Title: Turbine Hall at Bailey Power Plant
Location of Proejct: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Project Completion Date: March 2018
Firm Name: CJMW Architecture

Short Description: Once home to the turbines that powered the RJR Tobacco Company’s downtown Winston-Salem campus, the Crane Room at Turbine Hall in Bailey Power Plant is now a vibrant combination of event and leased space at the heart of an urban transformation. Custom-designed steel pods speak a familiar language in a new way within the capsule of the historic shell. In the adjacent co-work space, innovative materials and a design focused on maximum flexibility pair with the Crane Room to create a new venture and small business launchpad to support entrepreneurs, researchers, and community members.

Architect's Statement: Built in 1947 to house the massive turbines that powered the RJ Reynolds tobacco production campus, the Bailey Power Plant (BPP) was decommissioned in 2000. The entire district, including Bailey Power Plant, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 and then donated in 2010 by RJ Reynolds, becoming what is now the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter. By 2016, Bailey was the last building in the group of 16 to remain untouched, primarily due to the complex spaces created specifically to hold massive power equipment. One of these complex spaces was “Turbine Hall” where the three oversized turbines were housed, along with a 40-ton crane that serviced the turbines.

With most of the rest of BPP dedicated to leased office space, and with a shortage of large indoor gathering space in the Innovation Quarter, the client wanted a showcase communal and event space to anchor not only the building but the neighborhood. The space needed to flex to fit everything from large meetings to charity events to conferences to movies – yet still work as a comfortable, cool hangout space occupiable on a daily basis. At the same time, financial realities also dictated the need to maximize leasable space.

The 5,000 SF double-height space was open (with three large holes in the floor where the turbines originally sat!), with a small mezzanine at the very back. Critical challenges and considerations included; building large structures within an existing building, acoustics, code considerations for large events/multi-use space, power availability, lighting, and compliance with National Historic Commission requirements were all critical considerations. Historic requirements meant the majority of the ceiling had to be left exposed and any floating clouds could not be at the building perimeter.

The design of the Crane Room at Turbine Hall became a study in how to maximize use without losing the beauty of the volume and history of the space. The team took advantage of the Hall’s volume to add to add several meeting pods, increasing square footage and thereby, both short and long-term leasable opportunities. Custom designed and built, the team worked with the fabricator to develop the stackable container-like structures made of modular steel with resin honeycomb core infill panels. Pods were placed off-parallel from each other and from the building shell; these shifts, together with the floating stair, flexible furniture, and kinetic flooring, contrast with the rectilinear framework provided by the Crane Room’s walls and mezzanine. Comprised of a range of conference/ office space sizes and formats all arranged to also accommodate large events, Turbine Hall is designed to evoke the motion, connections, and energy it has always had.

In addition to standard entry doors, the lower pods have a rolling glass door for privacy. Lower pods are currently available for daily use by tenants and the neighborhood, while the upper pod is the home of Venture Café, an organization hosting weekly networking events. A catering kitchen with built-in storage supports major events or small get-togethers equally well.

Catwalks to the pods extend from the existing steel and concrete mezzanine. The team enclosed the mezzanine in storefront glass walls, creating a stand-alone space leasable on its own or equally able at a future date to become part of the larger event area. Below the mezzanine, storefront glass walls enclose two additional conference rooms.

Contrasting old and new, as much existing steel and brick patina was exposed and preserved to celebrate BPP’s history and transformation. The team scouted for and repurposed reclaimed objects, such as the conference room light fixtures. During construction, designs and finishes were tweaked ‘on the fly’ as surfaces were exposed. The original crane, which used to travel along the length of the room on massive steel beams, is now fixed in position as a reminder of Turbine Hall’s former use.

The adjacent 28,000 SF of the floor plate was divided into a series of large and small leasable offices that surround a core of co-work office and shared common spaces. Demountable storefront walls and strategically placed translucent panels allow light through and facilitate layout changes in response to tenant needs. Vibrant colors with bright accents visually link the suites with the adjacent Turbine Hall.