KCDC Kansas City Design Center
Water/Skate
Design Proposal by Megan Hohensinner + Rachel Kelsey + Dominique Roberson + Robyn Tank + Yihong Yan
Since the abandonment of its original function, the water reservoir in Kessler Park has been transformed by man as well as nature and has become an urban artifact. This presents a unique opportunity to create an urban destination for Kansas City and an amenity for the northeast neighborhoods. This design proposal cultivates the existing nature of the reservoir and pays homage to its history in order to create a fun and intriguing space that can have a positive impact on the community.
WATER RESERVOIR 159,688 SQ FT
CROWN CENTER PLAZA 2,847 SQ FT
POWER AND LIGHT PLAZA 28,539 SQ FT
NORTH EAST COMMUNITY CENTER 7,222 SQ FT
SPRINT CENTER 200,000 SQ FT
PENN VALLEY SKATE PARK 10,521 SQ FT
PENN VALLEY LAWN 234,532 SQ FT
THE COLONADE 4,096 SQ FT
KAUFMANN STADIUM 475,996 SQ FT
KANSAS CITY MUSEUM 23,716 SQ FT
TYPICAL FOOTBALL FIELD 58,141 SQ FT
In scale and location, the reservoir has great potential as an urban space. Currently in Kansas City, public spaces are primarily located from downtown to Country Club Plaza. Located in the greater northeast area, Kessler Park and the reservoir have the potential to become a significant public space in an area that is otherwise lacking. Other destinations in the Kansas City area are anchored by their counterpart public spaces, like the Nelson Atkins Museum to the lawn and sculpture park and Union Station to Penn Valley Park. In this way, the reservoir can become an anchor for Kessler Park and the Park for the community. At the scale of the reservoir, two divided inhabitable spaces can act independently to provide dierent programmatic experiences
On a community scale, Kessler Park is located tangentially to Independence Avenue. This tangential relationship is also present the park scale as the reservoir is tangential to Wabash Avenue. This connection is highlighted through the design by the journey that is taken to access the reservoir.
Floor Plan
Roof Plan
The bridge that spans the width of the reservoir acts as a beacon to announce its presence and is the element that connects the two sides to each other. The end of the bridge breaches the boundary of the basin to capture people from the park and bring them into the reservoir. The view to the southern basin is open to allow an unobstructed view of the urban hardscape. On the north side, the skin of the bridge is semi-transparent which allows for awareness of the northern space but forbids the full experience until arrival at its entry at the other end of the bridge. This allows the northern basin to remain more mysterious and creates a profound moment of discovery when entered.
The urbanscape is representational of the reclamation of the reservoir my man and the city. The elements that prove the presence of humans in the reservoir, a place often called abandoned, are celebrated. The existing graďŹƒti is showcased during the descent along the ramp down to the reservoir floor. The hardscape that spans across the space invites activity on wheels, skating and biking, and provides another tag-able surface that can change over time the way the existing walls do now. In the end of the reservoir, an open space hosts a partially shaded platform for flexible use.
This concrete surface can be transverses by those on foot but provides designated circulation underneath to reach the end of the reservoir. The space below is open enough for exploration and provides areas for use like a grasspad under an oculus in the hardscape surface.
In the end of the reservoir, an open space hosts a partially shaded platform for flexible use. This space is an ideal gathering place for park visitors and residents of the northeast neighborhoods. It is open enough to host a variety of purposes and group sizes in an active community.
The living machine stores, sustains, and supplies, much like the water reservoir did in the past. Capturing over one million gallons of water run o in a year, the living machine filters the water through a series of tanks that naturally cleanse and decontaminate it. This water is then used to supply a public splash park that serves the neighborhood and community as a recreational amenity. The intricate process of the living machine becomes an interactive and didactic experience, turning an infrastructural operation into a public event and learning opportunity. Existing conditions of the reservoir, such as the overgrowth of the vegetation, are groomed to compliment the new oasis and provide seating for onlookers to enjoy the north side of the reservoir.
TIDAL FLOW WETLAND LIVING MACHINE SYSTEM A TIDAL FLOW WETLAND LIVING MACHINE IS DESIGNED TO PURIFY RECYCLED WATER NATURALLY, PROVIDING CLEAN WATER WITHOUT THE USE OF HEAVY CHEMICALS. THE METHOD UTILIZES A SERIES OF TANKS THAT PERFORM DIFFERENT DUTIES THAT REMOVE UNWANTED SOLIDS AND CONTAMINANTS FROM THE WATER, THEN FILTER AND DISINFECT IT, MAKING IT SAFE FOR A MULTITUDE OF USES. EACH LARGE TANK IS ESSENTIAL TO THE TIDAL FLOW SYSTEM, ONE OF WHICH HOUSES A MICRO-ECOSYSTEM MADE OF AQUATIC PLANTS AND MICROORGANISMS. THE WATER FLOWS THROUGH THE TANKS AND UPON ARRIVAL TO THE FINAL STORAGE TANK, IS READY FOR HUMAN USE.
CURRENT FLOW OF WATER
COLLECTION OF PRECIPITATION RAIN AND SNOW AS NEEDED
SEDIMENT SEPARATION TANK REMOVES SOLIDS FROM WATER
TIDAL WETLAND TANK AQUATIC VEGETATION ECOSYSTEM REMOVES CONTAMINANTS AND REMAINING SOLIDS
UV TREATMENT TANK ULTRAVIOLET RAYS NATURALLY DISINFECT WATER
STORAGE TANKS STORE WATER READY FOR USE IN SPLASH PARK
PROPOSED FLOW OF WATER FOR COLLECTION
SPLASH PARK TREATED WATER SUPPLIES FOUNTAIN SPRAYERS FOR SPLASH PADS
LIVING MACHINE WATER TREATMENT PROCESS Allowing the south side to be constructed first, water can begin being retained to supply the living machine and splash park so there are adequate reserves for its operation. Once the living machine has been installed, it can being treating water before the splash park is built. As these elements come together, the full cycle of the living machine will be achieved.
CONCRETE AND SPLASH PADS
WATER TANKS
STRUCTURE
GLASS ENCLOSURE
METAL WALKWAY
STRUCTURE & WALKWAY
PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS
NORTH SIDE
CONCRETE HARDSCAPE
SOUTH SIDE
BRIDGE
The independent nature of the parts of the reservoir allows for implementation to occur in a series of phases. Depending on public involvement, funding and community support, either side has the potential to be constructed first and serve as a catalytic factor to support the later construction of the remaining side. Phase implementation of the design elements increases feasibility of the proposal and refreshed the experience of the reservoir while the phases are being completed.
North Side Section Looking South
South Side Section Looking North
Full Length Section Looking East
Full Length Section Looking West