Studio 804 Chooses Reuse - Storefront glass panels and more

Studio 804 is a team of graduate students working towards gaining their masters in architecture in the Architecture, Design, and Planning program from the University of Kansas. Studio 804 has been in existence for sixteen years and has consistently designed and produced sixteen projects during that time. Each year, in their final year in the program, Studio 804 project consists of spending the fall semester creating the design, identifying the needs and goals, estimating the cost, and locating the materials needed. The spring semester is dedicated to the construction of the structure.

Dan Rockhill, executive director of Studio 804 and professor of architecture at KU, oversees the project in its entirety and guides the students as they learn what it takes to take a design from conceptualization to completion.

This year’s project, “Galileo’s Pavilion,” was designed to enhance the sculptural piece “Galileo’s Garden” designed by Dale Eldred. It is a three room structure consisting of two class rooms and one collaborative space. The structure was designed using passive solar building principles and includes three green wall systems. A bulk amount of the materials used for the project was reclaimed materials. Reclaimed slate from school chalkboards was used for the exterior siding and the storefront glass used for the project was recycled from a canceled commercial project. Resourcing reclaimed materials for the project assisted in gaining additional LEED points, cut the cost of the project, and kept those materials from being otherwise being dumped into a landfill. PlanetReuse assisted in the outsourcing of the glass material for the building. The glass was salvaged from a Moshe Safdie commercial project that was started and cancelled in the Plaza Area of Kansas City, MO.

One of the standing goals of the project was education for the present and the future. The building was designed as a tool of interaction and education for “green” design and “green” building techniques. Said Dr. Jay Antle, the sustainability director for the project, “…everyday this building will be educating students about what building can be and should be.”

Galileo’s Pavilion is a response to Johnson County Community College’s goal for sustainability. Though it has not been achieved, it is set to gain a LEED Platinum rating. This will be Studio 804’s fifth LEED Platinum building and the 4th LEED Platinum building in Kansas (the others which are located in Greensburg).

Congratulations to Studio 804 on their accomplishment and completion of "Galileo's Pavilion."

KU Studio 804 featured in Metropolis Magazine.

The design-build program at University of Kansas, Studio 804, gets a little media love in the February edition of Metropolis Magazine. Studio 804 allows architecture students to see more than just the design and build of a structure, but to also understand everything else they will encounter along the way. KU professor Dan Rockhill presents the 22 students with the opportunity to create more than just a cool house. Each project serves as, "a shining example of state-of-the-art sustainable design-and an illustration of the aesthetic and financial challenges sustainable design presents." As most projects for Studio 804 are of Midwest origin, it is only natural for weather and climate issues to come into play. The devastating tornado that struck Greensburg motivated its' townspeople to rebuild as a Green community which offered the perfect opportunity for a Green design-build project. The strict LEED Platinum standards that the city council mandated for any municipally owned building over 4,000 square feet presented a challenge but nothing that Rockhill's studio couldn't handle. In one years' time Kansas had it's first LEED Platinum building in the form of a, "sleek modular arts center," that Governor Kathleen Sebelius praised and Studio 804 could proudly call their own. Read the article in it's entirety here and check out more work from Studio 804!

Rock chalk!