Builders, designers work to make vision a reality

[ignatius]

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansa ... tml?page=2


Builders, designers work to make vision a reality

Lisa Waterman Gray
Contributing Writer

It isn't often that 20 to 30 of the Kansas City area's top engineers, architects and city representatives work together on a project.


But the excitement is palpable as such a group gathers each week to rewrite the history of Downtown by creating the seven-block entertainment and lifestyle district.

"I think there's a can-do spirit in Kansas City that hasn't been visible in a long time," said Bill Johnson, principal and owner of 360 Architecture, the architectural firm for the project. "And I think this district has the responsibility to anticipate and encourage future development around the arena and to the south in particular."

Upscale with plenty of large windows, wide plazas and public art, the district will echo other hip and happening areas, such as the SoHo district in New York City, Johnson said.

Hagos Andebrhan, CEO of Taliaferro & Browne Consulting Engineers Inc., said the district is one of the most exciting projects the company has worked on in a long time.

"There is a lot of energy, and everyone seems to be focused on our deadlines," he said.

Taliaferro is creating civil design for the area and will provide field survey work and assist with structural design for the H&R Block Inc. headquarters. Andebrhan, whose office is at Eighth Street and Grand Boulevard, said he enjoys working on projects in the urban center. Taliaferro worked on Union Station's renovation.

"Now there's an excitement, synergy and energy that are coming to Downtown," Andebrhan said.

Drew Rimmer, vice president of Henderson Engineers Inc., has felt the same energy during the city's weekly planning meetings.

"The attendance list of that first meeting was unbelievable, including people with the arena, the President Hotel and H&R Block," he said. "It's evident this project is at the top of the list for a lot of people."

That includes Henderson Engineers. It has assigned a principal and high-level project manager so two firm members know the project's workings on a daily basis.

The company is creating mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems for the district and specialty lighting that will help the area come alive at night.

"Having the flexibility to allow for holiday and special event lighting and some of the streetscape lighting is something we are trying to bring to this project and have successfully incorporated in other projects," said Rich Smith, executive vice president of Henderson.

The district will be a place of street festivals and special events. Natural and neutral construction materials will take center stage. Dramatic structural metal and glass towers, with equally dramatic lighting, probably will mark district perimeters. Sculpture-quality fountains will provide visual interest, and plantings will change color and shape with the seasons. Creative lighting and graphics also will decorate the district.

"We want people to feel compelled to come back over and over again," 360 Architecture's Johnson said. "(The) district will be modeled after other successful entertainment districts, but it needs to feel authentic to the Kansas City experience. It will have an urban loft feel, with materials and colors that are rooted in the historical architecture of this area but with a fresh, contemporary quality."


Johnson said Grand Boulevard may be similar to Chicago's Michigan Avenue, with a tree-lined and lighted median and significant plantings. Paving patterns will visually define the district and help slow traffic.

Microdistricts will have distinct personalities.

14th Street will become the district's entertainment mecca, with plenty of bars, clubs and restaurants. Large canopies will shield diners who spill out through sliding-glass doors that link the indoor environment with the bustle of pedestrians.

"14th Street will be a signature street for the district," Johnson said. "It will be an incredible party environment that can be turned over to pedestrians."

Buildings in the Kansas City Live block, from Walnut to Grand and 13th to 14th, will focus inward on a courtyard with a garden environment and an entertainment area.

Although the district primarily will provide an evening and weekend experience, it aims to appeal to daytime visitors, too. A central plaza near the new H&R Block headquarters will offer outdoor seating and a view of a high-tech clock tower for lunchtime patrons.

The neighborhood just west of the headquarters also may feature a bookstore and stores from small chains that echo youthful trends. The development also will include a residential area, starting with a 250-unit, 17-story condominium tower.

As residential development emerges between 12th and 13th streets and Main and Walnut streets, so will a grocery store, a health club and service retail such as a shoe repair shop or a dry cleaner.

"A lot of this district's success will be determined by its ability to create a life on the street -- to be a place where people feel secure yet energized," Johnson said. "We want it to have a very adaptable, accommodating feel. This should be a place where buildings are a backdrop and the people are the main event."

Lisa Waterman Gray is a freelance writer in the Kansas City area.

[ignatius]

The SoHo comparison is just plain silly.

After talking to people about P&L, not many know this project is actually happening. They know about the arena but many who live in the City or even work downtown have no clue about this project. Some don't know about the H&RB project either and think the crane is for the arena.

I wonder if downtown housing interest would be even higher if more people knew about this and understood how huge this project is for downtown.

[KansasCityCraka]

^^ Well if the public doesn't know about it, then it's because of the media that doesn't tell the public about every little detail happening DT. I think a channel just for the KC metro would be cool telling all the latest projects and having updates on old projects. That's just a dream I doubt it will ever happen though

[Tosspot]

Ignatius,

As usual, the local television media proves yet again to be as useless as tits on a boar. Almost never is the forthcoming P&L District mentioned on newscasts pertaining to the arena. And as far as print media, we are lucky if Collison makes a blurb in a column a couple times a month about it. This Cordish development should be on the minds of all Kansas Citians, but it is not, and I partly blame the lackadaisical news media here.

Though it's nice to see that the Biz Journal has picked up on these developments.

I too take pause at the comparisons of the new district to SoHo in New York or Michigan Avenue in Chicago. For quite some time, the P&L will be regarded in the purview of architecture to be fake and inorganic-- unlike SoHo or Michigan Avenue. However this should not be a concern over the horizon of several decades as more organic growth occurs and the district matures.

[WoodDraw]

Well SoHo was more of a gentrification, Crossroads on drugs type development while Michigan Avenue is the result of almost 150 years of major development so in that sense they are silly comparisons but I don't think the P&L District's importance can be overstated.


As for why very few people know about it, I think Cordish is also somewhat to blame here. Being so quiet with everything from renderings to tenants hasn't exactly helped things. They could have been more involved in promoting the district during all of the arena publicity and by releasing more than just some information about land scaping and the residential time schedule. Aside from development geeks, who really cares about that?

That's not to make excuses for our media which has been pretty sad. They have to be handed a story gift wrapped with pretty pictures and press releases for them to even talk about it. This board has been able to find out some details just by reading articles and sending off some e-mails. Are you telling me that our media can't go out there and find something interesting to talk about?

[KCPowercat]

this was the article I was hinting at in the P&L district thread. Exciting to see little elements expose themselves little at a time.

I like the idea of the glass icon structures and how each block each taking it's own shape.

Now when will a retailer crack? We're more than a year out from any opening but somethings got to leak soon I'd think.

[GRID]

Now when will a retailer crack? We're more than a year out from any opening but somethings got to leak soon I'd think.

I know of one!

Chipoltle!!!

[Gladstoner]

As usual, the local television media proves yet again to be as useless as tits on a boar. Almost never is the forthcoming P&L District mentioned on newscasts pertaining to the arena. And as far as print media, we are lucky if Collison makes a blurb in a column a couple times a month about it. This Cordish development should be on the minds of all Kansas Citians, but it is not, and I partly blame the lackadaisical news media here.

Just wait. When the project runs into some significant problems, the media will spring into action.

If it bleeds, it leads.....

[GRID]

As usual, the local television media proves yet again to be as useless as tits on a boar. Almost never is the forthcoming P&L District mentioned on newscasts pertaining to the arena. And as far as print media, we are lucky if Collison makes a blurb in a column a couple times a month about it. This Cordish development should be on the minds of all Kansas Citians, but it is not, and I partly blame the lackadaisical news media here.

Just wait. When the project runs into some significant problems, the media will spring into action.

If it bleeds, it leads.....

Good lord, you can say that again and that is what people will remember and know about it.

[KCMax]

As usual, the local television media proves yet again to be as useless as tits on a boar.

A good murder will generate some media interest.

[Gladstoner]

Ignatius,

As usual, the local television media proves yet again to be as useless as tits on a boar.

At least tits on a boar can provide sustenance once in a while.