Business Technology Headquarters Refresh

This business technology supplier's 24,048 SF building is located in a landlocked urban setting. Poised for growth, the company plans included a future acquisition to provide more choices for office technology needs, and expanded services. This required updating their floorplan for new open work areas, offices, a staff kitchen, and showroom space.

Historical District Post Office Reconstructs Brick Screen Walls

A circa 1910 USPS Main Office located in a Historical District had existing brick screen walls that required reconstruction and repairs to restore the original condition, to be performed while the facility remained operational. Reviewed and approved by the local historical commission, the reconstruction process required matching the brick and special ordering shapes to emulate the original design.

Sophisticated Bar and Office Space for Downtown Revitalization

This existing building's major renovation project is located on Penn Street, the highly visible main drag of the City of Reading, and brings with it new vitality and economic impact. Constructed in 1894, the building was home to an inn and restaurant before becoming a chandelier factory and store. This project is a catalyst to revitalize the area.

A four(4)-story building, with a first-floor retail design, and upper floors for office space. The major tenant is a local distillery and tasting room located on the lower level(s), with upper floors designed as modern, professional office space with skyline views, for one or multiple tenants.

An expansive NanaWall (TM) folding glass door was incorporated on the street level to enable the seating for the distillery to easily expand onto the plaza area. The facade renovations also include window replacement on upper floors to meet the Historical Review Board area standards.

Berks Nostalgia | Walking Tour of the Revitalized Building

Reading Distilling Guild Restaurant/Bar Adaptive Reuse Project

Industrial Asset Tenant Improvements

We provided Design Services for tenant improvements to this 507,638 square foot building with a design based on the proposed tenant’s requirements. Our services assisted our real estate services firm client with their building improvements made in service to the long term needs of the tenant of this fully-leased property. Schematic Design, Construction Documents, and Bidding/Construction Administration were provided in addition to mechanical, electrical, and fire protecting engineering.

A Re-Imagined Office for Lease

Providing potential tenants with a vision of what a façade renovation could look like, we created a 3D Rendering of a re-imagined exterior as well as conceptual leasing plans for an existing, vacant, 27,750 square foot masonry building, last renovated in 2000. Services provided included a site survey and analysis, design development, and our 3D Visualization services. Designs for this project were intended to compete with the surrounding properties in the corporate park that had upgraded facades.

3D Visualizations for Flex Building Concept Design

This project consisted of the schematic planning and design for the construction of a new 1-story 60,000 square-foot flex building with a mezzanine which is to be constructed as a shell only. We provided Schematic Planning and Design, including 3D Rendering Services. Our services also included the Project Manual for Design Development and budget estimate bidding and administration of the bidding on behalf of the owner.

Specialized State-of-the-Art Treatment Centers

Our firm provided Architectural Design for specialized, state-of-the-art care, and multi-modality treatment center located in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, forecasted to serve nearly 200 patients each day. Architectural design services were also provided for locations in Cape May Courthouse, Mays Landing, and Charlottesville, Virginia. The Project Architect also worked on the Camp Hill, Pennsylvania project.

Construction Documents with field verification of existing building conditions, preparation of the existing building floor plan, and a compliance code review were provided at the Ephrata location. Architectural Plans prepared for construction included the Code Plan, Floor Plans, Reflected Ceiling Plans, any details as required, and Door Schedules.

Warehouse Adapted to Accommodate More Loading Docks

Suburban Management Company’s 143,092-square-foot warehouse spans 16 acres and is conveniently located less than 35 miles from the Philadelphia International Airport. The single-story facility started with only 4 loading docks, but with the new addition, now boasts twenty-four (24) loading docks, 8 drive-in bays, and a 31’ ceiling height.

Twenty (20) new Blue Giant overhead loading dock doors and dock levelers were designed and installed by our team, with modifications to the existing building structure and the underpinning of the existing footing as required. The scope of work also included adding concrete retaining walls with fall protection, and site modifications to lower the existing grade at the new dock positions to a height to allow warehouse equipment to access the trucks.

Our firm provided design documentation for the new 20 docks, detailing of site/interior modifications for a proposed tenant, architectural design, structural engineering services, and civil engineering design assistance. We were also on hand to answer any questions that building code officials and contractors may have had during the process.

The first step in the project was to conduct a field survey to verify existing conditions and update the schematic plan based on those field conditions. On one side of the warehouse, the design for eight (8) of the new loading docks would need to accommodate the existing steel structure behind the facade. The solution was to space the docks in this section further apart to avoid the need for expensive structural changes. A bulk pour foundation and concrete wall were constructed to encompass and underpin the existing building foundation.

Keeping water away from the loading docks is a design imperative. At this location, site and grading issues needed to be addressed to get the proper slope back to the loading docks, making certain that the correct angle for the trucks coming towards the building is maintained. With no sanitary or stormwater lines on one side of the building, the interior work included putting in a pump to get the sanitary lines over to the other side of the building.

Existing docks that were renovated received updated dock levelers, dock bumpers, and wheel locks. A lighting system that interfaces with the wheel locks tells drivers when they can pull in and out - green means go!

New Blue Giant Loading Docks Added to Warehouse in Pennsylvania

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Carriage House

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Carriage House of Berks County, PA project is the recipient of the  2019 Building Berks Nonprofit Project Award. 

The Carriage house was purchased by BBBS in 2001.  Funds were raised in 2017 with the goal to create a modern facility that is safe, comfortable, and inviting for socializing, training and interviews.

The Carriage House is a historic property.  One of the more challenging parts of the plan was to preserve the historic front façade of the building, which had four (4) original Carriage House overhead doors.  To accomplish this, one of the overhead door panels were cut and hinged, creating a functioning entryway from the street, and uniformity on the outside.  The remaining three original panel doors are solid and anchored, and the exterior has maintained its historic appeal.

An exterior brick retaining wall was removed on the side of the Carriage House, and pathways were paved so that water may run down the hillside to the street without getting trapped.  This solution avoided the added expense of floor drains.

Outside in the yard, a trench was dug to place a large PVC pipe between the main building and the Carriage House.  This pipe holds all the lines run for gas, water, and other utilities.

Inside was a blank slate.  The interior was completely rebuilt, including the floor which had been sloped from back to front.  To adjust this, a ramp was added inside where the door to the street is located.  The remainder of the interior floor was built up on a platform to create a level surface.  Steps were added to the side entrance, and the staircase to the second floor was rebuilt.

Working with code officials, it was determined that a single bathroom could be added to the floor plan because there are additional bathrooms in the main building.  This solution saved money for the client and allowed room for the new kitchenette.  The lower level accommodates new electric, plumbing, and alarm systems.  And a new closet was created on the second floor to house the HVAC unit.

The Carriage House now offers a warm, inviting interior with flexible seating arrangements for gatherings that range from socializing to interviews and formal training sessions.  Many thanks to our partners at Dolan Construction. 

Reading Eagle Article on the History and Adaptive Reuse of the Carriage House

Read More About This Project on the Big Brothers Big Sisters Website

Big Brothers Big Sisters Carriage House Doors Highlight

Adaptive Reuse for New Health Center

Located in a former Giant Foods storefront, the Berks Community Health Center is a new Federally Qualified Health Center that provides primary care, pediatrics, dentistry, behavioral health, chiropractic, walk-in triage, and other community health services. Included in the conversion are sub-lease spaces for a medical lab, physical rehabilitation, radiology, and more.

This project is a conversion of an existing, vacant, 37,000-square-foot strip-mall tenant space into a community health center with the goal of offering as many multi-disciplinary healthcare providers as possible.

Designs for this project were vetted to make certain we stayed true to supporting the mission of the new facility. This translated into the scale of private consultation and public waiting areas, the use of durable, economically viable, and attractive finishes integrated with the psychology of color, and the urgency to maximize the floor plan.

Our firm provided Architectural/Engineering Design Services, including planning and programming phase surveys and analysis, design development and construction document preparation, bidding and award of contracts, and construction administration services.

Read the article feature on this project in Healthcare Construction and Operations News

Ancora Mail Processing Facility

Muhlenberg Greene was hired to assist with the planning and design to create the company’s largest mail processing facility on the east coast. Work included major renovations to 55,000 square feet of leased space, once occupied by a major battery producer. Approximately 11,000 square feet were designed to contain Ancora’s regional corporate headquarters for the east coast, with the remaining 44,000 square feet for production.

The project included “phased construction” which allowed for the occupation of the production area while construction on the corporate office and employee common areas continued. One design feature of this project was the creation of an area for the supervisors located between their existing production floor area and the new production floor area. This area now serves as a central command post/teaming area.

Vertis Warehouse and Shipping Dock Addition

Due to growth, a large United States producer of advertising inserts needed to expand their warehouse space. Muhlenberg Greene Architects provided planning and design services for a 48,000 square foot high-bay storage warehouse addition to the company’s existing plant. The project included the construction of new truck docks, mezzanine office space, the design of a new circulation pattern for their existing parking lots, additional trailer storage areas, and air conditioning of the existing plant area.

Angelica Park Environmental Center

The Angelica Park Environmental Center is an extension of the wetlands restoration. A Preliminary Design and Study were generated for a 12,500-square-foot building with classrooms, a teaching lab, administrative offices, lecture space, an exhibit gallery, and upper-level observation. deck for indoor/outdoor gatherings for Phase 1 of this project.

Designed to achieve LEED certification, sustainable design features included a geothermal HVAC system, natural stormwater management via rain gardens, a pervious pavement access drive, photovoltaic panels to provide electric power, and a solar shade system.

A team consisting of representatives from the local colleges, the school district, the state park system, and the City of Reading was established to collaborate with Muhlenberg Greene Architects on the planning, programming, and design for a building that would embody environmental sustainability and energy efficiency while providing space for a broad range of activities. The first phase of the project modified the existing boat house structure.

Press Hall and Mail Room Addition to the Reading Eagle Company

Reading Eagle Company planning and design for the expansion of an existing building to house a new state-of-the-art press. The project required the demolition of several existing structures and the new construction of a 77,000-square-foot addition. The expansion included a new mail room and ancillary spaces for the control room, maintenance shops, mechanical/electrical equipment, three truck docks, and four shipping docks.  

A basement level was constructed for ink storage, paper deliveries, and the reel room for the new press. The ground floor provides space for the mail room and houses the inserter and palletizer equipment as well as the main floor of the press hall. The 2nd floor consists of a mezzanine level for the press hall and provides space for the control room, computer-to-plate room, and electrical equipment for the press operation.

The 3rd floor was designed for mechanical equipment surrounding the press hall. The press hall was an open space extending 56 feet above the ground floor level to house a new press. A critical aspect of the planning and management of the construction process for this project was the requirement to maintain the daily operation of printing and shipping the newspaper.

Gateway Ticketing Systems Global Headquarters

The new 42,000 square foot Gateway Ticketing Systems Global Headquarters opened in August 2014 for its 86 employees, offering expansive views and ample amenities.

The “Main Street” of the building is flooded with light from the south facing clerestory, which is carefully designed to allow plentiful warming light in the cooler months, but also blocks harsh mid-summer sun.  More importantly, the central space provides a convenient circulation path, specifically designed to provide proximity and access between groups that have regular interaction.  A large lunch room will provide ample seating for everyone in the company and serve as a gathering location for the frequent potlucks, barbecues and other team-building events.

Spring Township Municipal Building Addition and Alterations

Muhlenberg Greene Architects prepared a feasibility study to review the Spring Township municipal departments’ current and projected needs and to analyze the functions and interactions of the various operations. The Master Plan study resulted in a project which included expanding the existing building to create a new meeting room for public gatherings and municipal functions, as well as creating additional office space.

The project also included renovating the existing office areas with a focus on creating flexible workspaces for the various departments, enabling them to adapt to future changes. The alterations were designed to complement the existing facade and bring daylight into the building beyond the perimeter offices, which had previously limited the natural lighting in the building. Construction activities were carefully phased to allow the Township to maintain its operations.

Rural Opportunities of Reading Building Renovations

Rural Opportunities Inc. Pennsylvania Division is a licensed daycare provider serving the Reading area. A private, non-profit charitable purposes multi-state organization, they provide a number of services including housing, housing development and rehab, community and small business development, employment and training, health and safety,and advocacy services to migrant and seasonal farm workers, and other disadvantaged individuals and families and communities since it was founded in 1969.

The Project consisted of renovations to a vacant brick one-story plus basement building located at 121 South Second Street, Reading, PA. The design incorporated the separation of corporate/ training spaces with a daycare environment for persons attending training and assistance classes or working within the program.

Project responsibilities for this renovation and rehabilitation project included the architectural planning and design, as well as the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and sprinkler engineering. This project was funded through Federal financing sources and incorporated the Davis-Bacon Prevailing Act and other Federal project guidelines into the project specifications.

Lenape Park Concession Building

Design Development and Construction Drawings for a new concession stand and storage building for a township park.

New electric service was provided to the new building which will also connect to other existing structures.  Water and sewer connections were made to an existing well and to the existing on-site sewage system.

The park serves a wide range of activities and sports for the Township’s recreation associations.  The new structure was designed to integrate into the existing layout of the park and to enhance the image of the park and surrounding structures.