Description of the project by Tobin Smith Architect
Located on the industrial periphery of downtown San Antonio, this 1960 structure had stood empty and abandoned for more than a decade until 2014. During this vacancy the structure served as an impromptu dwelling for several homeless people, and caught fire on multiple occasions. Much of the wood framing, including the roof, was compromised, charred, or fully destroyed, but the CMU walls and concrete foundation survived intact.
When a young concrete contractor purchased the property, time and budget constraints, as well as a desire to showcase the durable properties of the original cement-based products, made re-purposing the ruin a priority. The design approach deeply considered the industrial context, the structure’s turbulent past, and the desire for durability in the future. Burnt-out roof trusses were replaced with new structure, bearing on a new interior stud wall around the perimeter of the building, which also provided a valuable insulation cavity. The suspended slab flooring was shored up or replaced as necessary and high performance glazing infilled boarded-up window openings, but much of the existing character was carefully preserved.
Soot-covered and rain-compromised interior plaster was cleaned or removed until only stable plaster or exposed CMU beneath remained. Original wood trim and framing for interior doors and windows, fired to a charcoal finish in past blazes was retained. Taking a cue from this material, new planks were carefully charred, an ancient Japanese wood-preserving technique, to clad the building’s entry volume and tell the story of fire and survival. This siding, along with rebar window protection and a perforated, corrugated weathering steel sliding screen for the front window, create a dynamic and protective linear façade along the street.
Yet another holdover from the building’s past, the man who had made his home here for years found employment as a member of the construction crew and then as night security on the property, and was provided with a place to live on the lot. Transformative for him, the ruin, a business, and the neighborhood, the project stands as an example of the power of architecture.
