Renovating old buildings turns architects and engineers into detectives searching for clues. They track down old drawings and try to decipher the notations blurred by one blueprint too many. The old building starts to look like a crime scene with designers tromping through them with measuring tapes, flashlights and cameras. They figuratively peel away the layers of additions, new partitions, ducts and conduit with the hope of gaining an understanding of how the structure was built to best determine the approach for renovating.
The McChord Field Warehouse had lots of layers to peel away. We learned from our detective work the brick edifice was built in the 1930’s next to railroad spurs to store goods offloaded from freight cars. Over the years the freight train lines serving the warehouse were abandoned, and the large spaces were subdivided into offices. When the owner came to us for help, the building needed to return to its