The Nest

I initially began this project in a partnership, in which my partner and I analyzed Kansas City at the scale of the Financial District. We evaluated the juxtaposition of greenscape to hardscape. We ultimately concluded that the lack of green spaces and access to them was in need of improvement. 

In the master plan phase, we began by combining the main eight blocks of the site, and revising street widths. We then finalized greenspaces of the site and connecting parks via the boulevard. After establishing a new grid and greenspaces, we created six modules of pedestrian and car boulevards to encompass the site, and six building typologies which would make up the new hardscape. We then assigned program, allocating most of the new structure for residential units, leaving ample room for office, community, a hotel, and retail spaces.

Working independently, I began by reshaping the masterplan to accommodate for the Urban Catalyst. I then created another boulevard module which allowed for more foot traffic on the site while strengthening the existing boulevards on either side. I was finally able to establish a comfortable placement of the building. The design of the building takes the form of a cube with voids made from spheres and a cone. The community learning program I chose for the building was avian education which informed the design of the building as I developed a wrapping cross-bracing system influenced by the arrangement of twigs in a bird's nest. The building is equipped with: a four-floor library; two office spaces; a laboratory with stair access to the triple height, roofless aviary above; two double height lecture halls, a gallery, and a rooftop garden. 

The revisions I made to the master plan also allows for future development of supplementary urban catalysts down the boulevard, while still providing a connection between the site and surrounding parks. My hope for this building is to provide a nature immersive experience, furnish educational opportunities, and allow for a proliferation of the avian wildlife in Kansas City.