2200 GRAND AVENUE

Scope

2019

Project Location: Des Moines, Iowa

DLR Group Prize Finalist

Disciplines

Architectural Design

Adaptive Reuse

Sustainable Design

A Site on a Hill

2200 Grand Avenue, formerly Iowa Home Casualty Inc., approaches the Des Moines site overlooking the Raccoon River with integration and inclusion in mind. Realized through programmatic and formatic design decisions, the exisiting building was married to a southern addition as an modern extension of its grid.

A hefty brief derived from a faculty research grant by Des Moines-based firm BNIM drove far-reaching aspects of societal programmatic decisions, including housing for high-functioning individuals living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), regenerative design, data center, recreation, and a reaction to historic preservation.

Program & Organization

Organized around three central nodes along the existing column grid, the data center penetrates throught the central node to serve as an art piece. The building utilizes the "public-private," offering privatized spaces in a public setting. The lower and most public level includes a cafe and wellness studio. The first level includes a game room, offices, library, and community kitchen. The second, most private level hosts the residents living with ASD, as well as private and resident-focused spaces. 

Living Building Challenge

In order to address the regenerative design programmatic requirement, the Living Building Challenge (LBC) was used as a sustainability framework. The LBC uses "petals" as essential elements to design by:

PLACE / WATER / ENERGY / HEALTH + HAPPINESS / MATERIALS / EQUITY / BEAUTY

Several features were implemented in 2200 Grand Avenue to fulfill these goals. They include solar energy production by both solar panels and tiles, heat recycling from the data center, an underground water recycling system, pedestrian (re)connection to the street and to adjacent forestland, respect for historical presence, and accessibility and inclusion for users, primarily those living with ASD.

More information can be found on the Living Building Challenge here.

More information on the BNIM Grant can be found here.