Overview

The Salvation Army’s Williamsport Corps (TSA-W) facility was in need of architectural and MEP renovations to repair deferred maintenance and repurpose selected existing spaces to make them more useful for the needs of the TSA-W as well as to increase accessibility and comply with current American with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. After a feasibility study of proposed projects, an elevator was added, along with an ADA compliant bathroom and outdoor equipment storage room. Existing unused shower/ locker rooms were converted to classroom/meeting space, an accordion partition created a separate corridor and classroom space, and extensive brick façade and flashing repairs were made to repair and preserve the building exterior.

Solution Details

Space Renovations:
TSA-W had unused basement showers that were demolished and the space converted into an inviting new classroom, complete with LED lighting and controls. Consequently, the existing water heater and hot water storage tanks were unnecessarily oversized and were removed and replaced with a high efficiency water heater that will deliver significant energy savings.

An existing classroom had an open floor plan, which required patrons and staff to walk through to access areas of the building. This was distracting for those utilizing the classroom spaces. A flexible accordion partition was installed to provide privacy for the space and create a corridor for building access when necessary.

Accessibility & ADA Compliance:
TSA-W originally requested conversion of existing two single use restrooms on the ground floor to ADA compliant restrooms. Due to spatial limitations, this was unfortunately not feasible. However, the addition that was primarily designed to house the elevator, to provide basement access for those with disabilities, and an outdoor equipment storage area could be enlarged to contain a ground floor ADA compliant restroom. The addition was located within a corner of the building’s courtyard parking area, to minimize the courtyard parking reduction. Furthermore, by choosing to locate the elevator shaft within the center of the addition, as opposed to the corner, made structural underpinning to subterranean foundation walls only necessary on one of the adjacent walls, reducing construction costs significantly, while providing space for the bathroom and equipment storage.

Deferred Maintenance:
Significant portions of the building’s masonry façade had begun to fail and heave along mortar joints, and would have ultimately failed, falling on anything or anyone below. We investigated and determined the cause to be failed masonry anchors, caused by long-term water contact. Roof flashing and coping was repaired to prevent water from seeping behind the façade and the effected brick was replaced. New stainless steel wall anchors and upgraded energy code-compliant insulation was also installed.