periphery inward (Christensen, 2008, p. 93). The initial remodel cost of this project was very low. $2.4 million both purchased the site and paid for enough refurbishment so that the school

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 20 could hold classes (Christensen, 2008, p. 85). School officials have decided to pace their project by the availability of funds, allowing them to operate the school for a lower initial cost. As yet, the center of the building remains an undeveloped spare space, designated for cast-off storage items (Christensen, 2008, p. 91). A public library could conceivably attempt a similar feat, though it would leave a derelict interior, a kind of donut hole at the center of the building, which might be a safety concern, as well as making it impossible to gain a clear view of the library from any one point in the building. A particularly good location may be another reason for a library to take on the risk of redevelopment. This often seems to be a major impetus in these projects. However, planners might consider demolishing an existing structure and rebuilding unless a building is in particularly great operational order. In that case, one still must contend with the “millions of dollars of corporate specific infrastructure” built into the location (Reed, 2009, ¶ XVI). Regardless, it is beneficial that some libraries have attempted the task, if only to show the pitfalls and benefits of such an action. For a library unwilling to take on a large amount of risk the adaptive reuse of a big box type structure may not be the best option. Especially when one considers that cost overruns and delays are common as we have seen in the McAllen and Springfield Library Station projects. For the time being the riskiness of such a building program may be enough to discourage most library systems from attempting it in good faith.

Adaptive Reuse of Big Box Stores As Libraries 21 References

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