Archinect - News

Renzo Piano's Kum & Go HQ enters construction phase + new (better) renderings

2015-09-22T09:00:00-04:00

Earlier this summer, Midwest convenience store chain Kum & Go revealed a first peek at their new Renzo Piano-designed Des Moines, Iowa headquarters. The initial round of design illustrations were of a rather austere, CAD-like quality, and Archinect commenters remarked that the renderings failed to express how the project would relate to its urban context.

Now several new, photorealistic renderings have been revealed that help to get a better understanding of the 5-story building at 1459 Grand Avenue, officially dubbed the Krause Gateway Center.

↑ East View.

With construction fencing going up and demolition work of existing buildings beginning this week, the project is certainly moving forward. Presentation of updated plans to the Urban Design Review Board is scheduled for the coming days.

↑ West View.

All images courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

Renzo Piano's designs for Kum & Go HQ revealed

2015-07-02T13:49:00-04:00

When Midwest convenience store chain Kum & Go announced the selection of Renzo Piano as design architect for their new Des Moines, Iowa headquarters last November, speculations immediately ran wild about what the Italian master would put to paper.

The secrecy has now been lifted with the official reveal of the designs for the 5-story Krause Gateway Center, scheduled to open in 2018.

Scroll down for the announcement Kum & Go published, along with first design impressions, this week.

Kum & Go shared today the designs for their new Downtown Des Moines headquarters, Krause Gateway Center, located at 1459 Grand Avenue. The building was designed to provide Kum & Go associates a modern and highly collaborative work environment that offers flexibility for growth in the years to come.

The five-story building is being planned and constructed for LEED certification, and will feature glass prominently on all sides to provide transparency and light throughout the building. The layout was designed to...

Cuts and gains: Weekly News Round-Up for November 17, 2014

2014-11-24T19:16:00-05:00

Friday, November 21:

Latest NCARB survey indicates architecture is a growing profession in the U.S.: Surveying Architectural Registration Boards in 2014, NCARB found a 3.1% growth of architects in the US since 2011.

Thursday, November 20:

Renzo Piano will design the new Kum & Go corporate HQ in Iowa: For non-locals, "Kum & Go" is a Midwestern chain of gas stations-cum-convenience stores. The HQ will be built in Des Moines.

Wednesday, November 19:

Clemson scraps its modern building plan: This past July, local preservation and historical foundations sued Clemson University for initially approving a modernist-style new building, and now, Clemson has dropped the building plans.
Saving Buildings with Social Media (Or Not): Alexandra Lange opines on the use and efficacy of social media to preserve architecture.
Architecture Billings Index shows slower expansion in October: AIA reports continued growth but at a slower pace than last month, thanks to "continued strength in the multi-family residen...