Architect: FormGrey Studio | Category: Commercial | Location: Reno, NV
Project Description
400 S. Wells is a design-build-develop partnership for the adaptive reuse of a 59-year-old, mid-century building located in a neighborhood that has struggled with vacancies in recent years. With careful consideration in bringing programmatic resiliency to the building, openings were cut to fit new overhead glass doors on the south façade and roughly 800 square feet of second story floor was sawcut and removed for a much livelier atmosphere with double height and well-lit spaces. While very little of the interior could be saved except the original stairs, new interior walls were kept to a minimum, allowing passive cross ventilation through each of the spaces. All of this offers functional and cultural relevance to a beautiful mid-century design while reimagining how people use the workspace in today’s society.
2023 AIA Nevada Juror’s Commentary
Sustainability in adaptive reuse, with well-crafted custom details, celebrating the existing structure by exposing and bringing daylight in, recognize the salvaged and repurposed materials. Love to see the elegant details, clean adaptive reuse. Best interior details of all the submittal packages. “I want to work there.” The refined and expressive assembly of off the shelf materials was extraordinary.
History
400 S. Wells was designed by a locally known mid-century architect and built by the region’s local hospital. With the former use for this building as a medical office, the architect envisioned a mixed-use future incorporating professional office, restaurant/retail, as well as a research and development shop on the ground floor, accessed by a new service ramp.
While the building’s zoning allowed these uses, it could not meet existing parking standards if its use were changed. This left many buildings underutilized, vacant and blighted. In an effort to utilize existing non-compliant structures, the architect volunteered on the City of Reno Technical Advisory Group to help overhaul the antiquated standards of the zoning code.
Fabrication
Having the architect assume the roles of fabricator and partner in development provided a seamless transition from design to conception, greatly reducing the time of coordination and cost of construction.
The custom-fabricated floating shelves at 400 S. Wells replaced the need for a guard railing on the second level of the space. The clean detailing creates a light profile and the appearance of delicate construction, allowing unobstructed views of the split-level entry below.
While subcontractors were present, there was not a clean line separating the construction activities of subcontractors and the architect. The architect either assisted or entirely fabricated kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, decks, doors, trim, lighting and furniture.
Emotional Wellbeing
400 S. Wells inspires a workplace of fluidity and collaboration. The office operates around a single communal workstation fabricated in-house. The intent of this was to help remove hierarchical stigmas among the people operating within the business and encourage communication as everyone — including principals — works together at the same desk.
Other amenities on the studio floor include a conference room, full kitchen and multiple indoor and outdoor gathering spaces. Below the studio on the ground floor is the architect’s 3,500 square-foot research and development space that houses a CNC-equipped wood and metal shop for fabrication of architectural assemblies, furniture, models, prototypes and art. While this space is acoustically separate from the rest of the building, its double height volume couples programmatically with the studio upstairs.
