To leverage the aesthetic precedent, the design also called for new overhead garage doors on the restaurant’s front, which would be opened in warmer months to extend the dining area onto the patio. The New Jersey climate required sufficient insulation for the dining room to be comfortable during winter months, for which the solution was to specify specialized overhead doors. The glass and aluminum replacement doors include insulation for energy efficiency and noise attenuation. The result is a cozy dining room in the winter and, in summer, a sprawling dining area that extends onto the patio. An awning installed over the patio provides shelter against the rain for up to 40 guests.
Complying with Codes
When building occupancy is being changed, design teams may encounter fire code issues, especially when the occupancy increases. In the case of Nomad Pizza, the patio area raised this issue. Because total occupancy determines whether sprinklers are required, the numbers would determine whether the building would need to be sprinklered, which would mean installing expensive and unsightly water supply lines overhead, even under the awning. Code officials eventually determined that, with the patio area in use less than half the year, a sprinkler system would not be needed. For projects involving a change of use—as in adaptive reuse—which might increase the occupancy, design teams should be equipped to deliver solutions that satisfy code requirements by retrofitting needed elements into the existing structure when necessary.
There were other code-related challenges, as well. For example, Princeton’s zoning regulations for structures require approval for mechanical systems visible from the outside. The rooftop-installed mechanical equipment presented a potential stumbling block, even after the kitchen vent and stack were located where they would be the least prominent. To disguise what was still visible of the exhaust components and a makeup air unit, we specified a louvered aluminum screenwall that met the local prescriptive requirements for appearance.
The structure’s small footprint did present one major obstacle for food service: There was little room for the installation of a walk-in refrigerator. The design team and clients agreed the best solution would be to position the refrigerator in front of the restaurant to one side of the patio, where it would be easily accessible. But to avoid having the unit be an eyesore, the team agreed on a small bumped-out addition, covered in western red cedar plank that would echo the cladding specified for the rear facade. This workable solution required a minor zoning variance (for the additional square footage added to the building) and one compromise: Kitchen staff need to go outside to reach the walk-in. The only alternative was a connecting door that would have eliminated several counter seats for patrons, so this minor inconvenience for staff represents a trade-off against a potential loss of revenue.
Adaptive reuse projects like Nomad Pizza represent opportunities for architects, designers, their clients and the communities in which they operate. By salvaging entire unused existing structures, we can simultaneously reduce a project’s budget, shorten its construction schedule, mitigate the project’s environmental impact by reusing large quantities of structural material and preserve a piece of characteristic architecture that may be locally beloved.
Although it may be overstating the case to say that this former gas station is “locally beloved,” its preservation and reuse have received across-the-board praise from Princeton’s community leaders and residents. The conversion of the station into a hospitality venue stands as a model for others to emulate, and we hope it will lead to exciting opportunities for entrepreneurs and architects nation- wide to explore and utilize unexpected locations—including many thousands of former fueling stations.
Retrofit Team
Architect of Record: Joshua Zinder Architecture + Design, Princeton, N.J.
Owner/Developer: EDENS, Boston
Landscape Architecture/Design Consulting: Groundswell Design Group, Philadelphia
Architect, Interior: Steven S. Cohen Architect P.C., Princeton
Site/Civil Engineering: Bohler Engineering, Albany, N.Y.
MEP/FP Engineering: GnP Design Group, Bensalem, Pa.
Structural Engineering: SE2 Engineering LLC, Conshohocken, Pa., (610) 828-1550
General Contractor: Elrath Construction, Yardley, Pa.
Design Consultant to Nomad Pizza: Stokes Architecture, Philadelphia
Materials
Aluminum Storefront: Kawneer 451T
Exterior Wood: Western Red Cedar
Awnings: Durasol, Genius model
Garage Doors: Arm-R-Lite, Electra model glass/aluminum overhead doors