Radius Brewing CompanyEmporia, Kansas
Remodel / Adaptive Reuse in Historic District 2014 Mechanical Engineer - Certus AE Group Structural Engineer - CKEC, LLC Construction Engineer - Schmidt Engineering General Contractor - Mitchell-Markowitz Photographer - Harold Gaston Emporia, Kansas has a thriving downtown community with a zeal for reinventing its historic architecture. The owners of Radius Brewing Co. are no exception. Radius is a small brewing company with a passion for craft. Getting guests involved in the brewing process is important. To accommodate this design driver, the brewery tanks were located in the very center of the dining area with a glass storefront surrounding them. A small mezzanine holding more brewing equipment is located directly above the storefront partitioned brewing area. While eating dinner, guests can easily see the brew master walk up and down the stairs of the mezzanine checking on the beer being made. The kitchen was also designed to be viewed within the dining area. Custom steel patina wall panels were used up to four feet with a storefront above to divide the kitchen from the dining area while allowing guests to view the preparation of their food. These custom steel patina wall panels were cleverly used throughout the project to solve various design needs, such as a wainscot covering a six-foot vertical area of damaged brick and the restroom partitions. These panels serve to unify the space with a contrasting touch of contemporary, industrial aesthetic as requested by the owner. To further bring out the industrial feel of the space corrugated galvalume panels were placed on the kitchen walls next to the newly exposed brick. The pressed metal ceiling was preserved and is a character defining element reflecting the character of a historic downtown building. The existing downtown commercial building has a constriction date reaching back to 1885. Working with an older building brings multiple challenges to the design team. Before construction began on Radius, is was actually two separate buildings filled with small offices. The owner needed one large space. Changing the function of the building, opening up the floor plan, and adding equipment was cause for some serious changes in the structure and mechanical needs of the building. Due to the new brewery and kitchen equipment, as well as new restroom fixtures, the existing floor structure needed to be removed and replaced with a new foundation and concrete slab. The new slabs were finished with an exposed concrete stain. The building required a completely new mechanical and electrical install. All of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing elements were left exposed in the public areas aiding in achieving the clients goal of creating contrast between the old and new. With the amount of glass and steel in the design, the client was concerned about the acoustics. To achieve a balance on the acoustics and maintain the design needs of the owner two decisions were made. The first, was to have wood flooring on the public dining spaces. The second, to create a sound wall located above the steel beam running east-west down the center of the space. Wood reclaimed during demolition was utilized as the finish outside of sound absorbing panels to create the sound wall. Radius has become a local favorite for grabbing pint and a bite, and is frequently visited by those passing through. It is a space that has set the bar for other enthusiastic business owners of Emporia that are looking to revitalize their historic downtown. |