Adaptive Reuse at U-Haul Moving & Storage of Holyoke

Founded in 1848, William Skinner and Sons was known for manufacturing a variety of textiles, specializing in silk products. The founder, William Skinner, was an English immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1845. Skinner utilized his prior knowledge of the silk industry to create the Unquomonk Silk Company. Skinner's original factory in Williamsburg, Massachusetts was flooded when a dam broke along the Mill River in 1874. The flood caused devastating financial losses, but Skinner was determined to rebuild. He was enticed by a generous offer from the Holyoke Water Power Company to rebuild his manufacturing plant along the Connecticut River. The Holyoke Water Power Company offered him an entire city block for a personal residence for the price of $1 and a mill site free of rent for five years. In 1897, Skinner rebuilt the company mill along the First Canal of the Connecticut River and experienced a vigorous growth in silk products and sales. Skinner's sons joined the business in 1886 and the company name was officially changed to William Skinner & Son's Silk Manufacturing. By 1912, this family-owned company was one of the largest silk mills in the world. 

William Skinner and Sons became popular in Hollywood, creating silk gowns for stars like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The company contributed to the wartime effort, creating high quality silk products for parachutes for U.S. paratroopers in World War II. The William Skinner and Sons satin and silk mill building was acquired 98 years later for adaptive reuse by U-Haul in 1995. La réutilisation adaptative des bâtiments permet à U-Haul de promouvoir l'aménagement intercalaire pour répondre aux besoins des citoyens tout en préservant les ressources naturelles et les terrains normalement nécessaires à une construction neuve. Adaptive reuse also allows resources to be focused on integrating environmentally thoughtful features into the existing building rather than creating waste in the form of demolition and using valuable resources for new construction.

Serving U-Haul customers since 1995, this facility was built through adaptive reuse of an abandoned building. La réutilisation adaptative favorise l'aménagement intercalaire dans le but de renforcer les communautés. Parmi les bienfaits obtenus, la réutilisation a permis d'éviter : 

• la fabrication et le transport de 58 tonnes de métal 
• le coulage de 10 220 tonnes de nouveau béton 
• 10 290 tonnes de débris de construction et de démolition 

Energy-efficiency and waste-reduction programs at this facility provide the following estimated benefits each year for the Holyoke community: 

• réaliser des économies de 71 475 kWh par année 
• 4,402,731 lbs greenhouse gas emissions prevented 

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  Production de l'acier La fabrication et le transport de 58 tonnes (53 tonnes métriques) d'acier ont été évités à ce jour

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  Énergie Économies de 71 475 kWh par année

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  Béton Coulage de 10 220 tonnes (9 274 tonnes) de nouveau béton évité à ce jour.

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  Émissions 4 402 731 lb (1 997 066 kgs) d'émissions de gaz à effet de serre ont été évitées

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  Débris pour les sites d'enfouissement 10 290 lb (9 338 kg) de débris de construction ont été évitées

• U-Haul Moving & Storage de Holyoke
• Good Silk is Always Good Property