St. Cloud Window Inc. is pleased to announce Springfield Technical Community College’s new Student Learning Commons has won a Robert H. Kuehn Award from Preservation Massachusetts. The 170-year-old building, originally built for storing gunstocks, is now the heart of the campus. St. Cloud Window SCW3000 Series windows comprise nearly 50 percent of the building’s 747-foot façade. St. Cloud Window offers congratulations to Ann Beha Architects and everyone involved in the restoration and repurposing.
Building 19 is part of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site and is one of 13 National Historic Registered buildings on the college campus. It housed gunstocks from 1846 until 1968, when it was closed and given to the college. However, because of the old infrastructure and the many considerations that go in to renovating and remodeling historic sites, it sat largely unused for nearly 50 years.
One of the largest challenges in updating Building 19 was its windows. Built as a storehouse for gunstocks more than 170 years earlier, it was never fully enclosed. Major updates would be required to make it an accessible, usable space. The building is 767 feet long and three stories high, and the fenestration makes up nearly 50 percent of the building’s façade, with 552 windows. Due to the historic construction, no two windows were alike, with openings ranging from 10 by 7 feet to 10 by 13 feet.
The architect turned to St. Cloud Window and the SCW3000 series to update the windows while maintaining the historical look and feel. St. Cloud Window worked with the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Historical Commission to develop the fenestration, fully enclosing the building while maintaining natural light. In addition, historical louvers originally designed for ventilation were retooled as exterior sun shades to manage and minimize heat.
Courtesy of St. Cloud Window
Today, Building 19 is an accessible, sustainable and vibrant part of campus life, housing administrative offices, a student commons, student services, a health center, a café, study spaces, a library, and campus bookstore.
Architect: Ann Beha Architects
Construction Manager: Consigli Construction
Installer: A & A Window Products
Building Status: Listed on National Register of Historic Places
Awards: Preservation Massachusetts’ Robert H. Kuehn Award, recognizing extraordinary projects that meld collaborative partnerships with creative and cutting-edge ideas for the rehabilitation and active reuse of historic buildings. Preservation Massachusetts (PM) is the statewide non-profit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic and cultural heritage.
Photos: STCC Facebook and St. Cloud Window
