Renovation and Addition
Completed 1998
Louisville, Kentucky

The project scope was to design a new look for the old Goodwill Industries store image and double the size of an existing small building formerly used for an insurance office. The architectural design was required to include drop off, retail, and processing areas for the merchandise. The goal was to design a building that was brighter and cleaner in an effort to defeat the common perception that Goodwill stores are dark and dusty facilities.

Goodwill Industries is a well-run business that operates utilizing donated items. The new look designed for the building presented a dynamic front where the items are dropped off. The ceiling in the new addition raises 25 feet to clerestory windows. As a result of this new open design, valuable wall space that is necessary for retail products was optimized, and at the time, the design still affords natural light to flood the space. The design provides a feeling of open space and air, even though the footprint of the building remains small.

The main entry took the form of a simple rotated cube pinched by brick beams on the exterior and shooting through the glass block on the interior. The rotated cube marks the entry of the building and also makes a gesture to the high school across the street and a small bus stop designed for this project that was never realized at Main Street in Williamsburg. The grey tile on the cube helps distinguish it from the red brick beams.