KCK Design Build Studio - Tessneem Elkhateeb

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS ARMOURDALE LEVEE TRAIL

TABLE OF CONTENTS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

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SPIRAL 07 - 14 18TH ST. BRIDGE PROJECT 15 - 18 SIGNAGE PROJECT 19 - 24 BIKE RACK 25 - 40

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COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

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WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOUR COMMUNITY TRAIL? Please join KU School of Architecture, Design and Planning students as we plan for improvements at the trailhead under the Kansas Ave. bridge and along the Levee Trail.

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KU ARCHITECTURE DESIGN BUILD STUDIO

IDEA FOR A LOGO; TO MAKE OUR PROJECT RECOGNIZABLE TO THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS GET THEM INVESTED INTO SEEING WHAT IDEAS WE HAVE FOR THE FUTURE The next step in my process was to develop a public relations

We invite you to share your experiences using the trail, and listen to any ideas you might have on how to improve way-finding, signage and usability along the Levee Trail.

www.kckleveetrail.weebly.com

BRANDING

aspect in our design process. While speaking with Rick Behrens, the Levee Trail Coordinator and our client for this project, it was clear that a collaboration would be developed between he and I in relation to social media. By designing our own Facebook page to Here is another update from your KU Architecture students working on improving the trail! Be alert for a new video coming out soon where you can hear some of their ideas for the trail!

represent the trail, periodic posts were made on the page in order to update those interested in the improvements happening on the trail.

By having bold aspirations in public design and communal design, we, as architecture students were given the opportunity to create a new paradigm in architecture. By engaging with the community to help us develop an envelope of possibilities for their needs and wants, a lot of listening, recording, data, visuals, and prototypes were taken and designed. In addition to that, the community’s involvement inspired us to push further into what it means to have a new trail in the county and how it will contribute to their way of life overall.

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Partnering with a classmate in order to further the public relations and social media aspect of this project, creating videos for people to feel inspired by what our goal was for the trail was important.

With that, I assisted in writing and filming interviews with various people in the field.

Videos: https://youtu.be/yDncB1G9U1M https://vimeo.com/147155215 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/kcklevees/?fref=ts 05

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SPIRAL Making the spiral more appealing and interactive to the trail was necessary because of its unique shape. It is a point at the trailhead which already existed—with that, it should be used to an advantage.

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CONCEPTUAL SKETCHES Experiencing the process of extending ideas to outlandish levels; then finding our way back to reality through critical thinking and finding the symbolism behind our designs.

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L AY E R S The goal of keeping constant fluidity by using various elements while maintaining a balance throughout our designs.

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Establishing not only a sense of space, but also a significance in location by creating an overall sense of direction around the area and understanding what is currently there already.

Creating a natural flow from one point to another and developing an implied action.

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Understanding the use of different materials on an existing structure began the process into what types of materials could be used in and around the spiral.

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18TH ST. BRIDGE

When working on the 18th St. Bridge, it was important for us to explore a wide range of ideas by implementing them into the space which had already existed. By adding various elements to the bridge and utilizing the space, many concepts were developed.

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PLACE FOR PLAY

BLANK CANVAS

PLACE-MAKING

ACTIVE WALKWAY

FOLIAGE AND LIGHTING

SEATING AND REST Clearly showing our sense of what architecture is and what it could be. We take human activities and make manifests of physical structures which accommodate human activity.

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SIGNAGE

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Our initial ideas began with the idea that we needed to create signs which match the language of the area by having an industrial feel with a direction to the trail. Realizing the potential for signage was vital because of the lack of direction the trailhead possessed.

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BIKE RACK

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CONCEPTS Public Design: By encouraging an increase in the use of bicycle transportation while providing an interractive experience for the community, we were given the opportunity to invite the public to contribute their own “perspective” on innovative, conceptual design. Developing our design as a “nonverbal communication device” while maintaining functional use, the overall design is given a more dynamic outlook at the trailhead.

Aesthetics: - Utilizing simple geometric shapes to create a “new shape.”

- Connecting the concept of color to our peers’ designs to create a cohesive design.

Recreational Importance: - Motivating others to use the bike rack when riding their bike.

- Attracting those not normally involved in he recreation by adding something unique to the trailhead.

Sense of Depth: - By looking at the world through “your own perspective,” the Kansas City, Kansas community now has its own “functional perspective.”

- Distance and measurements are important when looking at a shape--understanding how far each shape needed to be from each other to create the image of a bike.

By u tilizing the trailhead’s o wn “sense of p lace,” adding t o the site w ill d evelop a m ore inviting atmosphere for t he neighborhood s urrounding t he trail. A m ain bridge w ith cars c rossing o verhead, the area beneath the bridge is quite open for i nterpretation. With that in mind, we found it important t o begin our i deas a t a functional level and add aesthetics as we moved along in the process.

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PRECEDENTS

MODEL

Due to a lack of bike racks around the Levee Trail area, it was clear that bikers needed to be considered in our design and added to the site. As studio students searched, it became clear to look at various bike racks around the world and the innovative designs we could eventually come up with.

The inspirations in which the students found during their visit to s urvey the site w ere actually t oo f ar f rom where they needed to be installed. The materiality of these bars were found in a part where there would be a connection to the Levee Trail area.

KC, Kaw point park

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These bike racks were found in New York City. y. It iis obvious how NYC is busy all day long. However,, they the ey still can consider bikers as a part of their transportation as well as recreation. on.

The model began to develop through the various precedents we gathered as a group. By building the site on Sketchup and analyzing where the open areas were to add a design, geometric shapes came to mind. Both the triangle and circle are dominant shapes when looking at a bike.

By taking the simple components of a bike and subtracting certain details, it became clear that a playful design was in reach.

Designing a perspective of shapes by separating them by distance, an image of a bike was created.Functionality was also an important part of our group’s initial concept. With that in mind, we began to consider the perspective of shapes to eventually become a bike rack for bike-riders.

NYC, 6th Ave / Parking lots ts

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CONSTRUCTION

MEASURMENTS -

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BASE DIAGRAM

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MATERIALITY After searching for a material to use to build the design of the bike rack that the students came up with, they decided to use industrial materials as a way to represent public design to the community. Metal was a good choice since the students were provided with a metal shop s pace in t he w arehouse which has a p lazma cutter, bending m achine, and w elding tools. In addition, it was clear that metal was the most durable material for this design.

Considering colors to powder coat on the metal pieces, students researched a method to make sure that the color they choose would be acceptable and inviting to the community. Red was an obvious choice due to its fun and inviting color while staying cohesive with the other students’ projects.

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size for each shape w hile m aintaining t he perspective we were planning to

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%\ H[SORULQJ WKH VLWH DURXQG WKH WUDLOKHDG DUHD LW ZDV LPSRUWDQW IRU XV WR PDNH D GHFLVLRQ RQ ZKHUH WKH ELNH UDFN ZRXOG EH WKH most useful. With an open space XQGHUQHDWK WKH .DQVDV $YHQXH EULGJH it seemed as though it was a convenient as well as interactive space.

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After understanding materiality and the process of building our designs in the metal shop, we were able to recreate the bike rack we had initially imagined into an actual, functional prototype.

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