Construction Cost:
Completion Date: 2006.02

Working with the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, Cockrill Design & Planning was tasked to study six of the existing buildings that will remain after Heritage Center has been cleaned.

The first step in this illustrative study for Heritage Center was to understand its context. Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, is the western anchor to Oak Ridge and a vital component in the Secret City story. Just as K-25 was important to the history of Oak Ridge, Heritage Center promises to be vital to its future. As such it is important to not only understand the vernacular architecture of Oak Ridge but also the high-tech architecture designed to house the cutting-edge research at ORNL.

The second step in the illustrative process before studying the individual buildings was to compile examples of modern architecture that held true to the heritage of Oak Ridge but, like the SNS, spoke to a future of high-tech research and scientific work that will continue to push the boundaries of known scientific understanding.

In many cases, the existing mid-century vernacular lent itself very easily to renewal. Basic deficiencies in the existing buildings were identified and addressed in the illustrative study.