In 2017, a tornado tore through Southwest Georgia and left the Albany Museum of Art temporarily without a home. Two years later, a boarded-up Belk Department Store, located on a key downtown corner, was chosen as the museum’s new home. Our design avoided 1,600 metric tons of embodied carbon emissions, an estimated 65% reduction over that of new construction. As with many adaptive reuse projects, the repurposed space represents a renewed purpose within the culture. Where retail once defined downtown Albany’s identity, art and community now anchor its renaissance.
The adaptive reuse of the 58,000-SF Belk building includes exhibition space, lobby space, family room, flexible event space, collections care and storage suite, art classrooms, a café, and a museum store. The adjacent outdoor space will be transformed into a sculpture garden. The building’s brick veneer facades will be repaired, the original stucco canopies will be restored, and the glass assemblies in the shop windows and the entrances will be replaced with a high-performing glass system matching the original configuration. The exterior walls facing the proposed sculpture garden will feature a new stucco finish and glass storefront system.
The original interior features have deteriorated and will be replaced with a new interior fit-out complying with all current accessibility and life safety codes. The project will pursue LEED certification. All mechanical, electrical, and plumbing equipment will be replaced and will comply with current energy codes. The exterior envelope will be enhanced by adding the required thermal insulation and vapor barrier to the interior of the existing walls. DLR Group is providing architecture, engineering, interiors, acoustic design, audiovisual design, landscape design, lighting design, and wayfinding design services.
