3S ArtSpace, Portsmouth, N.H.
Retrofit Team
Architect: McHenry Architecture, Portsmouth
Metal Panel Installer: Industrial Roofing Cos., Lewiston, Maine
Materials
McHenry Architecture was tasked with completely recycling an underutilized warehouse space into a cultural institution.
The exterior material palette consists of weathering steel cladding in alternating profiles, weathered wood boards and translucent cladding at entrances. Inspired by the area’s shipbuilding past, the oxidized metal panels are a nod to the scrap metal piles once lining the area’s shorefront.
“We were renovating an existing concrete building,” says McHenry Architecture Principal Steve McHenry. “Simple and rustic raw materials seemed appropriate yet visually distinctive.”
Weathered steel, often referred to as Cor-Ten or A606, is a unique material gaining popularity for its distinctive rust patina. This natural, yet stable, protective coating acts as a defense against further corrosion. Weathered steel arrives unrusted and develops a rust-like appearance once exposed to the elements for a period of time.
Roughly 3,300 square feet of sinusoidal corrugated panels and 1,800 square feet of flat panels were fabricated from 22- and 20-gauge weathering steel, respectively. Panels were through- fastened to the plywood underlayment with stainless-steel screws and exposed fastener heads.
“The project was good for the community and with the finishes, including the weathering steel, fit right in the area and looked like it had been there for a while,” says David Link, Industrial Roofing’s Metal Services manager.
Metal Panel Fabricator: MetalTech-USA
The Retrofit
The seacoast region of New Hampshire is in the wake of an artistic and cultural spring because of the recent opening of non-profit 3S ArtSpace. 3S ArtSpace is a 10,000-square-foot multipurpose building combining performance space, a gallery area and restaurant. An adaptive- reuse project, McHenry Architecture resurrected the non-descript concrete structure into a warm community gathering place with a raw industrial vibe.
Built on the waterfront of Portsmouth’s downtown historic district, 3S ArtSpace is the first truly contemporary building in the area and was completed in December 2014.
Photos: MetalTech-USA