To gear up for its annual Design Excellence Awards on October 26, which our team eagerly anticipates, AIA Kansas City is spotlighting last year’s award winners. IAA was honored to receive recognition in the Concept category for our design of the new Shawnee Mission Park Beach House. Fondly dubbed “Tidal” by our team, it received a Citation Award in 2017. 

Simple, intuitive, site-specific forms synthesize for a reinterpretation of the park shelter, perhaps one of the most prolific public spaces, to realize something different. Jury member and founding partner of Miller Hull, David Miller said, ” It redefines the traditional community bathhouse in a new way. It’s a big, bold move.”

The vision was for this to be more than a park shelter – rather, a confluence – seamlessly merging all people and functions. The sprawling terrace draws one in for socialization while other features find every opportunity to serve and engage park-goers. The roof overhead swells, mimicking the nearby waves and provides refuge from the sun as its clean, elegant lines epitomize the tranquility of the water.

Much thought went into determining its contour as a sun-study informed appropriate scale and placement for optimal protection. Finally, reconfigured pathways and site constraints enhance accessibility.

Ultimately, our team found great joy and inspiration in assembling fundamentally basic elements, which when stripped down are essentially a plane and box, constructed of durable yet humble materials – CMU, steel, concrete – to realize a sum far greater than its parts.