Human Services Office Renovation

Natural light, bright colors and durable materials transformed this former carpet store into Tompkins County’s highly visible Human Service Annex.

The building’s adaptive reuse began with opening the south and west walls and enlarging the windows and wall system to allow borrowed light deep into the building. Enclosed offices along the north side of the building used windows to the interior to take advantage of the borrowed southern light.

The envelope was upgraded with high-performance windows and added insulation. And, as part of the County’s many Go Green initiatives, a photovoltaic array was installed on the roof to generate electricity.