The Kroger Building - A Building that Learned

Recently I was at a networking event held at the Kroger Building in Madison, Wisconsin.  Walking into this former grocery warehouse was witnessing both the present and the past in a beautiful partnership.  That led me to interview the partners of Delta Properties, Bruce Wunnicke and John Koffel, about their remarkable building.

Taking an old building and helping it learn is what these two guys are about.  I was most curious about the process involved in selecting a building.  “We look for quality.  We also must have an affinity with the space because we will be working with it for a long time. Each of our buildings reflects us and what we believe in.”

What Bruce and John believe in is valuing the natural elements that are evident in a building. In fact, it was the design intention to incorporate the ‘art of the building as art’. This meant to keep as much as natural as possible and as simple as possible – allowing the art of the building to be seen and showcased.  “We love the natural elements – especially wood. Day-lighting opportunities and the ability to have all windows able to be opened for natural air flow are key components.  It’s our job to highlight these natural attributes and then expand them.  In addition, at every level we look for ways to recycle the natural materials found in the building.”

This led me to ask: What does a building tell you as you begin to work with it? Bruce quickly answered, “Whatever the building presents to us is what we embellish.  In the case of the Kroger Building it was the heavy wooden beams that excited us. It’s also a building that is big and mysterious.  The beams give it definition.”  These strong beams are evident throughout the building and as the spaces for offices were designed, it was the beams that Bruce and John wanted to accent and showcase.  Old wooden floors and hallways that curve add to the charm and mystique of this big and mysterious building. The structure and design embody minimalism and simplicity – allowing us to experience the old and the new.

                Originally the building was oriented toward the train tracks since its earlier life was a warehouse where goods were loaded and unloaded.  In its new life the main entrance is now off the parking lot - located on the opposite side of the building.  This makes the arrival by car of its current workers and their clients to be just as effortless. An awning, reminiscent of the original trackside loading dock, has been added to not only identify the new entrance but also protect its guests from the weather.

Stewart Brand, author of How Buildings Learn, asked everyone he interviewed this question:  What makes a building come to be loved?  Brian Eno, the British rock musician and avant-garde artist, shared this response.  “We are convinced by things that show internal complexity, that show the traces of an interesting evolution.  The signs tell us that we might be rewarded if we accord it our trust. An important aspect of design is the degree to which the object involves you in its own completion.  Some work invites you into itself by not offering a finished, glossy, one-reading-only surface.  This is what makes old buildings interesting.  I think that humans have a taste for things that not only show that they have been through a process of evolution, but which also show they are still a part of one.”

I think this is true of the Kroger Building.  The gifted developers, Bruce Wunnicke and John Koffel, have allowed us to see and be part of the process of the evolution in this building, have highlighted its strong and unique art forms, and have given this building the respect it deserves.   I asked one of the new tenants why they moved their business from their previous location to this building.  His response: “Our former space no longer reflected who we were. This space is who we are and who we are becoming.”  I cannot think of a better compliment.  Can you?

HOW BUILDINGS LEARN

A number of years ago I discovered a book by Stewart Brand called How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built.  This title has continued to fascinate me.  The idea that buildings ‘learn’ was a most interesting concept and the more one truly thinks about it, it makes so much sense.  Buildings learn all the time!  

Take our house for example.  Built around the turn of the century as a family home it served in that capacity for years.  Then – as the neighborhood changed – the use of the house did as well. It learned to be a hair salon and tailor shop on the lower level and an apartment on the upper floor.  When some major changes were happening in the development of our village – it was scheduled to be demolished because it was in the way of progress.  Two souls not only saw its potential but had financial and handyman gifts to offer.  They saved the house by moving it to a new neighborhood.  Once again it ‘learned’ to be a single family dwelling.  That’s when we entered the picture. 

And we have asked it to learn and stretch in the ten years we have lived here. Last summer our son and family moved into our second floor while their home was being built.  To keep everyone’s privacy intact, my husband and I moved our offices, library and bedroom to the lower floor.  Our offices have been in four different rooms over those years!  Our daughter’s bedroom has become the ‘visiting artist’ overnight retreat space. 

Just think about your own spaces . . . how have they learned to be something different as your needs have changed?  Hmmmm . . . What did your bedroom turn into when you left home? 

This learning happens to commercial buildings all the time.  The original owner builds it as a fast food restaurant.  Over time, the restaurant fails and the building then becomes a real estate office.  Interesting that when it becomes ‘whatever is next’ – we often still SEE the fast food restaurant’s shape and identity.  It’s as if the DNA of the building is still present.

 “Commercial buildings have to adapt quickly, often radically, because of intense competitive pressure to perform, and they are subject to the rapid advances that occur in any industry.  Commercial buildings are forever metamorphic,” says author Stewart Brand.  He further comments that buildings get pushed around by three forces – technology, money, and fashion.

Perhaps technology means the ability to adapt to what is new and current. This is often complicated and costly for buildings to update to the new regulations in order to protect workers and community.  Just think of the short list around electrical, air intake, fire requirements, plumbing, and the basic structure.  These are the unseen adventures of a building’s life span that are a must to keep it safe and functional.  

Fashion is what we see and more frequently react to – is it appealing, unique, inviting? Does the ‘look’ suit the new intention? When the technology, money, and fashion adapt to meet the new use, the new day - it very frequently changes the original neighborhood.

So here is your homework assignment . . . begin noticing buildings that have learned and buildings in the process of learning.  Are you able to detect the original DNA???  Let me know what you learn!

P.S.  The photos are of ‘once upon’ cabins that have learned to be an ice cream shop and women’s boutique.

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