Gannett Rochester Production Facility

SWBR provided complete architectural and engineering services to Gannett Co., Inc. for the design and construction of a new 150,000 SF newspaper production facility. It houses a 300 ton, state-of-the-art Man Roland Press consisting of three folders and sixteen couples. The 16 linked printing units stand in a row 25 ft. wide, 55 ft. high and 255 ft. long. Besides the printing press, offices, receiving and distribution areas, the facility warehouses over 500,000 tons of paper. Gannett supplies a daily circulation of 221,000 newspapers and a Sunday circulation of 270,000 newspapers.

By necessity the flow diagram of paper entering and ultimately leaving the facility drove the design. It is composed of a series of rectangular elements whose size and shape are decided by the functions occurring within. The treatment and interaction of these rectangular elements were a primary focus of the design. The corners of the outside walls are glass, allowing glimpses of the inter-workings

of the machine. This is particularly apparent on the front elevation where the corners of the press bay are glazed allowing visitors a view, and therefore an understanding of the scale of the massive printing press. The press is the center point of the design. The printing press is not buried in the architecture, but it is celebrated throughout the building.