Water/SkateDesign Proposal by Megan Hohensinner + Rachel Kelsey + Dominique Roberson + Robyn Tank + Yihong Yan

KCDCKansas City Design Center

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.

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 signifi cant 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

THE COLONADE4,096 SQ FT

NORTH EAST COMMUNITY CENTER7,222 SQ FT

PENN VALLEY SKATE PARK10,521 SQ FT

KANSAS CITY MUSEUM23,716 SQ FT

TYPICAL FOOTBALL FIELD58,141 SQ FT

CROWN CENTER PLAZA2,847 SQ FT

PENN VALLEY LAWN234,532 SQ FT

KAUFMANN STADIUM475,996 SQ FT

SPRINT CENTER200,000 SQ FT

WATER RESERVOIR159,688 SQ FT

POWER AND LIGHT PLAZA28,539 SQ FT

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 gra ti is showcased during the descent along the ramp down to the reservoir fl oor. 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 fl exible 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 fl exible 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 fi lters 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.

Allowing the south side to be constructed fi rst, 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.

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.

SEDIMENT SEPARATION TANKREMOVES SOLIDS FROM WATER

COLLECTION OF PRECIPITATIONRAIN AND SNOW AS NEEDED

TIDAL WETLAND TANKAQUATIC VEGETATION ECOSYSTEM REMOVES

CONTAMINANTS AND REMAINING SOLIDS

UV TREATMENT TANKULTRAVIOLET RAYS

NATURALLY DISINFECT WATER

STORAGE TANKSSTORE WATER READY

FOR USE IN SPLASH PARK

SPLASH PARKTREATED WATER SUPPLIES FOUNTAIN

SPRAYERS FOR SPLASH PADS

LIVING MACHINE WATER TREATMENT PROCESS

CURRENT FLOW OF WATER PROPOSED FLOW OF WATER FOR COLLECTION

TIDAL FLOW WETLAND LIVING MACHINE SYSTEM

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 fi rst 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

SOUTH SIDE BRIDGE

CONCRETE HARDSCAPE

CONCRETE AND SPLASH PADS

METAL WALKWAY

WATER TANKS

STRUCTURE & WALKWAY

STRUCTURE

PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS

GLASS ENCLOSURE

North Side Section Looking South

South Side Section Looking North

Full Length Section Looking East

Full Length Section Looking West