11 Feb 2020
Pendulum integrate parks and pools into Kansas City Royals downtown regen concept
BY Stu Robarts
Pendulum Studio have created a concept design for a new Kansas City Royals ballpark development in the downtown area of the city that would incorporate a variety of amenities and the blur lines of public and private space.
The potential for a move to a new downtown home for the Missouri-based team has been discussed for a number of years – in part with the regeneration of the area in mind – and the recent sale of the Royals has brought the idea back to the fore.
With this in mind, Pendulum designed a concept that would not only cater for the matchday experience of fans, but would help to stimulate regeneration and provide an 24/7 asset for the local community.
It proposes a mixed-use development that includes a 30,000 capacity ballpark with 26 premium suites, as well as public areas, 2.5ac (1ha) of green space, 1,000 housing units, hotels, eight restaurants, bars and 50,000sq ft (4,645sq m) of commercial space.
The intention is for those supporting elements to be used beyond game-days, with a concourse that is open to the public every day.
"Our concept is about much more than baseball," said Jonathan O’Neil Cole, founding principal of Pendulum Studio. "We see the main concourse as an enhanced pedestrian thoroughfare with active restaurants open daily as well as during games."
The blurring of public and private space would see people able to use the concourse as a walking trail, providing views down into the ballpark, with food and drink offerings beyond those of a typical baseball ground used by the local community for lunch and dinner.
Balconies, terraces and pools of the surrounding housing, hotels and amenities would also provide views into the ballpark, adding value for those elements of the development.
"What we’ve set out to accomplish with this concept is start a conversation about what could happen," said O’Neil Cole.
He continued: "When you give careful consideration to the shifts in the sport business model over the last twenty years, coupled with advancements in technology and the ever-increasing demand for expanded fan amenities, I think now is the time for Kansas City to start thinking about an economically sustainable sports facility model that looks toward the future."
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