Edison District

Project Details

Project Description

Overland Park is often regarded as one of the fastest growing office submarkets in metro Kansas City, Kan. To help meet demand for office space, developer OPRE LLC purchased land in historic downtown Overland Park to create an office and retail complex anchored by Edison Spaces, a flexible office space provider.

OPRE LLC collaborated with the Kansas City office of Minneapolis-based The Opus Group to develop, design, and construct the complex, named the Edison District. It includes both new and historic buildings, as well as a parking garage and surface parking lot.

The project is noteworthy because in addition to creating a consistent aesthetic across all buildings, Opus’ designer and Architect of Record Gary Schuberth and the team at Opus AE Group, L.L.C. transformed gaps between existing and new structures to create vibrant outdoor spaces for engaging the public and enhancing the office tenant/user experience. This added a new dimension and elevated the project vision from a simple office complex to placemaking – creating a destination environment by interconnecting a collective of buildings with a series of walkable, vibrant green spaces and architectural features.

The majority of construction was complete in late 2019 and soon thereafter, COVID-19 hit in the U.S. Obviously, the architects didn’t have a crystal ball or insight into the future, but the project included many architectural features that have proven beneficial to the community of Overland Park while navigating a pandemic.

Edison District Structures
The flagship building is Overland Park’s first and largest Class A speculative mixed-use office building. Designed by Opus AE Group, L.L.C. and constructed by Opus Design Build, L.L.C., the five-story, 125,000-square-foot office building features four floors of office space and 6,856 square feet of retail space on the first floor. Also on the ground floor is Strang Hall, a unique 14,000-square-foot “chef collective” open concept food hall for tenants, visitors, and residents. It has seven kitchens and mini restaurants custom designed for individual chef’s own menus and culinary concepts. The building is connected to a new five-level, 400+ vehicle parking garage via a glass skybridge.

The Edison District complex also includes an existing surface parking lot, two speculative one-story retail buildings constructed in the 1930s, and a historic church building that will be renovated into modern office space.

The structures were thoughtfully designed and renovated to reflect the area’s urban vibe and complement the neighborhood’s existing historical architecture. Brick was used as a unifying material throughout the complex of buildings, the garage, and outdoor spaces, with featured areas having the appearance of cast stone. Three brick colors were selected to provide variety and visually break down the scale of the project, in addition to three distinct glass and window frame colors.

The Living Room of Overland Park
Overland Park’s founder William B. Strang envisioned a self-sustaining, well-planned “park like” community with strong commerce, vibrant neighborhoods and accommodating recreational facilities. Creating an environment that’s walkable, accessible, and engaging remains a priority for the City of Overland Park – and it was a priority for OPRE and The Opus Group.

Edison District was thoughtfully designed so the buildings meet up and integrate with the sidewalks and streetscape. It is urban accessible with bike racks and pedestrian access points from each street, creating a pleasant walkable experience for tenants and the community while addressing the city’s urban planning objectives.

Edison District has effectively transformed the entire downtown city block. Likened to the “living room” of Overland Park, it offers a variety of exterior spaces where people can gather, relax, and socialize.

Embracing Green Space
Similar to how the fitness and wellness trend has influenced architectural design in recent decades, outdoor living continues to gain traction. And now in the age of COVID-19, the value of outdoor space as an extension of the built environment has risen to an all-time high, especially in urban areas.

For Edison District, Schuberth and the Opus team employed clever architectural strategy and made use of random spaces between new and existing buildings. They effectively transformed them into accessible outdoor spaces where tenants, residents, and visitors can relax, eat, and play – and feel safe doing it while being physically distanced during a pandemic.

Strang Hall, the chef collective food hall on the ground level of the main five-story building, features an open design that allows physical distancing when eating indoors and a chic modern bar area that straddles both interior and exterior spaces with overhead doors leading to a spacious outdoor courtyard for fresh air dining.

The courtyard includes a hardscape contoured patio area with outdoor furniture. It steps up to a landscaped park-like artificial turf area set on a strong concrete plinth. Designed to replicate a park, the turf area is perfect for playing games, dining, or just relaxing on provided Adirondack chairs. People can also bring their own chairs and place them wherever they’d like on the turf lawn.

Within the courtyard is a large tiered concrete seating structure with a sunscreen trellis featuring circular elements, some of which are blue-tinted. On sunny days, they cast blue shadows on the seating area below. While the project was completed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the blue circular shadows are approximately six feet apart; the space commonly recommended for social distancing.

Adjacent to the courtyard is an event plaza that resembles an Italian piazza with colored pavers and design elements. Recessed into the sloping grades and lined with trees and greenery, it doubles as a surface parking lot when not in use for events.

Between the main five-story office building and the one-story retail buildings there is another small courtyard in a protected area. Overhead draped string lights set the mood and create ambiance for relaxing on provided outdoor tables and chairs.

These outdoor spaces unite to make Edison District the “living room” of downtown Overland Park. They also coalesce to create a superb setting for community gatherings like art shows and neighborhood events.

The Edison District design prioritized both unifying a collective of buildings in an authentic way and placemaking to create energetic, accessible outdoor spaces that build community and will promote well-being, happiness, and healthy living for decades to come.