Overbrook Overlook House, Kansas, Missouri, MO, Kansas Building Project, Missouri Real Estate Architecture Pictures
November 13, 2023
Architects: Benim
Location: Kansas, Missouri, USA
Photos: Kelly Callewaert
(Overbrook Overlook House, Missouri).
The development is located on a land grant farm that has served as a family home since the early 1960s. 68 of the 78 acres are tillable and used for row crops. The remaining ten acres are primarily grassland with about one acre of woodland. The design and construction project includes the renovation of two buildings and a new shipping container storage facility and workshop. The original house is a 160-year-old dry limestone basement that was renovated in 2021 and 2022 using stone from the site and custom windows and doors made by the architect.
A yellow pine structure and corrugated metal barn dating back to 1960 was renovated in 2020 into a small farmhouse. It includes a living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and a sleeping loft in 540 square feet. The original crib wall remains as a beautiful reminder of the history of its previous uses, acting as a barrier between the public and private areas of the building. Custom-made furnishings and casework maximize the use of available space and maintain a simple, clean design aesthetic that complements the plywood wall and ceiling surfaces and pine flooring. The dining table and banquette chairs are made of cherries harvested from the owners’ primary residence. Seven new windows and two doors were carefully added without removing structural elements of the original building. The sixty-year-old corrugated metal siding and roofs bear a patina from the wind and weather of the Kansas prairie. Floating above the original roof are new weather-resistant steel corrugated roofs installed for long-term roof performance and to reduce direct solar load during the summer. The original sliding barn doors remain and are used to close off the building when not occupied. New sliding and hinged shutters were added for solar shading and security. Exterior In the case of both buildings, original form, structure and materiality are celebrated and guide every design decision.
Client influence
Mary Ann, the owner, remembers her times as a child spending weekends on the small farm that was part of the farm until 40 years ago. The sounds of the wind and the forces of nature remain important memories and influences that shaped her childhood. As city residents now, Mary Ann and her husband, BNIM Director Steve McDowell, envisioned creating a second home on the prairie. The idea came up to convert the 60-year-old corrugated steel barn, which has stood the test of time even though the farm no longer exists, into a cabin. Designs were drawn and within six months the renovations were completed, and over the next 18 months new balconies and terraces were added. The experiences have proven memorable and refreshing for Mary Ann’s family, as well as visitors from the local community and beyond.
Performance and environment
Design strategies began with understanding how the existing building could best be used to serve the future program. The original building had an existing east-west axis which became the planning strategy for reuse. The public spaces and the majority of the windows are placed in the southern half with east and west views that celebrate the daily life of the place. The northern section includes bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom and has a limited window. While the building area is only 540 square feet, the surface area of the shell is 1,540 square feet. The surface area to floor area ratio of 2.85:1 increased the importance of ensuring that the performance of the envelope would ensure comfort and reduce energy requirements. The windows are structured to provide cross ventilation and comfortable airflow. In-place foam insulation combined with high-performance H windows provide comfortable and highly efficient spaces. Ceiling fans, operable windows, movable shading, a SEER 33 heat pump, and a radiant floor are integral strategies used to create an efficient and comfortable environment. EUI at 19.5 kbps/year is approximately 80% better than baseline.
Sustainable design is at the core of our approach. We approached this project without restrictions and optimism. The primary struggle we faced was the decision to hide the beautiful yellow pine structure behind foam insulation and a plywood sheathing deck knowing that the only way to overall comfort and strengthen the structure was by doing so.
Overbrook Overlook House, Kansas, Missouri – Building Information
Architects: bnim – https://www.bnim.com/
Mechanical Engineer – Entropa
Structural Engineer – Walter B. Moore
Project size: 480 sq.ft
Site size: 3,400,000 square feet
Completion date: 2021
Building levels: 1
Design team
– Steve McDowell and Mary Ann McDowell (Owners), Steve McDowell (Architect), Tom Simpson-Entropa (Mechanical Engineer), Trevor Acorn – Walter B. Moore (Structural Engineer), Mike Mossack (Site/Plumbing), Frank Rhodes (Electrical) , Tim Moore (Mechanic), Beena Ramaswamy-Benim (Color/Design Collaborator), Naveed Jones (Dining Table), Mary Ann & Steve McDowell (Sofa, Ladder), Sheldon Vogt (Casework), Shutters (Steve McDowell), KS Spray Foam (Insulation), Western States Metal Roofing (Weatherproof Steel Roofing), Lucas Koch (Stone Basement Restoration), Basement Window and Door (Steve McDowell)
Photographer: Kelly Callewaert
Overbrook Overlook House, Kansas, Missouri Photos/Info 131123
Location: Kansas, Missouri, USA
Missouri housing
Modern homes in missouri
Indwelling the arteryKansas City
Architects: Hooft
Photo: Photography by Michael Robinson
New residence in Kansas City
Wetherby Lake HousePlatte County
Design: Kim Studio Architects
Photo: Bob Greenspan
Wetherby Lake House
Architecture in Missouri
Contemporary Architecture in Missouri
Missouri buildings
Willoughby Design OfficesKansas City
Architects: KEM STUDIO
Photo: Photography by Bob Greenspan
Willoughby Design Offices, Kansas City
Museum at Gateway ArchSaint Louis
Design: James Carpenter Design Associates
Image © Earthcam/Gateway Arch Park Foundation
Museum at Gateway Arch in St. Louis
Gary M. Somers Recreation Center at Washington University in St. Louis
Design: Bohlen Cywinski Jackson, Architects
Photo: Daniel Lee/Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Gary M. Somers Recreation Center at Washington University in St. Louis
Green Air installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art in St. Louis
Design: Nomad Studio, Landscape Architecture
Photo: Alize O’Brien Photography
Green Air, Museum of Contemporary Art in St. Louis
Nelson Atkins Museum of Art – Extension, Kansas
Design: Steven Holl Architects
Photo: Andy Ryan
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Building
American architecture designs
American Architecture News – Latest Construction Updates
American Architecture News
American homes
American architects
American architecture
Comments/photos for Sunset Residence, Kansas City, Missouri Design by KEM STUDIO page is welcome
