People – ASK Studio

Bar Nico

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

Bar Nico Bar Nico Craft The space was conceived as a porch. An approachable post-covid space that was open to the sidewalk like a café, but also part of the party…at arm’s length. The success of the space was predicated on the openings of the porch. When closed they needed to be a quiet part of the street’s storefront fabric. When open they needed to make the wall a memory. The owner said he would have “Boonie” make some “doors”. There was eye-rolling amongst the design team. Until they were installed. When closed they needed to be a quiet part of the street’s storefront fabric. When open they needed to make the wall a memory. The hardware was beautiful. The motions and movement are poetic. The levers are art. The straight- line gears look like foliage on a metal seedling. The “doors” are light visually, heavy physically and balanced in both spectrums… This is craft. . Location: Des Moines, IA Program: Commercial Area: 2,000 SF Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio
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Broken Arrow

by Brent Schipper· March 21, 2022· in · 0 comments

Acutely angled, metal-clad forms on a building exterior express Broken Arrow Wear LLC’s branding and company culture. The T-shirt printing and embroidery business was created with an addition to, and retrofit of, a former fast-food restaurant. The structure remains simple, a continuation of a humble wood frame. The envelope is a combination of new and existing, but the form is a derivation of the company’s name: Broken Arrow. The street façade is an exclusive conveyed through an amalgam of angles with conspicuous breaks. The angular planes are fashioned from curtainwall, stainless steel shingles and metal panels. Location: Des Moines, IA Program: Commercial Area: 5,628 SF Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell - Integrated Studio
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Walnut Creek Park Shelter

by Brent Schipper· November 23, 2021· in · 0 comments

The Walnut Creek Regional Park Shelter is a structure that gives identity to a City’s park system and is the major built component of a regional park. The building uses a simple functional layout with an emphasis on form to create a civic gesture on a modest budget. The shelter contains restrooms and protected cover to the park users. The roof form gives drama to the space and the use of natural materials allows the form to sensitively fit the natural beauty of the site. Brick is used for longevity and low maintenance while the soaring roof form adds warmth to the space conceived as a century structure. The form is set away from the road for privacy of use and to draw people into the park through the invitation of the roof form. The shelter is designed for this place and creates this place. Location: Urbandale, Iowa Program: Government/Civic Area: 2,730 Sq Ft Client: City of Urbandale - Parks and Rec Photo Credits: Joseph Kastner
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Riviera Stage at Riverview Park

by Brent Schipper· June 04, 2021· in · 0 comments

Riverview Park was an amusement park operating from 1915 to 1978. The park included the Riviera Ballroom, a nationally-known venue. No remnants remain. The site is bare. Riviera Stage is the celebration of a city’s history and a neighborhood’s pride. It is a venue for performance intended to echo the purpose and import of the Riviera Ballroom, which once hosted the likes of Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Lawrence Welk and Glenn Miller. The modern form of the structure belies a series of historical references woven into the design. The open-air venue harkens back to the Riviera’s original open-air design with open side walls and exterior seating areas, the barrel trusses reflect the past legend’s structure and the stage will rest near the spot where the Duke once thrilled crowds. The design’s celebration is rooted in making a place for a vibrancy that has been hushed for nearly four decades. It creates a spirit of adventure through soaring elements that recall the daring of yesterdays “Coaster” and “Wild Mouse”. It is intended to be magical—just like all the ghost structures of the island. The island will again be home to legends, laughter and dancing. Location: Des Moines, Iowa Client: City […]
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Aspen Athletic

by Brent Schipper· October 14, 2020· in · 0 comments

Location: Des Moines, IA Program: Gymnasium Area: 25,287 SF Photo Credits: Joseph Kastner
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Bloomfield Public Library

by Brent Schipper· November 28, 2018· in · 0 comments

The library was a gift from the Carnegie Foundation steeped in heritage and its existing historic fabric was critical. The new addition had to echo this character. We closely read its past through photographs, learning its language. We then wrote a considered sequel. The new roof shrugs beneath the elder roof, a respectful gesture to the latter’s age. Inside new finishes and lighting carefully highlight important features of the old library while enlightening readers. A central entry hall binds the new program to the old structure while giving more visitors access. The project team closely observed every aspect, including a railing in the entry hall and the furniture that would fill the space; in this architecture, as in writing, the punctuation was as important as the narrative. It is a thoughtful extension to a repository of thought. Location: Bloomfield, IA Program: Public Client: City of Bloomfield Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio
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Monroe Place Apartments

by Brent Schipper· November 21, 2018· in · 0 comments

School bells were swapped for doorbells. The redevelopment of the 1961 Monroe Elementary School into a 19-unit affordable housing apartment building is a model for preserving an underutilized structure, giving it a new lease on life while helping to solve an affordable housing shortage. As the first school building in Cedar Rapids to be converted into housing, Monroe Place was designed with the surrounding neighborhoods and families in mind. This project consisted of redesigning classrooms into two, three, and four-bedroom apartment units within the existing footprint of the building and without subdivision of the historic spaces. The repurposing of this historic elementary school is a fundamental precedent for preserving underused buildings and making sound choices in use of an existing infrastructure to strengthen Cedar Rapids communities. Monroe Place reinforces the existing relationship amongst the original 1961 elementary school and the adjacent neighborhood for years to come. For residents of Monroe Place, it’s the opportunity to live affordably in a uniquely designed yet familiar space. The school is awash in color with an original mural and ceramic tile, in many hues, lining the building’s corridors. Original wood doors, hallway tile and cubbies were still in excellent condition. The long and wide […]
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Captain Roy’s

by Brent Schipper· September 10, 2018· in · 0 comments

It was a shed. It had few distinguishing features. There was a patina. Some caused by fire, some caused by flood and still more caused by an unfortunate choice of paint. The shed seemed to have nothing, except a position. This position is defined as: In a park Along a bike trail Beside a river Near a marina To just a few, it was obvious that this was nirvana. A resurrection was required to make a position into a place. A food truck was to be the gravity to this position. It was orange. A fortunate choice of paint. The shed would protect the food truck, contain bathrooms and a bar. The site would be further defined by an asphalt floor dining room under strings of lights, a deck for thinking and drinking and a performance stage repurposed from an ailing pontoon boat. And bike racks. People came to the position. They came by auto, boat, bike and motor bike. They were fed from the food truck, served drinks from the shed and witnessed music emanating from a grounded pontoon craft. The position is now a place called Captain Roy’s. The color choices have been fortunate. […]
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Valley Station

by Brent Schipper· December 08, 2017· in · 0 comments

Located in the historic Valley Junction area of West Des Moines, Valley Station is a senior housing development which pulls cues from 1920s train stations to bring them to a residential scale. Exaggerated overhangs, ornate brackets and an emphasized roof structure come together to pay homage to this historic place. The entry ‘platform’ acts as a staging for patrons waiting for their ride or simply to enjoy the courtyard framed by the buildings. A mix of 2-bedroom units offers a variety of plan configurations, all of which are fully adaptable. The project represents a design/build delivery for a client who has used ASK Studio for over a decade encompassing over 20 projects across the state of Iowa. The project was built in phases due to funding requirements and the design build team worked with owner to create a design and construction sequence that coordinated with funding timing. Location: West Des Moines, Iowa Program: Senior Living Client: Community Housing Initiatives Area: 31,632 SF Photo Credits: Timothy Hursley
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Kibbey Building

by Brent Schipper· November 29, 2017· in · 0 comments

The redevelopment of the Kibbey Building and its adjacent site is a model for small town Iowa main streets. The project consisted of the insertion of 4 apartment units on the second floor of the structure and the redevelopment of the adjacent empty site into a community park. The project’s design was intended to preserve a historic fabric of Main Street. Literally. The project serves as an example of the success in building repurposing, but as a special model in use of neglected and empty sites that erode the downtown fabric. The park embraces the empty corner lot giving it life and purpose. The public canopy supports PV panels used for lighting and power for irrigation pumps. The irrigation system is an active way of conditioning storm water in the hardscape area of downtown and is fed by a storm water management cistern below the Kibbey parking lot. The project is also an example that positive change can happen in small steps. One small building and one bare lot are now making a difference to a community and serving as an example to many others. Location: Marshalltown, Iowa Program: Housing, Residential, Preservation Client: Downtown Leases and Lofts, LLC. Photo […]
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