Ka architecture
Sep 1, 2005 12:00 PM
What makes retail shopping exciting and memorable? The purchase, the company you keep, where you dine, the movie you see, or the details you may or may not notice that create ease and appeal of the whole experience. At ka, a national, award-winning architectural design firm, we recognize that people's perceptions of a shopping experience are different, and our project teams work to meet the varying needs and desires of the ultimate end user. Through a heightened understanding of how design affects life, and how to create experiences that are memorable and enduring, our clients appreciate the innovative solutions and level of attention we bring to our projects. In addition to understanding the influences of good design, we also realize that cultural and environmental considerations play an enormous role in creating a truly successful project — one that becomes an integral part of the community it serves, resulting in “The Architecture of Life.”
Take, for example, General Growth Properties' The Shops at Fallen Timbers in Maumee, Ohio. ka is designing an open-air lifestyle center as the retail core component of a 450-acre, mixed-use development. The design intent is to complement the character of the community's already vibrant Main Street. Some shops will be housed in buildings constructed from reclaimed materials and designed as original small-town structures. A man-made lake, in an area to be known as "The Lake District," will be a grand feature of the development reflecting the four basic elements of air, earth, fire and water, as captured by the outdoor fire pit and fire rings erupting from the lake in the evenings. The Lake District is destined to become a gathering place in town.
On the East Coast, ka is working with Greenberg Commercial and master planner/residential designer, The Martin Architectural Group, to redevelop and design a 1.75 million-square-foot, mixed-use town center in Annapolis, Md. With its prime location between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, the center's elements will provide patrons with a shopping oasis and will include office space, a hotel, parking garages, a skating rink and a large water feature. Residential units will top off the ground level shops, some with views of the Chesapeake Bay.
Contact Info
ka architecture
1468 W. 9th St.
Suite 600
Cleveland, OH 44113
Telephone: 216.781.9144
Fax: 216.781.6566
Web site:
www.kainc.com
E-mail:
lkoch@kainc.com
Size of Firm: 85
Year Established: 1960
Key Contacts: James B. Heller, President
Darrell K. Pattison, Director of Design
David H. Bader, Director of Site & Landscape Architecture
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