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<\/a>Originally built in 1918 as a car dealership that sold Model T\u2019s, the AB&W Building has become a neighborhood icon.<\/p><\/div>Originally built in 1918 as a car dealership that sold Model T\u2019s, the building has become a neighborhood icon. Therefore, even though the goal was to create an active center that connected tenants and others with the new commuter station, Project Architect P. Nicholas Elton, AIA, a partner in Elton + Hampton Architects, Roxbury, Mass., still desired to connect the new development to its surroundings as much as possible. \u201cThe intention was to create a development that was a little denser than the rest of the neighborhood but still respected and tried to be a little like the neighborhood,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
To achieve this, the decision was made to maintain the front fa\u00e7ade of the original building and integrate it with all new construction. Elton used specific building materials to pay homage to the surrounding area. For example, a yellowish brick on the front of the new second and third stories of the AB&W Building mimics the brick used on the 1930s-era building across the street. The addition of fiber-cement and corrugated-metal siding breaks up the enlarged AB&W Building\u2019s scale so it better fits in its location.<\/p>\n
Elton, who is a fan of corrugated metal, decided also to have some fun with the material, flexing it in unusual ways for overhangs above windows and doors. \u201cWhen you start using materials that you are using on the walls on the roof, then you get to play a little game,\u201d he says. \u201cThe material will come down a wall and wrap into the roof; there are a lot of materials you can\u2019t do that with but you can when you use corrugated.\u201d<\/p>\n
It took a team of three metal fabricators from Lancaster Enterprises Inc., a family roofing business in Dedham, Mass., to carefully curve and flex the corrugated metal to meet Elton\u2019s specifications. Meanwhile eight to 10 of the metal fabricators\u2019 colleagues were installing a watertight TPO membrane on the AB&W Building\u2019s six newly constructed roofs.
<\/a>The 32,096-square-foot AB&W Building features 24 affordable-housing units, primarily rentals with a few coop ownership opportunities, and 3,300 square feet of ground-floor retail space.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
OLD BECOMES NEW<\/h4>\n
Elton + Hampton Architects concentrates its work on what the firm\u2019s partners\u2014Elton and Bruce M. Hampton, AIA\u2014refer to as socially relevant projects. The firm almost exclusively works with non-profit organizations on affordable housing and housing for special populations, as well as community-resource buildings.<\/p>\n
The 32,096-square-foot AB&W Building features 24 affordable-housing units, primarily rentals with a few coop ownership opportunities, and 3,300 square feet of ground-floor retail space. One retail space is an art gallery and there currently are conversations to merge the other two retail locations for a restaurant specializing in Caribbean cuisine.<\/p>\n
PHOTOS:<\/strong> Grieg Cranna The decision was made to maintain the front fa\u00e7ade of the original building and integrate it with all new construction.<\/p><\/div>\u201cArchitecturally, keeping the front makes it a more interesting building from some of the historical aspects,\u201d Elton adds. \u201cThere\u2019s unique detail on the masonry and the building has an imprint on the concrete of what look likes a Model T car, which we painted a bright color.\u201d<\/p>\n Although corrugated metal primarily was used as cladding, especially to cover the rear of the AB&W Building, Elton desired to make the building as interesting as possible so he also specified it to cover porches and some bay windows that protrude at the lower levels. In addition, Elton designed a metal structure over the front entrance with a curved corrugated-metal roof over it.<\/p>\n \u201cCorrugated can be very flexibly bent in the direction of the corrugation; it\u2019s not designed to flex from the long direction,\u201d Elton explains. \u201cWe experimented to determine how far we could actually flex that roof in the long direction, so we could achieve a seamless roof. I found it would flex at a rate of about 2:12. We then flexed it over the front entrance\u2019s metal frame and screwed it down. If you take the product and use it in a way that is a little unusual then it becomes a lot more interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Donn Bullens, project manager for Lancaster Enterprises, his team of three metal workers fabricated beige metal panels and corrugated Patriot Red panels that were used as siding into the roofing overhangs. \u201cWe used the beige metal for the towers and then we used a red metal around the perimeter on the walkouts,\u201d Bullens explains. \u201cThe beige metal came in a 4- by 10-foot sheet that we measured, sheared to size and then fabricated on the brake. We used an aerial lift to attach some of the metal roofs to the building.\u201d Although corrugated metal primarily was used as cladding, Architect P. Nicholas Elton also specified it to cover porches and some bay windows that protrude at the lower levels.<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n The metal workers also custom-fabricated Patriot Red corrugated metal panels to cover the original concrete foundation on the front of the building. \u201cThe sheet metal right in front of the building turned out pretty nice,\u201d Bullens notes. Overall, Bullens says the metal work lasted about four weeks.<\/p>\n The AB&W Building\u2019s 9,619-square-foot roof consists of six separate areas at different levels. As the new building was constructed and roof decks were completed, Lancaster Enterprises\u2019 crew was onsite to finish the roofing projects. \u201cBecause the building was built in stages, we were there on and off for about six months,\u201d Bullens explains. \u201cThe back part of the building was built; we came and built the roof. Then they built the front half; we came and did the roof. Then there\u2019s a roof on the side that was separate also. It wasn\u2019t all built at one time.\u201d<\/p>\n PHOTOS:<\/strong> Grieg Cranna The team experimented and found the corrugated metal could flex in the long direction at a rate of about 2:12.<\/p><\/div>Bullens says his crew created a 1\/8-inch tapered slope on the wood deck that had been constructed completely level. Center drains had been cut into the roof, so the roofing crew installed crickets between the drains. \u201cThat was all screwed down with plates and screws and then we installed the TPO on top of that,\u201d Bullens says. The roof is insulated to R-45.<\/p>\n A perimeter flag system was installed to keep the crew safe, and a safety monitor was designated. Bullens adds for work outside the flags, team members were harnessed and tied off.<\/p>\n Bullens and Elton state the detail work to tie the roof into the building was tricky. \u201cThere are some extremely extended parapets on this building,\u201d Elton says. \u201cThey\u2019re handled in different ways. Some of the parapets come to a point and are very deep; some are approximately 30 inches beyond the building. They had to be integrated into the roofing. The installers were very skilled and had to be detailed to achieve the smooth contemporary appearance while providing connections and stability to prevent oil-canning distortions.\u201d<\/p>\n Lastly, the roof has been prepared for future photovoltaics. Conduits have been run from the electrical in the basement to the roof for future connections, and appropriate structural preparations were done to accommodate the projected weight of the solar panels. Elton says the developer is seeking funding for a solar installation currently.<\/p>\n Elton finds all of his projects rewarding, not only because he can go around town and identify buildings he designed, but also because his work helps create communities. \u201cI\u2019m very fortunate to have figured out a way to make a living doing something I think is beneficial to the community,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd it makes you feel good for the people in the community who are getting work out of it. For the AB&W Building, we worked with a general contracting company owned by a Chinese immigrant who literally stowed away on a boat and a black man who was the center of the UMass basketball team. They have all minority crews, which is representative of Dorchester. And it\u2019s a pretty nice piece of architecture, so I feel pretty good about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Architect: Elton + Hampton Architects<\/a>, Roxbury, Mass. TPO membrane: Firestone Building Products<\/a><\/p>\n
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\nAlthough the original cast-in-place concrete building was in good structural condition, it would\u2019ve been too expensive for the community-based, non-profit owner\/developer, Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp., to maintain the original building and construct housing on top of it. In addition, the original structure completely covered its site. By demolishing everything but the front fa\u00e7ade, the residents of the building now have off-street parking, which is highly coveted in the urban area. They also enjoy a children\u2019s play area with outdoor seating, outdoor patio spaces for select units, and front doors\/porches from the inner courtyard.<\/p>\n<\/a>INTERESTING ROOFING<\/h4>\n
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\nElton specified a white TPO membrane that is 0.060-inch thick. It offers a three-year aged reflectance of 0.55 and a minimum thermal emittance of 0.75 for low-slope nonresidential buildings. \u201cThe building is LEED certifiable but it\u2019s not certified because the client didn\u2019t want to spend the money to complete the certification,\u201d Elton states.<\/p>\n<\/a>NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTION<\/h4>\n
TEAM<\/h3>\n
\nRoofing Contractor: Lancaster Enterprises, Dedham, Mass., (617) 719-4287
\nGeneral Contractor: Crosswinds Enterprises, Roxbury
\nOwner\/Developer: Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corp.<\/a>, Dorchester, Mass.<\/p>\nROOF MATERIALS<\/h3>\n