Zona Rosa is an urban town center that provides shopping, dining and entertainment venues in northern Kansas City. LJB provided structural engineering for Buildings A, C, G, H, KK and M for Phase 2 of the Zona Rosa development, which houses national retailers such as Old Navy and Staples.
Using tilt-up construction for the $12 million project saved the owner 15 percent over competitive construction systems. And, adhering to a strict construction schedule allowed the Phase 2 facilities to open in time for the busy holiday shopping season.
Architectural appeal is critical for retail and entertainment venues like Zona Rosa. The designers incorporated a significant amount of brick, which allowed the buildings to retain a conventional masonry appearance. A variety of different brick patterns was used, including brick in several vertical planes in a single panel to provide a unique look. Many panels were also cast with recessed smooth concrete areas to accommodate post-applied stone and tile. Cast-in block, synthetic stucco and colored concrete were also used as architectural accents on the project.
To accommodate wide storefronts for Staples and Old Navy, the storefronts on buildings KK and M used single-legged panels side-by-side. The panels were cast and erected with a temporary second leg, which was removed to create the open storefronts after the two panels were stitched together. This approach placed the vertical panel joint at the center of the spandrel overhead, allowing the joint to be hidden by the retailer’s signage.
