Although we previously posted information about the start of phase one of the East Village project, we did not outline the complete vision for the overall development. With the multi-family housing and adjacent parking garage making rapid progress toward completion in October of this year, we eagerly anticipate the proposed additional phases outlined in our master plan.
Tag: pendulum studio
Green Bay Bullfrogs on the boards…literally
My Design Process
The first thing my oldest son asks me when I get home is: “what did you do at work today – did you have fun?” With exception to the days that I spend in meetings or on the road my typical answer is: “I sketched most of the day…yep it was a good day”.
Just over a year ago we were cranking away on the Green Bay Bullfrogs’ new stadium and something inspired me to start taking video of our design process for just about everything I do. Needless to say, I’ve got hours of video – this one being the first of a series that features me on the boards with my favorite triangle and circle template.
Based on the wardrobe changes in the video this was a three-day sketch. Although I pushed the speed to 8x in editing, we spent quite a bit of time thinking about how best to tie into existing site context (Fox River & downtown to the east, arts district to the west), blur the site boundary lines (outfield boardwalk & playground), and maximize revenue generating potential (everything inside the secure line).
Green Bay Bullfrogs New Ballpark Update
Downtown Community Green Space
Our message at the 2010 Baseball Winter Meetings was pretty direct – “The ballpark of the future will be smaller, multi-purpose, economically and environmentally sustainable.” The proposed new ballpark for the Green Bay Bullfrogs is all of the above.
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When Pendulum Studio was selected by the Bullfrogs to design the new ballpark, the first order of business was choosing a great site. Although there were a number of sites in consideration, when we arrived at this tiny six acre brownfield parcel in downtown Green Bay, we knew our search was over. The site is bordered by the Fox River to the East, a 200-foot wide river inlet to the North, and Mason Street bridge to the south.
The ballpark design focuses on “right-sizing” the facility to maximize natural site amenities including views to the Fox River and the downtown skyline from inside the ballpark. The incorporation of a generous double-sided grass berm, kid’s fun zone, plaza level wood deck, and a second story banquet pavilion encourages community use during game day and non game day events at the river’s edge. The left field river inlet will feature boat slips in a second phase to accommodate game day boat traffic and a “boat-up” drive-in movie screen attached to the back of the scoreboard.
Small Ballpark With Big Features
As fans pass through one of three secure entry points pictured above, they will have the option of enjoying ballpark features that include the bullpen bar down the left field line, loge boxes behind the left field dugout, dugout club seating behind home plate, and the Bullfrog upper deck down the right field line. Rather than focusing on maximizing the number of fixed seats like most traditional stadiums, our design focus is on maximizing diversity in seating inventory which increases team revenue potential. Although we have incorporated a number of traditional ballpark features in our design, our site specific and contextual approach to this ballpark makes it far from cookie cutter, it will be one of a kind.
East Village Phase One Breaks Ground
New market rate urban housing takes form in downtown Kansas City’s East Village
East Village is a new residential/mixed –use neighborhood located at the northeast corner of the downtown loop in Kansas City, MO. Swope Community Builders retained Pendulum Studio to design an urban master plan aimed at revitalizing this nine-block area currently dominated by surface parking lots. The first phase of this development is the East Village Apartments, a fifty-unit, four-story residential building designed to attract citizens that work within the loop to live downtown.
The exterior design aesthetic of this building is driven by the desire to diffuse the negative connotations typically associated with market rate urban housing – i.e. unsafe and low-income. The series of brick panels along the main entry façade work to establish an overall sense of security at the pedestrian level. Graceful outdoor decks on levels two through four allow residents to safely connect with the outdoors from within their living unit. The stucco reliefs set behind the brick panels are intentionally soft in color and texture adding hierarchy and shadow to the building façade.
General Project Information
Client: Swope Community Builders
Budget: $8,000,000.00
Finance: U.S. Bank/MHDC
Architect: Pendulum Studio LLC
Structural: Dubois Consultants
Civil Engineer Taliaferro & Browne, Inc.
MEP Engineer: BGR Consulting Engineers
Contractor: JE Dunn
Construction on this project began in November of 2010 and is scheduled to be complete by the fall of 2011. We will post photos of the building progress on this blog monthly. If you are interested in tracking the stages of building construction please subscribe to our blog by clicking the button in the upper right column of this page.
Rooftop Hospitality
Although “there’s no place like home” – the thought of using a public toilet facility doesn’t seem so bad when it’s in a smart design with clean lines surrounded by beautiful landscape.
Although “there’s no place like home” – the thought of using a public toilet facility doesn’t seem so bad when it’s in a smart design with clean lines surrounded by beautiful landscape.
Green roofs in Kansas City are impacting the economy as well as the environment in a positive way. In early 2009 the City of Kansas City, MO expressed interest in converting an existing green roof in the Power & Light District above Constantino’s Market parking garage into a revenue generating multi-purpose outdoor event space. Although sedum fields and concrete walking paths were installed during the initial build, pedestrian lighting and public toilet facilities were not in the budget. The lack of these features made the City’s proposed enhanced use of the green space difficult to achieve due to code regulated occupancy requirements.
Pendulum Studio was retained by the Cordish Company and tasked with developing several concepts that would comply with code requirements, accommodate heavy daily use, and be ready for occupancy by the spring of 2010. Our initial design methodology was geared toward a partially off-grid modular solution – constructing the building in two pieces off site then hoisting them into place by crane. Although this approach was intriguing to all parties involved, it was decided that a more traditional “bricks & mortar” approach was most appropriate for this application. One of the keys to our design solution was the selection of materials and colors inside and out that would withstand public use but avoid looking institutional. We achieved this by incorporating SIL-LEED cementitious board on the exterior. It’s gold color contrasted by the adjacent dark metal cladding compliments the limestone and glass buildings in the background. The use of soft colored subway tiles accented by charcoal banding and strategically placed lighting on the interior gives off a warm and inviting vibe.
Next Steps…
Although we did not implement our modular concept on this project, we have not given up on our quest. In fact, this rooftop project is really a predecessor to our shipping container based modular toilet facility soon to be completed. We are now working toward the delivery of four new off-grid modules equipped with solar cells, battery storage, and rain water collection for a municipal client at 50% of the hard construction cost of the traditional “bricks & mortar” method. Stay tuned for more info in an upcoming issue of Pen & Ink.
Photographs by Iiams Images
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