XL ACE Mentor Central Iowa 2014 | Welcome Center & Pavilion Design Project

In the 1920s and 1930s, Water Works Park was developed as a water infiltration system to help provide clean water for the City of Des Moines.

In January 2014, a new master plan for Water Works Park was developed and in need of opportunities to “reinvest in and reinvigorate the river and the park, acknowledge the history of the park, and shape the park’s future as a dramatic feature of Des Moines’ natural and urban environment."

The 2014-2015 ACE Central Iowa design challenge is to design a welcome center pavilion for park visitors that will:

  • be a hub for visitors at Water Works Park
  • use sustainable design and construction practices
  • conserve water and preserve water quality

The final master plan, prepared by Sasaki, RDG Planning and Design, and Applied Ecological Services, is available online here, where you will find the master plan and executive summary.

 

In the following design steps, each team has a different page. In the lower left corner of the image you'll see 1 2 3 4. Each team's prompts will be at the same tab number for every step:

Architecture Team: click "2"

Construction Team: click "3"

Engineering Team: click "4"

Architecture Team, welcome to DiscoverDesign! Your prompts throughout the design process will always be in tab "2".

In the first three weeks you will be working alongside the Engineering and Construction Teams, and learning about types of drawings and plans, meeting professionals, and observing the site.

WEEK 1 / Understanding drawing types
We'll learn to read the various types of construction drawings you'll be creating over the next 14 weeks, including:

  • site plans
  • floor plans
  • sections
  • elevations
  • details
  • schedules

WEEK 2 / Meet the professionals
This week you'll have a chance to talk with professionals in the architecture, construction, and engineering fields. They'll be discussing things like:

  • How did they first get interested in this career? How did they get started?
  • How do they work closely with other disciplines on projects?
  • What skills do they need to do their jobs?
  • What is the education and internships requried?
  • What are some suggestions of courses you might want to take in high school to prepare?

Click here for information about Architecture & Urban Planning Careers!

WEEK 3 / Site visit
We'll be taking a trip to the Des Moines Water Works Park to tour the park and existing buildings. The Site Superintendent will give a walkthrough of the site and discuss the roles architects, engineers, and consturction managers have in the building process.

Construction Team, welcome to DiscoverDesign! Your prompts throughout the design process will always be in tab "3". 

In the first three weeks you will be working alongside the Architecture and Engineering Teams, and learning about types of drawings and plans, meeting professionals, and observing the site.

WEEK 1 / Understanding drawing types
We'll learn to read the various types of construction drawings you'll be creating over the next 14 weeks, including:

  • site plans
  • floor plans
  • sections
  • elevations
  • details
  • schedules

WEEK 2 / Meet the professionals
This week you'll have a chance to talk with professionals in the architecture, construction, and engineering fields. They'll be discussing things like:

  • How did they first get interested in this career? How did they get started?
  • How do they work closely with other disciplines on projects?
  • What skills do they need to do their jobs?
  • What is the education and internships requried?
  • What are some suggestions of courses you might want to take in high school to prepare?

Click here for information about Construction Management Careers!

WEEK 3 / Site visit
We'll be taking a trip to the Des Moines Water Works Park to tour the park and existing buildings. The Site Superintendent will give a walkthrough of the site and discuss the roles architects, engineers, and consturction managers have in the building process.

 

 


Engineering Team, welcome to DiscoverDesign! Your prompts throughout the design process will always be in tab "4".

In the first three weeks you will be working alongside the Architecture and Construction Teams, and learning about types of drawings and plans, meeting professionals, and observing the site.

WEEK 1 / Understanding drawing types
We'll learn to read the various types of planning drawings you'll be creating over the next 14 weeks, including:

  • site plans
  • systems
  • sections
  • elevations
  • details
  • schedules

WEEK 2 / Meet the professionals
This week you'll have a chance to talk with professionals in the architecture, construction, and engineering fields. They'll be discussing things like:

  • How did they first get interested in this career? How did they get started?
  • How do they work closely with other disciplines on projects?
  • What skills do they need to do their jobs?
  • What is the education and internships requried?
  • What are some suggestions of courses you might want to take in high school to prepare?

Click here for information about Engineering Careers!

WEEK 3 / Site visit
We'll be taking a trip to the Des Moines Water Works Park to tour the park and existing buildings. The Site Superintendent will give a walkthrough of the site and discuss the roles architects, engineers, and consturction managers have in the building process.

How do you Collect Info for this step of the design process?

Collect Information

In this step of the design process, you'll analyze and document the proposed Welcome Center Pavilion site. The building owner will be here to answer questions about how the site will be used. 

By this time, you will be in either the Architecture, Engineering, or Construction Team. With your Team, upload images here on DiscoverDesign to document these types of issues:

  • How do the surrounding buildings define and impact the site? Are they public or private buildings?
  • What are the functions of the adjacent spaces to the Welcome Center?
  • What activities will occur within and near the proposed new spaces?

Each team will have some discipline specific issues to address. You'll find more questions for your specific team in the other pages of this step.

Hint: Click the 2, 3, and 4 on the image above to see your team's information!

Architecture Team, be sure to take detailed notes, skteches, study models, and pictures of the site. You'll want to use Google Maps to help you gather information about the nearby buildings and natural landscape.

Week 4 / Site Analysis

Think about:

  • What is the path of the sun around the building?
  • Which direction does the wind blow across the site?
  • What activities will occur in the proposed new spaces?
  • What materials are used in other buildings and spaces in the Park?
  • What questions do you need to ask the owner about the site?

Construction Team, you will be using your observation skills to identify challenging site areas, safety needs, and using maps to begin to plan a construction strategy. 

Week 4 / Site Analysis

Think about:

  • Are there busy streets and sidewalks nearby?
  • What public safety measures will need to be addressed?
  • What makes an ideal area for your project? What is not ideal? Document these areas.
  • What utilities are in the area? Manholes, waterlines, powerlines, etc.
  • What questions do you need to ask the owner about the site?

Engineering Team, be sure to collect information about the surrounding buildings and landscape with lots of pictures and sketches.  Use maps to sketch where topography changes and utilities are located.

Week 4 / Site Analysis

Think about:

  • Look at the topography of the site. Which areas may create issues?
  • What does the watershed look like?
  • Where are main utilities located? Where are the manholes, water lines, etc.?
  • What questions do you have for the owner about the site?
How do you Brainstorm Ideas for this step of the design process?

Brainstorm Ideas

In this step you will be analyzing the project site you visited and creating some early schematic designs for your project. You will be devleoping a graphic master plan, researching, and strategizing a plan with your team. Document your Team’s discussion notes, drawings, and models in your DiscoverDesign project.

Think about:

  • What materials and resources are you going to need?
  • Based on the information you have collected, what activities should happen and where?
  • Research other similar projects for inspiration and tips.

Architecture Team, based on the information you have collected discuss the best options for the physical building and the activities that will occur. Make a study model to help you visualize the project.

Week 4-6 / Site Analysis

  • What spaces and activity zones are needed? Create a bubble diagram to explore space adjacencies.
  • Which activities are more suited for areas in full sun? Shade? Protected from the wind?
  • What water reduction systems and materials are best suited for the site?
  • How does this project interact with other businesses?

Week 11 / Owner presentation

  • Develop ideas to address the owner's specific concerns.

 

Construction Team, you will be creating a study model to help you visulaize your construction plan - what will happen where, when and how?

Week 4 & 10-11 / Planning the construction process

  • What resources do you need to ensure work site and public safety?
  • Where will equipment like cranes, trailers, concrete trucks and wash outs, etc. be located on the site?
  • What steps are needed to move the project from start to finish?

Week 13 / Collaborate with other teams

  • How do the decisions made by the Architecture Team and Engineering Team effect your work?  Collaborate!

Engineering Team, create a study model to develop early strategies and brainstorm options for engineering and landscape needs.

Week 4 & 7-9 / Preliminary strategies

  • What internal and external structural components are needed for the project?
  • What opportunities or challenges does the design challenge create?
  • What kind of electrical, HVAC, and plumbing systems will help you achieve a water and energy saving Center?
  • Are there opportunities for stormwater conservation?

Week 11 / Researching electrial systems

  • What opportunities or challenges does your design concept create?
  • Develop ideas for addressing the owner's concerns.
How do you Develop Solutions for this step of the design process?

Develop Solutions

In the Develop Solutions step, your rough ideas from the previous steps come together with drawings and models that can show others your solutions for a new Welcome Center.

Try This

  • Use cardboard or SketchUp to create a 3D study model of early ideas.
  • Get feedback from your mentors, peers, and the site owner to incorporate into your final design!

Keep in Mind:

  • Other students around the country, your teacher, and mentors want to see how your ideas have changed over time. This means that if you're working on your digital model, you’ll want to be sure to keep re-saving it with a new file name every few days as you work through the steps.  If you're working on a physical model, take photos of it before working on it each day.

Architecture Team, you likely have a number of different ideas in mind for your final Welcome Center design.  This step is to work through each of those ideas and find the best solution for the design challenge.  Be sure that the images and text you upload for this step show how your ideas changed over time.

Week 7 / Developing the plans

Keeping all your research in mind:

  • Use your bubble diagrams to develop floorplans.
  • Develop building sections and exterior elevations.
  • How will the building’s shape and form relate to the site and surrounding buildings?
  • What building materials will you use for interior and exterior surfaces?
  • Produce building material selections for the site owner to review.

Week 8-9 / Feedback

  • How does your work affect the Engineering and Construction Teams? Be sure to share your preliminary architectural designs.
  • Refine your floor plans and elevations and finalize material choices.

Week 11-12 / Finalizing ideas

  • How will you integrate mentor, peer, and owner feedback into your design?

Construction Team, you have produced a long list of necessary materials and plans for the construction process. This step is to work through those details, collaborate with the Architecture and Engineering Teams, and find the best solution for the design challenge.

Week 11-13 / Finalizing the plans

  • How will you incorporate all items needed for a safe project?
  • In what order to specific activities need to happen? Create a project schedule.
  • How long will each activity take? Assign durations for the project plan.
  • How will the architectural and engineering choices impact costs? Develop cost estimates.

Engineering Team, you have researched different electrical, plumbing, and technical systems for the site.  This step is to work through each of those ideas and find the best solution for the design challenge.  Be sure that the images and text you upload for this step show how your ideas changed over time.

Week 8-9 / Develop plans

  • How will your research inform a site plan design?
  • What solutions for stormwater, waste water, and water supply are best for the site?
  • What are your plans for the structural framing system layout?

Week 11-12 / Feedback and refining plans

  • How does your work affect the Architecture and Construction Teams? Collaborate!
  • What concerns does the owner have? Be sure to integrate them into all plans.
  • Finalize your site, structural, HVAC, and plumbing sketches for the final project.
How do you develop a Final Design for this step of the design process?

Final Design

The Final Design step of the design process is to create more finished drawings and models that illustrate your ideas to others. Remember, your explanation text, and the types of drawings, images, and models you share need to tell the whole story of your project to someone who may or may not have ever visited the site.

Prepare your final designs to present to the owner, then refine your team’s designs based on the owner feedback. Upload all your work here on DiscoverDesign for the final presentation.

Architecture Team, now that you've decided on the best design for the challenge, upload renderings and images to this step of the design process for your final presentation.  Make sure that your writing tells us how you came to the final design and incorporated the owner's feedback.

Week 7-9 / Finalizing plans for review

  • Produce floorplans, elevations, and materials for the owner to review.

Week 10 / Presenting to the site owner

  • Present floor plans, elevations, and material selections to Owner for review
  • Record owner responses and concerns. What areas did they like, and which areas need to be addressed?

Week 13-16 / The final presentation

  • Integrate owner concerns into the floor plans, elevations, materials and sections.
  • What areas of the final design show your concepts the best? What views do you want to "show off"?
  • Create renderings for the final project.
  • Are you prepared for your presentation? Be sure to review presentation "do's" and "don'ts".

Construction Team, you have created the plans and materials necessary to execute the project. Upload your final plans, lists, and schedules in this step.  Be sure your writing tells us how you made your final decisions and how the process will play out.

Week 14 / Finalizing plans

  • Have all the details in order? Finalize your utilization plan, schedule, and cost estimates.

Week 15-16 / The final presentation

  • Create a presentation of your plans, schedule, and estimates.
  • Are you prepared for your presentation? Be sure to review presentation "do's" and "don'ts".

Engineering Team, you have researched the building, landscape, and a variety of engineering systems.  This step is where you will upload your final plans for the electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and water management systems.

Week 10 / Presenting to the site owner

  • Present site plan and framing plan to owner for review.
  • Why did you choose the systems presented? Be sure to explain your decisions.
  • Record owner responses and concerns. What areas did they like, and which areas need to be addressed?

Week 13-16 / The final presentation

  • Integrate owner concerns into your plans.
  • What areas of the final design show your concepts the best? Develop the engineering aspect of the project.
  • Are you prepared for your presentation? Be sure to review presentation "do's" and "don'ts".