‘To celebrate the history, architecture, landscape, and culture of the Hudson Valley’; Historic Hudson Valley’s (HHV) core mission is to advance these important cultural places and assure their preservation for generations to come. Philipsburg Manor, one of HHV’s cultural assets, is a Colonial-era historic site that interprets the rise of a Dutch family through agriculture, trade, and enslaved labor. HHV is continuously evolving to contextualize the past for modern audiences and serve as a resource for research and learning. Its 1969 Visitor Center, while essential for operations and programming, has aging infrastructure that no longer meets current needs.
To address these and other challenges facing HHV, Bergen Street Studio, Conlon Engineering and Altieri evaluated the buildings and site, consulted staff to assess current programming requirements and identified strategic goals for future planning and uses imagined for the Visitor’s Center.
While initially an HVAC upgrade project, we soon realized the impact of these upgrades provided unique ‘opportunities’ to intelligently upgrade infrastructure, vital to the building’s operation, while delivering impactful visitor experience transformations, expanded programming possibilities as well as a healthier and more environmentally responsible facility.
Our proposed architecture design improvements focus on four key areas:
- Accessibility: Upgrade of the main entrance to meet modern accessibility standards.
- Sustainability: Enhance mechanical systems and building envelope to reduce energy use (39% lower energy intensity) and emissions.
- Health and Safety: Improve indoor air quality, comfort, and reduce environmental impact on the surrounding community.
- Organizational Efficiency: Lower maintenance costs and reduce the risk of emergency repairs
Overall, the redesign positions the Visitor Center to better support future programming, improve visitor experience, and operate more sustainably and efficiently.