Live – ASK Studio

James on Grand

by Brent Schipper· August 09, 2023· in · 0 comments

The James on Grand The James on Grand is a 56-unit luxury active adult community built in Des Moines, Iowa. The 56,000 SF structure is programmed private community although it shares a site with a community that serves both assisted living and independent living residents. The building is a four-story wood structure over 72 parking stalls in a subgrade precast garage. The design puts and emphasis on the urban living with community amenities. The tight site required that views be created for many units through the design of an exterior courtyard that features dining spaces and outdoor gathering around a fireplace feature. The units are all designed with floor to ceiling windows to engage the surrounding neighborhood and the mature trees. The living experience is focused on this unique fenestration and the unique feeling of openness and light created by this feature. The project boasts amenities including remote work spaces, a lounge with a billiards bar and a fitness area that rivals club equipment. The James on Grand is focused on urban living rewards. . Location: Des Moines, IA Program: Multi-Family Area: 56,000 SF Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio
Read More

The Brenton

by Brent Schipper· July 24, 2023· in · 0 comments

The building was originally designed as a bank. The Brenton Banks were a family owned chain of successful financial institutions known for embracing the formalism and narrative of modern architecture. The Brenton, as the building is now aptly named, is not simply modern. It is New Formalism, a style which emerged in the 1960s as a rejection to the rigid form of Modernism. The style represents one of many 20th century efforts to wed the building forms of the past with new forms enabled by new material technologies. New Formalist buildings embraced many Classical precedents such as building proportion and scale, classical columns, highly stylized entablatures, and colonnades. Here the style was representative of banking and business much like Neo Classism was the language of commerce for centuries before. The introduction of a residential program into a classically gridded temple of commerce had elements that inserted easily, but the introduction of foreign systems like increasing the number of plumbing fixtures ten-fold required careful consideration, especially at the Teller Lobby. The lobby is a space critical to understanding the buildings hierarchy of space and structural grid. The office areas at each end of the buildings were refitted to living units, including […]
Read More

Grand Prix

by Brent Schipper· May 18, 2022· in · 0 comments

The Grand Prix renovation is an exemplary exercise in finding a structure’ architectural strengths in order to give it a marketable appeal. While it could simply be seen as a make-over, the process was one of respectful deconstruction rather than an applique of cosmetic layers. The project began with a recognition of proportion. The number of moves made was determined by the mundanity of budget. The Proportions were preserved, framed and highlighted. Faux mansards. Removed. Unappealing railing were retained…deemphasized. The materials were selected to be economical - black for drama and wood for warmth. This building is giving new life and new appeal. The retention of a built environment in a throw-away society is s sustainable success. The project is simple, but thoughtful. It is found architecture. Location: Des Moines, IA Program: Apartments Area: 8,931 SF Client: Newbury Living Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio
Read More

Imperial

by askstudio-wp_soho· May 17, 2022· in · 0 comments

The design for the lobby space in a half-century old apartment building began with a room that was too small and lacked any definition of the place. The design solution was based on layering, lightness and focus. With a limited budget, all the ills of the space would need to be challenged with paint, flooring and an architectural millwork element. The space was made to feel larger with the layering effect and the unfocused planes were aligned and given import through signage and color. The white of the screen and the floor gave the room an identity and focus that is punctuated by the crown graphic that represents the Imperial Apartments. Given the derisory budget and the resulting limited moves allowed to redefine this simple space, the millwork screen needed to be perfect in execution. It is the layer, light and focus. It is the art. It is the singular move. Working with Tom Simmons Custom Woodworking made the design succeed. A craftsman who understood the details of detachment at the base and the top…There was an immediate appreciation for the design and its intricacies. There were not numerous phone calls and emails regarding how it could be made “easier.” […]
Read More

The Bridges

by Brent Schipper· November 30, 2020· in · 0 comments

The design of the Bridges Lofts is based on capitalizing on the qualities of a site: it affords views of the Mississippi and is visible from thousands of vehicles crossing the bridge every day. The design is also guided by the principles of new urbanism. Fundamentally, the project increases the density of the city core, advancing the discernable center. It creates an urban edge that focuses on the building rather than parking. It engages the street with diversity of purpose. It’s introduction to the community was a catalyst for change in downtown Bettendorf. The building has a commercial and parking base with 4 stories of dwellings above. The building is a saw-toothed “U” shape which affords views toward the river for nearly 80% of the 132 units. The center of the “U” is home to green space commons and a swimming pool. The building beckons the city with attention grabbing geometry. It engages the neighborhood through a human scale with balconies and commerce on State Street, and finally, creates an internal community engagement with an organization around the green space commons and a spectacular rooftop patio. Focusing on site attributes has produced a building that is a success as a […]
Read More

Village on Main

by askstudio-wp_soho· November 28, 2020· in · 0 comments

The Village on Main is a three story, 50-unit affordable housing structure on the west side of the Village of Waunakee. It represents the first project of its type in Waunakee and is a part of the village’s primary east west corridor. The project takes cues from the classic ‘main street’ America. While budget is always the primary concern for affordable housing, this does not mean that affordable buildings should look affordable. Economy is achieved through simplicity, efficiency, and the uncommon uses of common materials. Patio doors are used to frame views of the neighboring wetland. Single hung windows in pairs and trifectas draw light into units and diversify fenestration in an unexpected manner. The structure is situated as far south on the site as zoning ordinances would allow due to wetland constraints. The resultant footprint is a long double loaded corridor. The building frontage along the primary traffic corridor is punctuated by multiple colors and textures of siding. Every color change is accompanied by a parapet height change. The result is a welcome; welcome to the Village. Location: Waunakee, WI Program: Multi-Family Residential Area: 16,727 SF Client: Cohen-Esrey Photo Credits: Joseph Kastner
Read More

Scottish Rite Park Addition

by Brent Schipper· November 23, 2020· in · 0 comments

The existing building is 11 stories of highly repetitive elements set in a cartesian grid. It is a concrete monolith. It is Brutalist. The aspiration was to make the building more youthful. Quite literally to appeal to a younger demographic from the outside and to live younger for the residents who call this community home. The design team helped to imagine a way of receiving guests based on hospitality paradigms and challenged the archaic terminology and environment of the “Dining Room” with a “Bistro” containing a bar. The addition, which adds less than 1% to the square footage of the community, transforms how the residents live and gather. It also serves as a visual invitation into the building that was often described as cold and uninviting. The entry is focused on a concierge station with mail boxes forming a boundary for the lobby spaces. The goal is to allow the community to have an active purpose of retrieving mail in the lobby. Residents engage the lobby and each other around this daily activity. The lobby has a hearth, an eddy where conversations from the mailboxes can be continued. The bistro on the upper level is focused on views. The all […]
Read More

4000 Ingersoll

by Brent Schipper· November 23, 2020· in · 0 comments

The design is a distillation of the neighborhood character; a synthesis of building codes, zoning set-backs, adherence to a proforma and respect: A respect for the opinions expressed in neighborhood meetings, the neighborhood context, a house painstakingly moved to a new location and mature trees that remained. The adjacent structures were significant structures in the historic district. The neighborhood wanted a structure rooted in historical references, but not mimicking the nearby structures. The design team evaluated the neighborhood stylistically and plotted the successful interventions in recent history. The most extolled buildings of the last 50 years were clearly modern, but neighborhood discussions that ensued pointed to a building that was “moderne” rather than modern. A direction that struck a communal chord was Art Deco. The design team embraced the challenge of reference, opting specifically for horizontal emphasis of the late Art Deco phase or concurrent movement of Art Moderne. The building is an alchemy of style; nautical references, extended roof edges, deference to horizontal lines in moments of shadow and in the application of siding are all derived from Art Moderne precedents. There are obvious Art Deco gestures, including window groupings with masonry frames and the fenestration’s challenge to corners […]
Read More

Bryn Mawr

by Brent Schipper· May 27, 2020· in · 0 comments

Bryn Mawr shares a name with a small Pennsylvania city. The term Bryn Mawr means is a Welsh term meaning large hill. The name fits the site, which has views toward downtown Des Moines. The structure was built in 1918 and had always served as an apartment building. The building had fallen into a state of disrepair and its quiet presence was under appreciated. It was not attracting renters despite a stellar location it’s patinaed historic character.The renovation of the Bryn Mawr was centered on keeping the past as a focus, while modernizing sensitively with respectful materials. In the century since it was built, the very economical use of living space has once again become prevalent. The units are small, featuring efficiency kitchens and abundant windows. With small units are once again in demand and the Bryn Mawr offers a unique environment in a market of many newly constructed efficiencies.The project included the introduction of air-conditioning, fire sprinklers and envelope upgrades including repointing the brick to match the original mortar. The units were enhanced with updated kitchens, refinished wood floors and bathrooms featuring “penny” tile surfaces. The closets, which once housed murphy beds, were converted to clothing closets, while the […]
Read More

3801 Grand

by Brent Schipper· May 27, 2020· in · 0 comments

The project scope was small in physical size. It encompassed an entry, reception lobby and dining room. The project intention, however, was to update the ambiance of the entire facility through the upgrades to these key spaces which illuminate the character of care afforded to the residents. It was the expectation of families and residents that the act of receiving guests be akin to a fine hotel and dining an experience similar to a select restaurant. The palette for the upgrades is warm and elegant, but stylistically the character in intentionally contemporary with cues from vogue examples of hospitality venues. The design is a material assemblage staged around arrivals. The first arrival of visitors to the reception and the second, but equally important the daily arrival of residents to the dining room. Each arrival is a progression through layers of intimate space with the gravity of a hearth in the datum of both paths.3801 Grand uses the hearth as a marker of home and a memory of welcoming. It is a part of every arrival. It is the thoughtful act of entrance. Location: Des Moines, IowaProgram: HousingArea: 3800 Sq FtClient: Newbury LivingPhoto Credits: ASK Studio
Read More