Sometime next month, the gas and convenience-store retailer Kum & Go will officially break ground on its new headquarters, to be located at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.
Construction fencing has already been installed around the perimeter of the site, and destruction of two small existing buildings on the southwest corner of the lot has begun, according to a Kum & Go spokesperson.
The five-story, $151 million headquarters, topped by a rooftop garden, will be the centerpiece of a four-acre redevelopment master plan in Des Moines’ Gateway West neighborhood.
Last year, the Krause family, which owns Kum & Go, chose the design proposed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop over five other contenders. That design gives the appearance of white floor plates floating atop white pillars, and creates canopies on all sides of the building.
In a statement, the Pritzker Prize-winning Piano spoke of the building’s “lightness, simplicity, and openness.” The building’s design is also intended to complement the sculptures in the nearby sculpture park. In fact, the entire plaza surrounding the building will be landscaped and serve as a natural extension of the park.
“Large cantilevers from the upper floors form the continuation of the urban edge along Grand Avenue and Gateway Park,” according to the city’s Urban Design Review Board. “The project relies on landscape to form the edges on the other three sides of the building. The fifth floor is rotated to acknowledge the site’s location at the splay of downtown’s urban grids, with the rotation allowing for a gracious roof terrace overlooking the Park and downtown.”
The building will total 159,000 sf, according to the city report. It will house a gallery for the owners’ art collection, and include a game room for employees, an outdoor meeting space, underground parking for 225 vehicles, and a fitness room.
The building is scheduled to open in early 2018 with 300 to 325 employees, but would have space for 800. It is projected to achieve LEED Silver certification. Des Moines-based OPN Architects is providing architectural counsel and construction drawings. Ryan Companies US is the local builder/contractor.
Kum & Go has more than 430 stores 4,700 employees in 11 states.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Apr 8, 2019
It’s time for office amenities to get to work
Amenities with the greatest impact on effectiveness and experience are those that directly support the work needs of individual employees and their teams.
Office Buildings | Apr 8, 2019
Denver office building features 13,000 sf green roof
Dynia Architects designed the building.
Office Buildings | Apr 5, 2019
2019 trends in the workplace
From retention and career advancement to the ethics of inclusion and diversity, these five trends will play a major role this year in design, strategic planning and workplace development.
Industrial Facilities | Mar 10, 2019
The burgeoning Port San Antonio lays out growth plans
Expansions would accommodate cybersecurity, aerospace, and defense tenants, and help commercialize technologies.
Office Buildings | Mar 6, 2019
How to leverage design and culture’s two-way relationship for better workplaces
The relationship between workplace design and company culture isn’t all that different from a tango.
Office Buildings | Feb 15, 2019
A healthier perspective: Office developers bet on wellness amenities to attract top-notch tenants
Owners and developers are driving demand for wellness features and practices—active stairways, biophilia, enhanced air quality, etc.—as one more way draw tenants.
Office Buildings | Feb 15, 2019
Vancouver’s new office building will be a stack of reflective boxes
OSO and Merrick Architecture designed the building.
Office Buildings | Feb 11, 2019
Real-world wellness pays off
3form, a materials manufacturer, did a top-to-bottom remodel of its Salt Lake City headquarters campus that included adding a 14,500-sf gym.
Office Buildings | Feb 5, 2019
Duluth Trading Company moves to new HQ building
Plunkett Raysich Architects designed the project.
Interior Architecture | Jan 14, 2019
To get more involved earlier in projects, a leading furniture dealer launches a firm for commercial interiors construction
Vantis is positioned to integrate design with offsite customized fabrication.
