Renovation & Adaptive Reuse
Centennial Blvd, Nashville
A weathered steel frame on the edge of the scrapyard, restored and rebuilt into a working commercial asset.
Project Detail
Overview
This former warehouse had stood exposed to the elements for decades. The steel was rusted, the envelope had failed, and by any ordinary assessment the building was a demolition candidate.
The structure underneath told a different story. Horn restored the existing steel skeleton and concrete slab, then rebuilt the building around them with high-efficiency insulation, new metal panels, fresh trim, and modern doors and windows.
- LocationNashville, Davidson County
- Project TypeRenovation & Adaptive Reuse
- StructureExisting Steel Frame
- Horn's RoleGeneral Contractor
- StatusComplete
The Work
What the project involved
Assessing what could be saved
The first question on any building in this condition is whether the structure is worth keeping. Answering it wrong is expensive in both directions. Demolishing a sound frame throws away foundation, slab, and structure that are already in the ground and already permitted. Building on a compromised one creates a problem that surfaces years later.
Assessment covered the primary frame for corrosion and section loss, with particular attention to column bases and connections where water collects, and the slab and foundation against the loads the restored building would carry.
Restoring the structure
The existing steel skeleton was restored rather than replaced. Surface corrosion was treated, and members and connections were repaired or reinforced where the condition required it. The existing concrete slab was retained.
Reusing the frame and slab avoided the four largest cost items in new construction: excavation, foundation, slab, and structure.
Rebuilding the envelope
On a building open to weather for that long, the envelope is a replacement rather than a repair. New metal wall and roof panels went on with new trim, flashing, and closures throughout.
High-efficiency insulation was installed as part of the rebuild. An uninsulated shell and a building intended for conditioned use are entirely different envelopes, and specifying the assembly correctly is what prevents the condensation problems that plague poorly converted steel buildings.
Openings
New doors and windows were cut into the existing framing, with the header and jamb steel to support them. Modern openings in an older frame are a structural exercise, not a cosmetic one.
Result
A building that was close to being scrapped is back in commercial use, on a structure that was already standing.
Why It Matters
Most contractors will not take these on
A structure in visibly poor condition takes time to assess properly, and a contractor with a full schedule of new builds has little reason to spend it.
The result is that owners are frequently told to demolish buildings that could have been saved. Horn assesses them honestly, including saying when a building genuinely is not worth keeping.
More Work
Other projects
Next Step
Have your building assessed
Send the address and what you want the building to become. We will walk it and tell you what can be saved.