A self-storage facility that aims to repair blight.
View MoreLessIn an attempt to capitalize on the potential of a severely blighted commercial corridor in Topeka, Kansas, the owner of an inherited post-war strip center hired El Dorado to redevelop the site into a two-phase self-storage facility. A flexible building system was developed that has the unique ability to adapt to commercial or retail uses with minimal additional construction, should the economy of the region improve. The project is forward-thinking in its ability to adapt tried and true industry rules for successful self-storage facilities while providing a sensible redevelopment strategy for alternate future functions. One of the largest accomplishments of this project was the creation of “FLEX” zoning designation that allows the project to seamlessly upgrade over time from storage to commercial to retail uses as the market allows, all without the need to return to the city for rezoning.
- 2003
- Architect
- Topeka, KS
- 24,000 SF
Client
- Botwin Family Partners, LP
Eldo Team
- Principal: Josh Shelton, AIA
Collaborators
- Contractor: Kelley Construction
- Structural & MEP Engineer: Steve Maslan
- Civil Engineer: Cook, Flatt & Strobel Engineers
- Lighting Designer: Derek Porter Studio
Awards
- 2005 IESNA - International Illumination Design Awards, Award of Excellence
- 2005 International Lighting Design Award
- 2003 AIA Central States Region Design Awards - Merit Award
- 2003 AIA Kansas City Young Architects Forum - Honor Award
Press
- Architectural Record, William Weathersby, Jr., “FLEX”, 2006
- Kansas City Star, Steve Paul, PDF, 2005
- Review, Diane Botwin Alpert, PDF, 2005
- Capital Journal, Ann Marie Bush, PDF, 2005
- Topeka Capital Journal, Michael Hooper, PDF, 2004
- Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, Rick Hellman, PDF, 2004
- Iowa Architects, Channing Swanson, PDF, 2004
- Kansas City Star, Steve Paul, PDF, 2004
Photography by
- Mike Sinclair
