The Southeast regional outdoor retailer, Half-Moon Outfitters, committed to purchasing a 1940s masonry building fallen into disrepair since its use for 50+ years as a family dry cleaning business. We applauded the owner for taking on a project that required environmental remediation as well as general improvements to the integrity of the building shell. It was an investment in the community, and it restored a very public corner close to downtown. Priorities for our design team were restoring the durability of the building envelope and ensuring the longevity of this historic structure for many years to come. Our approach was to celebrate the existing masonry, steel bow trusses, and barrel-vaulted wood ceiling as a rich backdrop to the new retail merchandise. We brought further visibility to the warmth of the wood ceiling by replacing the two former mechanical ventilation shafts (in poor structural condition) with large over-sized skylights that bring natural daylight to the ceiling and the space below.
A new side entrance was designed closer to the rear parking lot. The timber awning structure, stone seating wall, and native landscape design speak to Half-Moon as an outdoor-focused business.
Sustainable elements were incorporated into the rehabilitation including a new insulated cool roof to reduce energy demands, new HVAC equipment, daylighting, high efficiency compact fluorescent and LED lighting, occupancy sensors for dressing room light fixtures, reclaimed wood accents, zero-VOC paints, replacement of the old storefront glazing on the front facade with new high-performance glass, and repair of the historic steel-framed windows on the side facades and application of low-e film on the single pane glass to dramatically improve its insulating value.
