515-277-6707
Location: Coralville, IA Program:  Studios Area: 9,639 SF  Client: University of Iowa 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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Koester Construction Office

by Brent Schipper· November 23, 2020· in · 0 comments
  The office design for a construction company began with diagrams of an organization.  The process and pace of the office space was to be organized with the same care that a construction site demands.  The program was developed with the need to improve efficiency through enabling team work in both active and passive settings.  The materials and compositions are to highlight a care to craftsmanship, a trait now serving the realization of design at Koester. Location: Grimes, IowaProgram: CommercialArea: 14,948 SFClient: Koester ConstructionPhoto Credits: Joseph Kastner  
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The Cove at KettlestoneThis building serves as a quiet backdrop; a simple building for a simple program. Each element exists because it is significant. Doors are camouflaged to simplify the structure’s presentation. Parapets are merely as tall as needed to adequately weatherproof. A screen to hide coolers is only a screen. An awning to house signage is just that. A pallet of four complementary materials selected for commodity and durability serve as an unassuming canvas.In general, the retail center has come to define the shopping experience of Iowans. These other so called ‘strip-malls’ have become ubiquitous to the milieu of the mid-west. However, this project’s subdued presence makes it stand out.   Location: Waukee, IowaProgram: CommercialArea:  15,920 Sq FtClient: Build to SuitPhoto Credits: Joseph Kastner
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Rainbow Playsystems

by Brent Schipper· May 13, 2020· in · 0 comments
This project was developed to create a new showroom for Rainbow Play Systems in the Des Moines area. Masonry was selected for its durability in providing a backdrop to the playgrounds and colors contained within the building. The building is as exuberant as the play areas it contains but in a way that only a building can be. This character is created using brick’s stacked construction method; courses were offset 3⁄4” to create a texture without changing materials. The owner was required to meet stringent aesthetic ordinances that required durable exterior materials and variation of the form of the face. The design met this challenge by using brick with offset patterns and split face concrete masonry units to break up the large profile of the building. This design used brick because it does not require additional finishes meaning that it will not release toxins such as VOCs into the atmosphere. It’s durability is inherent, not applied.   Location: Grimes, IowaProgram: CommercialArea: 11,531 Sq FtClient: Rainbow of IowaPhoto Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio
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The new home for Community and Family Resources is the result of a five-year partnership that began with programming and site selection and culminated in making architecture that’s serves to heal. The building brings together programs previously housed in three separate facilities. CFR charged the design team with allowing them to better serve their clients, while being more efficient due to the constant struggle of limited funds.  The design is based on achieving a residential scale and feel in a building that is much larger than the neighboring single family and multifamily residences in the neighborhood. The plan uses wings to break the roof line into smaller scale elements while the wings allow for security and privacy between disparate program elements of children’s zone, female zone, male zone and flexible orientation zone. The roof is a familiar shingled pitch in a hip shape. The hip allowed the implementation of prairie elements in the fenestration pattern and deep overhangs for the texture of shadows and sun control for energy efficiency.The connect wings result in campus which includes housing components, office space, community meeting spaces. The campus aids CFR in caring for “One Life at a Time”, “One Day at a Time”. […]
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Leepfrog Technologies

by Brent Schipper· August 25, 2017· in · 0 comments
The design begins with a sketch by one of the clients.  It is a plan.  A sock shape that has three distinct parts: a foot, a heel and a leg.  This sketch represents the areas of software development (foot), business functions (leg) and the common areas of shared ideas and culture (heel).  The sketch would represent to basis of all design decisions. The building begins with its users; a technology company producing and selling software to universities for on-line course catalogs - the most successful and prolific company of its kind.  With a steady forecast of growth, the company seeks a headquarters that will support their business activities and reinforce and celebrate their culture. The company is led by a dynamic trio of technology savvy entrepreneurs who have an affinity for a partially wooded site, a respect for the individuals they employ and a pride in who they have become. The building is an extrusion of this parti.  The form emphasizes the importance of the software developers (devs) through the inclusion of a foil that delineates where the building “becomes” theirs.  The foil is literally a metallic insertion that is read from outside to inside.  The building changes languages from […]
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Prairie Business Park

by Brent Schipper· October 27, 2016· in · 0 comments
Located at the crossroads of interstate and highway, the Prairie Business Park offers leaseholders a highly visible location with brand identity. The Park is industrial in form, structure and purpose; still, its exterior marks it unique. Alternating masses of grey and white add visual appeal through repetition, while also drawing attention to the building’s signage. The inclusion of colored graphics transform basic windows into something more engaging for passing traffic. While Prairie Business Park remains industrial in program; it elevates the aesthetic of industrial building and is a testament to the importance of design.    Location: Grimes, IA Program: Industrial Area: 260,000 SF Client: R&R Realty Group Photo Credits: Tara Maurer
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Marel

by askstudio-wp_soho· July 27, 2016· in · 0 comments
The interior architecture of this space, used by a manufacturer of food production machinery, is to reinforce this multinational company’s commitment to innovation. The design began with the procession of staff and visitors. A path was plotted from the front door, where visitors are given views of test kitchens and equipment demonstration areas, and led visitors through the facility along a datum referred to as the “Innovation Corridor”. This corridor takes everyone passed and through the business activities of accounting, customer service and marketing, where it ultimately leads to the engineering department aptly titled “Innovation.”   The resultant space is the product of using an existing rhythm overlaid with a procession to a goal. The drama of these simple parameters makes a space that is unique to the people and their product.   Location: Des Moines, IA Program: Office Area: 36,000 SF Client: Marel, Inc. Photo Credits: Cameron Campbell Integrated Studio
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The Adair County Engineer needed additional office space; this goal required assembling a simple program within an unadorned shell that formally referenced the existing structures on site. Concrete serves as the floor in this new office building. The choice was necessitated by the fact that the office would see a lot of muddy feet and the floor would need to withstand frequent cleaning. The reflective floor surface highlights the colors that were used to accent the interior. Circulation spaces are defined by a green color on the ceiling while the reception and conference room sport an orange that is a nod to the paint on the trucks the department uses on a daily basis. The interior walls of the public space are given warmth by knotty pine tongue and groove car siding which helps to differentiate the public axis from the private offices.   Location: Greenfield, IA Program: Office Area: 2,500 SF Client: Adair County Engineer Photo Credits: Tara Maurer and Brent Schipper
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