P-108 / Renovation & adaptive reuse
Malt House Lofts
Twenty years empty, one fire and a failing roof. We turned Walker’s Point’s last malt house into homes, without losing a single arched window.
North elevation, 1:200Drawing: Corbel Studio
The brief
The challenge
The malt house was built in 1898 to hold grain, not people. Its floors were rated for barley, not bathrooms; a 2011 fire had charred a third of the timber; and the city wanted the street front kept exactly as it was.
- Brick walls up to 900 mm thick with no insulation
- Timber floors too weak for residential loads
- Historic district rules on every window and opening
- River-edge site with a high water table
Our solution
We slid a new steel frame inside the old shell, so the brick only carries itself. Sound timber went back in as exposed beams; charred timber became the market hall’s counters.
-
Independent steel frame on 64 new helical piles
-
Inside-face wood-fibre insulation that lets the brick breathe
-
212 arched windows rebuilt with slim double glazing
-
Ground-source heat pumps under the courtyard
Before / after
Same walls. New life.
Drag the handle, or focus it and use the arrow keys, to compare the street front in 2022 with the finished building.
Drawings & views
Gallery
4 sheets / Select to enlarge
Outcome
Delivered under the guaranteed price.
“Corbel told us in month two what the building would cost in month twenty-two. Final account came in 1.8 percent under.”
Homes created
86
Windows restored
212
Under GMP
1.8%
Lost-time incidents
0
Keep looking
Related projects
-
Renovation
P-117 / Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Cedarburg Mill
An 1855 stone grist mill reborn as a brewery and event hall, joined to a new glass link.
Floor area
3,400 m² / 36,597 ft²
Completed
2023
-
Commercial
P-101 / Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee
Third Ward Exchange
Six storeys of mass-timber offices over street-level retail, delivered three weeks early.
Floor area
11,600 m² / 124,861 ft²
Completed
2024
-
Architecture
P-126 / Riverwest, Milwaukee
Riverwest Clinic
A community health clinic wrapped in timber fins; permits approved, ground breaks in spring.
Floor area
4,100 m² / 44,132 ft²
Completed
In design
Next step
Got an old building worth saving?
We have brought 41 pre-1930 buildings back into use. Tell us about yours and we will walk it with you, free.