Historic Mill Reborn, Massachusetts
Historic Mill in Massachusetts Reborn with Natural Expanded Cork Cladding
A 1910 mill building in Assonet, Massachusetts, has been transformed into the new 11,000-square-foot corporate headquarters for Piping Systems Installations, Inc. The adaptive reuse project, led by Jones Payne Architects, is a story of heritage, community, and sustainability, brought to life through the innovative use of expanded cork cladding manufactured in Portugal by Amorim Cork Solutions and distributed in the United States by Eco Supply.
Cork: A Story of Heritage and Sustainability
For Principal Architect Nadia Melim, the material choice was deeply personal. With family roots in Portugal, she selected cork to honor her heritage while reinforcing the project’s commitment to sustainable design.
“Cork is one of my favorite materials, it’s low-maintenance, environmentally responsible, and beautiful. It brings warmth to the façade, and it tells a story - about the building, the place, and where we come from”
Cork is harvested without harming the tree and offers thermal acoustic insulation and natural long term durability. In this project, the expanded cork provides a warm, textured base for the building’s façade, contrasted by sleek black metal panels above. Over time, the cork will naturally weather to a lighter tone, enhancing the depth and richness of the building’s design.
Reconnecting Building, Community, and Legacy
Beyond the material innovation, the renovation reflects a full-circle journey for the project team. Design lead John Taylor carried his own family legacy into the work - his brother now owns Piping Systems, Inc., where their father was the company’s first employee. Melim herself began her architecture career under Taylor’s mentorship, making this project a reunion of personal and professional ties.
By softening the mill’s industrial scale and reintroducing daylight, texture, and proportion, the design reestablishes the building as a community anchor: respectful of its history, responsive to the present, and sustainable for the future.
Eco Supply – Bringing Cork to the US Market
The cork façade was supplied in the United States through Eco Supply, a distributor specializing in environmentally responsible building materials. Based in Virginia and serving projects nationwide, Eco Supply partners with manufacturers such as Amorim Cork Solutions to make innovative, sustainable products accessible to architects, builders, and designers across North America.
“Working with a material like expanded cork allows us to support both high-performance design and environmental responsibility,” said Lee Beckman, A&D Sustainability Consultant at Eco Supply. “This project shows how sustainable materials can also create powerful cultural and architectural connections”, he added.
Why Use Expanded Cork on the Façade
- Enhanced Thermal Insulation: Cork has low thermal conductivity and excellent acoustic insulation, making it ideal for building insulation. Amorim MD Facade cork panels offer high resistance to both heat and cold, ensuring interior comfort.
- Aesthetic Versatility: Expanded cork used as a façade cladding material provides a dual benefit: it acts as a high-performance technical solution and simultaneously enhances the building's visual appeal. Projects like Casa da Levada demonstrate how cork not only serves a practical purpose but also contributes to architectural identity.
- Sustainability: Cork is a 100% natural, sustainable, renewable, and recyclable material that aligns with modern demands for eco-conscious construction and responsible design. The result is an energy-efficient building, requiring minimal maintenance, and seamlessly integrated into the rural setting.