14 Jun Tue 2011
New uses for grain bins!
Most people look at grain bins as excellent places to store grain.Not architect Richard Gillies.In his The Adaptation of a Thunder Bay Grain Elevator (2011, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia) he undertook to understand how best to convert a grain bin into a home.“Informed by research into the history, function, and construction of grain elevators, this investigation develops an approach to adaptation that would inhabit the interior spaces while preserving the sense of wonder and intrigue inherent in these structures. Using a program defined only as the most basic requirements for habitation, spatial possibilities are investigated to augment the aesthetic, monumental, and mysterious qualities of the structure, without domesticating it.”
After beginning with an understanding of the history and purpose of grain bins, Gilles understands their essential aspects, reaching nearly poetic qualities in his thesis: “The history of grain elevators can be traced back to Buffalo, New York in 1842, when entrepreneur Joseph Dart and engineer Robert Dunbar constructed the first grain elevator. This was a wooden structure which housed the elevator and a series of bins.The heart of the new invention – a looped or ‘never ending’ conveyor belt, made out of canvas, upon which large buckets made out of iron had been attached at regular intervals; the whole thing enclosed within a long, straight rectangular box made out of wood and iron… (Brown 2009, 109) It was not until 1883 that the Canadian Pacific Railway constructed the first grain elevator in Thunder Bay (Vervoort 1982, 30), known as the King’s Elevator. This marked the first time that grain from the prairies could take an all-Canadian route to the eastern ports. Prior to 1883 grain was moved south through American routes (Vervoort 1990, 404). The Lakehead grain trade rapidly expanded in the following decades.”
He discovered other adaptations of grain bins, including the transformation of them into a giant musical organ, as a projection screen for outdoor art and movies, and also the transformation of them into residential lofts.The transformation of the former Quaker Oats bin in Akron, Ohio, into Quaker Square inspired him.There, the essential nature of the bin was kept, while allowing for new use.The challenge of transforming storage areas and mechanical areas into habitable areas is no small task!
He begins by opening up the interior with light through slits in the metal siding, and carving out the interior of the storage bins to create a cathedral atmosphere, literally enshrining the essence of the original bin.“Through a process of first subtraction (demolition) and then addition (construction), I have modified the existing concrete structure to include new interior spaces that enhance the sense of scale and add qualities of light…by emphasizing the qualities of space, introducing minimal program, then exploring and representing adaptations that augment the monumental and mysterious. Hopefully this thesis has revealed new spatial experiences that inspire further program options for abandoned grain elevators beyond the usual condominiums and hotels.”