Artspace Uptown Artist Lofts is a mixed-use project with 44 affordable live/work units for artists and their families, with ground-floor studio and commercial space. It is centrally located in Michigan City, Indiana, within the Uptown Arts District, a six-block stretch of Franklin Street that is already seeing many signs of arts-driven economic renewal. The building is a seven-story office building, dating from 1927, and is the tallest building in the nationally-designated Franklin Street Historic District. The building has terrazzo floors, high ceilings, and large windows, which were preserved. The renovation project included Green features, including Energy Star roofing material, use of open-grid pavers, permeable concrete, and grass pavers.
Arctic Engineering provided the plumbing and HVAC work at the facility, which included over 40 individual HVAC units for the live/work units on the upper 6 floors, as well as equipment for the commercial areas on the lower and basement levels. Plumbing fixtures and equipment were also provided and installed in the facility. A big challenge during construction was to minimize demolition of the existing facility in order to maintain historic elements of the building, as well as providing fixtures and equipment that provided sustainable and green equipment for the facility.
