Story Published:
Jul 27, 2009 at 6:42 PM MST
Story Updated:
Jul 28, 2009 at 6:01 AM MST
BILLINGS - One Billings couple has renovated an old meat packing plant in downtown Billings into apartments.
It is called the Swift Building Lofts and it is located at 2605 Minnesota Avenue. The building was built in 1916. It is now home to nine apartments. Ed Gulick, architect with High Plains Architects, said it shows the potential of existing structures.
"We don't need to demolish our existing buildings we can actually achieve a very high efficiency building," said Gulick. "This building only uses 45% as much energy as a new building built to Monday's codes, and yet it's almost a 100 years old."
The idea to renovate the old building was Joni Harman's and her husband's. "Three years ago, our kids were gone and we decided it was time to downsize," said Harman.
They wanted an apartment downtown that was built with an environmentally-conscious design, and when they couldn't find such a place, they decided to build it.
"It is a blend of new and old, reused and locally purchased items as much as we could," said Harman. In the kitchen, the cupboards are made with wheat board instead of particle board, the countertops are made from recycled glass, and radiant heat and cooling regulates the room temperature.
"We have concrete floors that have tubing in them; cold water goes through them in the summer time and warm water in the winter time," explained Gulick.
The apartments are even efficient right down to the toilets. It is all in the duel-flush button system; less water used for number one, more for number two.
Located in the building's basement are two large water cisterns, "Rainwater from the roof is being collected and it goes into these tanks here and it'll be used for flushing toilets and for landscape irrigation," said Gulick.
On the roof sits 24 solar panels; three larger ones generate hot water and the rest generate electricity. Gulick said their life span is about 30 years.
The building's historic character was preserved by using the original floor to ceiling beadboard, and exposed bricks and beams, and by incorporating fixtures like an old pressure gauge and old cooler door.
The Harman's have found a place to call home, and completed a project blueprint they hope is reused.
"Hopefully be a model for how you can take an old building and make it green and really save an old building as well," said Harman.
All the apartments are rented; they go for $900 to $1,300 a month. Three fully-furnished extended stay units are available. Gulick said High Plains is looking into some other similar properties downtown to convert into loft condos.
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