Shivani Bhalla

NatureBridge, Marin Headlands, CA, USA

ADAPTIVE REUSE | CAMPUS PLANNING

NatureBridge is a national nonprofit organization that provides dorms, eating facilities and programs which enable kids to stay overnight and immerse themselves in the abundance of the natural world located at the historic Fort Cronkhite in the Marin Headlands. Fort Cronkhite sits within the portion of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that lies in Marin Headlands just north of San Francisco, CA. 

In partnership with the National Park System, NatureBridge (Golden Gate) worked with Todd Jersey Architecture to prepare plans to improve their facilities and expand their campus to increase annual participants by 3,000 kids. The Adaptive Reuse of the campus expansion includes a new NatureBridge participant dormitory and a new NatureBridge staff dormitory. Both buildings are wood-frame structures from the original 1940s Fort Cronkhite and were originally constructed as dorms for military. Improvements also  included remodeling their current kitchen, one of 4 concrete block buildings constructed for the Nike Missile Program in the 1950’s. All the buildings are considered historic.

This reuse proposal includes a comprehensive site improvement plan including ADA, seismic and fire safety upgrades to all historic wood buildings. The proposal will aim to advance the strength and resistance of the wood buildings in a seismic event by the additions of multiple sheer resistant interior partitions. The building envelope could not be altered in any way and the  reuse will also focus on restoring all historic elements of the buildings as per NPS standards.  The project will be built within the constraints of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Renovations of Historic Properties and built to operate well for a 50-year lifespan. 

This project has given me working knowledge of  Adaptive reuse and preservation. I was part of the  project management team that coordinated the project phases with the consultants and NPS. I also gained experience in creating construction drawings and site reports with government mandated guidelines for historic and protected sites. 

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All photos and drawings are © Todd Jersey Architecture Inc.