Blacksburg Municipal Annex Building
Blacksburg, VirginiaBuilt in 1925 the Blacksburg Motor Company building has been a fixture of South Main Street in Blacksburg, Va. for almost a century. Over the years, it has enjoyed incarnations such as automotive dealerships, a service station, and an automotive repair facility. Hoping to breathe new life into the historic building, city officials presented Spectrum Design with the unique opportunity to combine their expertise in both historical preservation and LEED design capabilities for the purpose of restoring the building to its original façade and interior. The building will house new offices for the Department of Planning and Engineering for the Town of Blacksburg. Many of the original architectural features will be maintained including terrazzo floors, tin ceilings, woodwork, steel-framed windows and curved devising walls. In addition, it will accommodate the Town's highly technical workforce and embody the Town's values of historic rehabilitation, limited impact development (LID), environmental stewardship, open government, and customer service. The front of the facility will be dedicated to public service including reception, waiting areas, conference and meeting spaces, and educational resources - including green building and environmental responsibility. The rear and basement areas of the building will house staff and support spaces. The building has been registered with the U.S. Green Building Council to receive LEED-NC "Gold" certification. Environmentally-friendly features such as high-efficiency HVAC systems, dual-controlled lighting systems, building reuse, recycled building and low-emitting materials, and day-lighting will be incorporated. Sustainable plumbing fixtures will reduce water consumption by at least 50 percent compared to standard fixtures. The building's interior will feature high indoor air quality, occupancy sensors, and operable windows and skylights. The exterior of the structure will be restored and its original window mullion pattern replicated. Much of the exterior asphalt will be removed and a public park with a rain-garden for storm water management will be added it its place. A sculptural garden will be integrated into the front of the facility with each sculpture representing one of the Town's guiding development principles. Formerly polluted with gasoline and oil storage tanks, Spectrum Design and the Town of Blacksburg are also taking steps to cleanse the project site of residual contamination.