Renovating vs. Repurposing: What is the Difference?
It seems there are a lot of “r” words in construction and demolition. There is renovate, remodel, recycle, reduce, reuse, and repurpose. While the definition of some of these words is obvious (e.g., recycle and reduce), there are two words that many assume mean the same thing: renovate and repurpose. While they both mean to improve or to make new, there is a difference between them.
Renovation is the purpose of improving or fixing damaged or outdated structures. Whereas repurposing (also called adaptive reuse) is the process of reusing an existing structure for a purpose other than which it was designed for. Most repurposing projects are done on outdated (or historical) structures, and may include improving certain architectural features (e.g., windows). One of Empire Services most recent projects is a great example of repurposing, which was one of Mack Trucks plants. It had been taken over by Allentown Metal Works (Allentown, PA) before closing for good in 2011.
Allentown Metal Works is getting a second chance at life through Marcon Properties, LLC. The Allentown developer is repurposing two buildings (160,000 square feet in total) on the property, creating a modern production facility for affiliated
Eastern Exterior Wall Systems. Together with project partner
Alvin H. Butz, Inc., Empire Services has given Allentown Metal Works a new purpose for future generations.
Repurposing & Reusing
The project started in October 2022, completing the bulk of the work in mid-January 2023. Since the existing buildings were stable, it made sense to repurpose them and reuse the materials. Empire Services began the project by working on the smaller of the two buildings. Taking the 50,000-square-foot building down to its shell for renovations was necessary, and included the removal of all windows, window infills, roofing, roof decking, metal panel walls, mechanicals, utilities, doors, and partitions. Numerous roof purlins also required removal due to wood deterioration since the building's closure over a decade ago, and mechanical equipment pits in the floor required equipment and material removal prior to backfilling with crushed concrete and clean stone in order to provide a level surface for the new concrete slab installation.
Starting with the Interior
During a renovation, the interior may be gutted to remove counters or to replace the floor. The same can be done for a repurposing project, but the interior is converted into a new design that serves a new purpose. This was the case at Allentown Metal Works. Empire Services not only gutted the interior, but they also removed the roof. They removed partitions and other finishes by removing mechanical features from the roof level and worked down, moving east to west through the building.
Once the interior demolition was approximately 50% completed, additional crews demolished the roofing and wall sections. Windows and window infills were then removed following the same east-to-west approach, allowing multiple crews to work simultaneously and providing a safe drop zone for demolished roofing materials. Multiple articulating boom lifts, ranging in height from 45 feet to 135 feet were used to access the different levels of roofing material, windows, and mechanical features.
Upon completion of roof and wall demolition, Empire Services moved on to demolish select sections of concrete slab where required for future slab on grade, again working from east to west. A CAT 325 excavator with a hydraulic hammer was used to fracture and remove sections of raised and thickened slabs to provide the appropriate grade for the new concrete slab installation. Demolition of the slabs and completion of wall openings occurred in February 2023.
Repurposing Allentown Metal Works was a unique project for Empire Services. It required more equipment and scheduling than a renovation due to the new function of the structure. However, the team was up for the challenge and successfully completed the project ahead of time and on budget.
