If there is one thing we’ve learned in the past five years it is that economic sustainability is key to survival. This applies to business practice in general but in a greater sense it applies to how we approach projects as architects, designers, and collaborators in the future of the built environment. It is clear that as key influencers in decisions related to site selection, program, building systems and materials, our ability to equip our clients with an environment that promotes long-term sustainability (environmentally and economically), is in many cases the determining factor between project success and failure.
Although we’ve always been individually business minded, I have to admit that five years ago this discussion would have been skewed more heavily toward our passion for design…and although aesthetics/outward appearances continues to be one of our many priorities, experience has taught us that real design success is often gauged by our ability to navigate the politics, the budget, and the business end of the business.
The past five years have taught us about the evolving definition of “capacity” :
1. Our client’s perception of our capacity (as in competence) to design and document the work.
2. Our clients perception of our capacity (as in the appropriate staff) to execute the work.
3. Our client’s perception of our capacity (as in financial ability) to maintain the work.
The projects below document the five-year journey from our firm’s infancy to adolescence. Each project listed certainly contributed to our growth from the aforementioned first phase of “capacity” to the next. We are still learning, we are still growing, but most importantly we are still in love with this profession. We thank our clients for their confidence in our firm and look forward to what the future will bring.
Pendulum Studio Built Work 2009 – 2011
East Village Apartments
The East Village Apartment building is the first phase of a master planned ten block redevelopment of downtown Kansas City, MO. This fifty-unit, four-story residential building was designed to complement the neighboring Power & Light Entertainment District and accommodate Kansas City metro citizens that desire to live and work within the urban core. As the master architect for the development, Pendulum Studio was instrumental in the creation of design standards and development guidelines for the Urban Redevelopment District (URD) approved by the City of Kansas City Planning and Zoning Commission.
Swope South Health Clinic
The Swope South Health Clinic is a 5,000 square foot tenant improvement of an abandoned strip mall located at 87th Street and Troost in Kansas City, MO. The scope of the project included selective demolition of existing partitions, cooking equipment, and finishes to be replaced by exam rooms, community meeting space, and administrative offices. This project is an example of Pendulum’s ability to deliver a turn-key, fast tracked solution that included general design, interior finishes, FF&E selection and coordination, custom fabrication, and construction management. The total scope of work was completed in four months.
The Corn Crib
The Corn Crib is a multi-purpose sports facility shared by the Normal Cornbelters, a Frontier League Independent Baseball Club, and Heartland Community College men’s and women’s athletics which includes baseball, softball, and soccer. The stadium consists of 4,500 fixed seats, twelve premium suites, four locker rooms, and a flexible artificial turf playing surface equipped with a removable pitching mound that accommodates quick changeover between events. In addition tot he aforementioned cope, the total project cost included a soccer and softball practice field, 600 paved parking spaces, and 600 grass parking spaces. The Corn Crib is a good example of Pendulum’s ability to deliver a significant project scope with a modest budget on a fast-tracked schedule.
Rooftop Hospitality
This rooftop hospitality building is located on the uppermost floor of the Cosentino’s Market parking garage at the corner of 14th Street and Main directly adjacent to the Jones Pool. The building program consists of four water closets, three urinals, six lavatories, a drinking fountain, and storage area. The purpose of the building is to allow the City to serve patrons that desire to eat lunch or walk and enjoy the sun during the work week. During the evening hours and on weekends when the weather is favorable, wedding receptions and civic events can be hosted on the rooftop comfortably accommodating up to 600 patrons. Although the City required a conventional “bricks and mortar” delivery method, Pendulum learned valuable lessons from this project. Given the right circumstances the implementation of a prefabricated “off-grid” delivery method would allow the installation of an identical building for half the budget in half the time. Pendulum continues to study this modular approach to design that will be showcased in future projects.
On Deck…
