Credit: Chris Goldberg, Flickr Creative CommonsFor a skyscraper built in 1913, the iconic Woolworth Building in New York City has surprisingly modern features. One of the building’s tenants, the architectural firm M Moser Associates, is harnessing those aspects in the pursuit of high building standards for an office floor retrofit, FastCo.Design reported today.
“Whenever we move or revitalize spaces, we treat them as a lab,” M Moser Associates director Christine Bruckner told FastCo.Design’s Adele Peters.
The Woolworth Building held the distinction of being the tallest building in the world after construction was completed — at least, for a little while. Back then, the building was equipped to maintain its own electricity, heat, and subway entrance, Business Insider reported earlier this year. Also unusual: plenty of office windows providing natural light and a unique air circulation system for keeping the spaces comfortable, Peters pointed out.
M Moser Associates is retrofitting a floor in the building as a new office, and the firm plans to pursue a platinum WELL Building Standard. Launched in 2014 by the International WELL Building Institute, the evidence-based standard focuses on human health and wellness, covering seven core concepts that include light, air, water, and comfort. WELL is also intended to work in concert with LEED.
Bruckner argues to Peters that, despite the challenges of dealing with old plumbing, HVAC, and electrical issues, more companies should consider renovating old buildings. Part of that, she says, is to avoid wasting materials.
“There’s a lot of what’s called embodied energy in every built item, and that embodied energy needs to be recognized,” Bruckner told Peters. “There should be a benefit given to people when they’re working with existing buildings and giving them new life.”
Other companies besides the New York architectural firm are pursuing WELL Building Standard certification for their offices and facilities at the same time as they aim for LEED certification. One, the healthcare supply chain solutions provider McKesson Corporation, already has several offices that are WELL-certified. According to the company’s corporate social responsibility report, seeking those certifications is a key environmental strategy in North America.
For now, the M Moser Associates office space at the Woolworth Building is unbuilt, waiting to be transformed by plant walls, optimized lighting, and a layout that encourages movement.
