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Nile Fire Department & Safety Building Improvements

Nile Fire Department & Safety Building Improvements

Intro

The City of Niles, Oh Fire Department & Safety Building

The City of Niles Safety Service Building was in need of significant repairs.  Cracks in the walls and concrete floor, failing mechanical systems and on-going roof leaks needed repaired.  The interior of the building needed to be refreshed throughout.  The building is 27,567 SF. 

Details

City of Niles, OH Fire Department & Safety Building

Challenge

The biggest challenge in the resolution of many of the ongoing problems was the determination of the cracks in the concrete floor and masonry walls.  Cracks in the apparatus bay of the Fire Department allowed water to penetrate the floor systems into the offices of the Police Department below. The original hydronic heating and cooling systems was partially inoperable with limited fresh air available within the building.  Flooring and wall finishes were old and in need of replacement due to the roof and floor leaks.

Solution

Soil borings were taken both inside and outside of the building and repairs were developed to eliminate ongoing wall and slab failure.  A crack repair process was developed that would stand up to the loads of the fire equipment and the frequent washing.  A new heat pump system for areas with limited ceiling area was designed with new ducted units on the roof for the upper level.  Existing walls were repaired and a fresh palette of colors was created for the floor and wall finishes.   

Warren G Harding Wellness Center

Warren G Harding Wellness Center

Intro

Warren G. Harding High School Wellness & Recreation Center

Phillips Sekanick Architects collaborated with the Administration and Board of Education in the development of the new Wellness & Recreation Center on the campus of the Warren G. Harding High School.  The development of the nearly 130,000 SF center focuses on expanding wellness opportunities for students within the district. The new building includes a running track, walking track, multi-sport practice area, student-run bistro, yoga and sensory rooms, study stairs, e-sports facility and robotics lab.  The building will also incorporate services of several health care providers focusing on student and community wellness.  The building, currently under construction, will open the locker wing in August 2023 and the remainder of the building in early 2024.   

Details

Warren G. Harding High School Wellness & Recreation Center

Challenge

The Administration and Board of Education of Warren City Schools came to the realization that a more inclusive sports and wellness center was needed to provide greater academic and athletic opportunities for the district’s students.  Limited by the campus configuration, a new building needed to be developed that would be able to connect existing facilities within the athletic wing with those planned for the new addition.  The site was further constrained by the location of the football stadium that was sited in a prominent location on the campus. 

Solution

The design developed by Phillips Sekanick Architects connected the existing building to the football stadium by infilling the existing parking and access drives with the new building.  The nearly 130,000 SF two-story addition connected the new wellness area with the football facilities.  On the northside, new locker rooms and an outdoor study/green roof area was added to replace existing lockers that had outlived their usefulness.  A new two-story structure was designed to connect the lockers with the existing school to provide not only additional learning facilities, but also added athletic and healthcare spaces.

Butler Museum

Butler Museum

Intro

Butler Museum | Medici

Phillips|Sekanick Architects were asked to work with local landscape designer Bart Gilmore, a former associate of Architect Thomas Schroth to create an addition to the Howland Branch of the Butler Museum of American Art.  The addition, designed to house a ceramic tile mural by French painter Pierre Soulages, mimicked the bold and austere modernist elements of the original design, while creating a new focal point within the facility.

Details

Butler Museum

Challenge

The Butler art curators desired a display mechanism that would allow Pierre Soulages’ mural to always be in view and allow additional art installations to be showcased within the space as well.  The ceramic tile mural weighed several hundred pounds and once installed would not be easily relocated.

Solution

Phillips|Sekanick Architects proposed a rotating wall for display of the Pierre Soulages ceramic tile mural.  Due to the weight of this art installation a ball bearing system with motor to rotate the wall was used to meet the client’s request for continual viewing of the art work.  The opposite side of the wall was now available for display of additional art pieces. This dynamic art installation was housed in a modernist addition which blended seamlessly with the aesthetic of the existing art museum.

Warren Amphitheatre

Warren Amphitheatre

Intro

Warren Amphitheatre

Over ten years in the planning stages and twenty years in concept, the Community Amphitheatre anchors the east end of the continually expanding city Riverwalk Project.  Seating approximately 2,500 people, the amphitheater is nestled into an existing hillside overlooking the Mahoning River. The amphitheatre is also surrounded by historical structures on the millionaires row, including the Perkins House which now serves as Warren City Hall, the Kinsman House, and the Warren First Presbyterian Church.  

Details

Warren Amphitheatre

Challenge

The natural topography of the site was well suited to creating the amphitheatre, but some adaptations and regrading was required.  Due to the close proximity to the Mahoning River it was important to locate key elements of the amphitheater above the 100-year flood plain.  Because the venue was open to the elements a durable material would be needed to form the seating. Wheelchair access was a significant concern on the sloping site.

Solution

With necessary regrading, the new concert venue took shape through the mixed use of lawn and terraced concrete.  The main connector for the lower level of the amphitheatre was designed to focus views on the steeple of a nearby historic church.  A system of ramps allowed wheelchair access to different levels of the venue. Perimeter walkways were designed to be wide enough to host food vendors.  Accessible seating and circulation along with convenient access and excellent sight-lines make this facility flexible for a wide variety of shows and programs.

Kinsman House

Kinsman House

Intro

Kinsman House

The Kinsman House alterations involved the addition of a new elevator to this historic 1832 Colonial Greek Revival structure. Adjacent to Warren Community Amphitheatre, the Kinsman House addition was designed to address accessibility needs within the building. Working closely with the State Historic Preservation Office, accessible elements were added to provide greater community access while protecting the historic appeal of the building.

Details

Kinsman House

Challenge

Because the building is listed on the National Historic Registry, all work that alters the appearance of the work must be approved through the U.S. Department of Interiors, National Parks Service.  The building needed an elevator to provide handicap access to all levels of the building. An exterior addition was found to be the only solution. The elevator addition needed to aesthetically complement the existing building, but the design needed to be easily identified as a modern addition.  Over the years the initial 1832 structure had been added on to several times with each addition built with floor levels lower than the previous addition. These additions were accessed by short flights of stairs or sometimes a single large step. This posed additional handicap accessibility issues.  The only restroom facilities were in the basement and did not meet current Code requirements. Finally, this stately building had been sadly neglected with water, birds and rodents all causing damage to the interior.

Solution

Phillips|Sekanick Architects was able to develop a modern elevator addition to the Greek Revival home which was connected with a narrow glass curtainwall system.  Use of porcelain tile exterior cladding which looked like limestone was a cost-effective way to maintain the limestone look without the expense or weight of real limestone.  Handicap accessibility within the house was addressed by use of ramps with a total of four ramps being added and one floor being raised. Creative reconfiguration of space allowed two new handicap accessible restrooms to be added on the first floor.  Room by room repairs were made to the plaster walls, hardwood floors, and historic wood trim. The white marble fireplace mantles were able to be cleaned and salvaged. Through our careful design efforts and close communication with state and local authorities, the house continues along the path to being restored to its full historic grandeur.