The new Krause Gateway Center will provide an engaging space for the community to interact with Kum & Go associates.
Plans for the new Krause Gateway Center, which will house the Kum & Go store support center headquarters, have been submitted to the City of Des Moines for review. The Center is currently under construction at 1459 Grand Avenue, and this marks the next step in the building’s continued development.
In addition to the Kum & Go store support center, the building will house a number of other entities of Krause Holdings Inc., including the Des Moines Menace and Solar Transport.
“The landscape architecture of this building is an important way to connect our building to the Western Gateway community,” said Krause. “We wanted to make the land around the building an inviting space for our associates, our neighbors and everyone in our community.”
Krause retained Confluence, a landscape architecture, urban design and planning firm, to collaborate with internationally-renowned building designers at Renzo Piano Building Workshop and the selected local architecture firm, OPN Architects, and developer for construction, Ryan Companies U.S. Inc.
Initial plans show lush, park-like settings, with mature trees and plantings, creating a shady respite opposite the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The site design encourages interaction between associates and visitors. Plans for the west side of the building propose tables and seating, as well as multiple leisure activity stations including chess tables and a bocce court. The sensory garden provided on the grounds will include interactive sensory elements to further engage the community in the space. The northeast side of the building will include a more meditative space, with a small concrete amphitheater carved into a grove of trees.
“This space is about being an inviting place to work that Kum & Go associates can be proud of and it’s about providing an engaging space open for our community to interact with our associates, as well as to enjoy and experience on their own,” said Krause.
“Our plans were guided by the project team’s direction to be inviting to the community while also reinforcing the Kum & Go culture for associates,” said Confluence project manager, Seth Gray. “This site will be a place of energy and activity, and its design is a reflection of the Krause family, this incredible building and its position within downtown Des Moines.”
Construction for the building is in progress, with an anticipated completion in 2018.