Dobson Pipe Organ Builders were displaced from their shops and offices on June 15, 2021, by a devastating fire. The fire precipitously changed the texture of the square in the small community.
The replacement was intended to represent the craft of organ building…not just a metal building.
The structure is predominately shop and storage space. The principal programmatic requirements were high ceilings and flexible, open space. The program seemed at odds with the town square site and the intended narrative of craft. Budget was not flexible. The narrative needed to be written with fewer words…a haiku. A typical structure with limited words to give meaning in just three lines…
Contrary to the original beliefs regarding epitomes of craft, the building is grounded in a common metal frame placed on a uniform grid, which is line #1. It is foremost economical. The scale is inherently larger than anything else on the square, because most neighboring buildings come from a past that had a different scale. The mass is quieted with color…black. It recedes and remains quiet despite the unfamiliar size.
The entry is line #2. The corner entry ties the building to the square with the reaching canopy and the material unique to the palette. The wood of the canopy is akin to the “case” of an organ. It is the focus of much detail in the design and building of an organ. It is unique to each instrument.
The final line is the erecting room, which does not fit within the common frame. The height needs to match those spaces found in cathedrals. The towering volume represents the pipes in the narrative, and the color is a familiar silver shimmer of tin and lead.
Three lines that fit a small town.
It is just a metal building.
Location: Lake City, IA
Program: Industrial
Area: 15,998 SF
Client: Dobson Pipe Organ Builders
Photo Credits: Integrated Studio, Cameron Campbell