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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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The structure serves as a wholesale showroom of products made by prisoners in the State Prison System. It is located near the historic state capital complex on a busy urban artery. The unique challenge of this project was to design and build a building in six months with a budget of $85 per square foot, and, due to a fear of vandalism, no windows. An inspired design was created due in large part to an appreciation of the neighborhood as well as inspiration drawn from the culturally founded elements in the works of Luis Barrágan. Persuading the owner that slit windows and polycarbonate panels would resist vandalism, the building transformed from a windowless shed to one that engages the streets with apertures that also gather light to showcase the prison wares inside. While the building remains a shed in form, structure and purpose, it is a good neighbor.   Location: Des Moines, IA Program:  Warehouse/Showroom Area: 8,500 SF Client: Iowa Prison Industries; Iowa Department of Corrections Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio    
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ASK Studio Office

by askstudio-wp_soho· March 04, 2016· in · 0 comments
It seemed so simple. A representation of our abilities… and the paradigms and processes that we embrace…and a place for coffee…  We are a Midwest design firm. We are rooted in a landscape of functional sculptures and relentless organic rhythms of crops all bounded by a Cartesian grid and where nearly anything can be fixed with the proper application of baling wire. It is a simple model. Our studio is intended to speak of this place in a way that does not cartoon the ideals we wish to reflect, but instead use deferential references that as an assembly will result in significance that is architecture - elevating the expectations of ourselves and acceptance of our clients. It is a simple goal. The studio is open. There are no offices, no rooms with doors except for the toilets. This is how we work and learn. It is a simple system. There is a place to make coffee. It’s that simple.    Location:  Des Moines, IA Program:  Office Area:  3,500 SF Client:  ASK Studio Photo Credits:  Timothy Hursley
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The project provides an addition to house a 42 bed Residential Facility serving correctional clients from the community participating in work release programs or as conditions of their sentence. The addition also provides needed square footage to serve the probation, parole, and administrative functions of the facility. Approximately 3,600 square feet was remodeled in the existing building to enhance its operations and increase safety of the staff, public, and residents. The two story building is oriented to the south of the current facility with a connection to the existing building. The new design was based upon respecting the existing facility’s aesthetic and operations. It mimics the existing building in program, plan and materiality, but simply states its more contemporary origins. An added benefit of its plan is the partial enclosure it creates for a courtyard that is used by the residents. Slated to be a LEED certified building, the design maximizes healthy and energy conserving day-lit spaces throughout.   Location: Sioux City, IA Program:  Office/Residential Corrections Area: 18,550 SF Addition Client: Iowa Department of Corrections Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio  
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The structure serves as administrative offices, logistics center and public interface for a bus transit agency of a small city. It is to represent to the public an image of service through professionalism and efficiency. The users charge was simple; “Don’t let us look like a shop office stuck on a bus barn.” Overall, the building is treated as a machine of parts and purpose. The design encompasses queues of the bus, from the public “entry well” to the individual offices behind a streamlined series of apertures. Examples of efficiencies realized include the stacking of the program elements as well as the unique heating system that is supported by the captured waste heat of the nearby university power plant. The building serves as a radiator of a system larger than itself, a component that led to it earning the first municipal structure to achieve LEED Gold status in the State of Iowa.   Location:  Ames, IA Program:  Office / Transportation Area:  10,000 SF Addition Client:  Ames Transit Authority Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio    
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Home to Stay

by askstudio-wp_soho· February 19, 2016· in · 0 comments
Affordable housing is a critical need in many communities, but the needs of persons with criminal records are often more desperate and rarely addressed. While the needs of this group are similar to those of the general populace, the particular focus of this project was to create a safe, secure environment with a sense of normalcy. Situated on a narrow, sloping site near the edge of the city in an industrial district, the community layout looks inward to emphasize its uniqueness from its surroundings. All of the dwellings have individual front doors. Every person and family is given an identity for the neighborhood to recognize, respect, and protect. There are no corridors and there are no unintended references to the unfortunate typology of affordable housing, such as low slung gables and the drone of the sameness of skin, aperture and color. Windows reference spaces within rather than economy railings made of composite lumber; they are melodic rather than utilitarian and elements such as trellises, window bays, sun screens, and railings are employed to allow the building to change and live with sunlight. The result is affordable housing without the constant reminders of status and caste.   Location:  Cedar Rapids, IA […]
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UIHC AirCare Hangar

by askstudio-wp_soho· February 15, 2016· in · 0 comments
This project is replacement of an existing aircare hangar. It is composed of a hangar for medical helicopters with maintenance shop, office, lounge and sleeping quarters. Central to its design is its solutions to resistance to the elements, solar orientation and ease of access. It is also slated for LEED certification. The building is simple in program and form. It is composed of three types of metal panels and glass. The contrast of the horizontally and vertically oriented metal panels help to balance the height of the structure with the vast, flat surrounding landscape. This juxtaposition, along with the shed top creates a “hat” that shelters and protects from the elements. Clerestories above the hangar doors provide daylight to the space inside.   Location:  Iowa City, IA Program:  Aviation Area:  6,326 SF Client:  University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Photo Credits:  Cameron Campbell, Integrated Studio  
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Oakridge Teen Center

by askstudio-wp_soho· December 27, 2015· in · 0 comments
“Mission: To provide a safe, secure neighborhood with supportive housing, programs and services which build and develop the strengths of children, adults and families moving them toward sustained self-sufficiency and self-reliance.” The Teen Center provides recreational services to the youth of the Homes of Oakridge, a 300-unit multi-family housing neighborhood. Included in the program is a gym, multipurpose room, exercise room, computer room and an office for staff. It is projected to be the first LEED Platinum building in an affordable housing community in the State of Iowa. This project utilizes solar photovoltaic panels on the roof to provide most of the building’s energy. The soaring shed roof allows ample space for gymnasium activities as well as the opportunity to maximize daylight in the space. Shared interior windows pull light from the gymnasium into the auxiliary multipurpose room. The materiality and vibrant color on the envelope are a connection to both the existing apartment buildings onsite and the culture of much of the community’s residents.   Location: Des Moines, IA Program:  Multipurpose/Recreation Area: 3,680 SF Client: Oakridge Neighborhood Services Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio  
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