The primary goal of this project is to increase the likelihood of functional success for the Riverfront Heritage Trail by providing needed services such as restrooms, drinking fountains, telephones, security, bicycle repair and trail maps. The Riverfront West Interpretive Center is another in a series of destination nodes along the trail that simultaneously provide educational and recreational opportunities for the citizens of and visitors to Kansas City
Additionally, the project should instigate ongoing curiosity about how we as a city have responded and will respond to the riverine environment. The Riverfront West Interpretive Center should provide insight into processes of collecting data, interpreting data and presenting data that provides multiple frames of reference for visitors to the riverfront. These processes should be revealed through innovative interpretive stations, or “waystations,” strategically placed throughout the building and/or site.
Students working on this project gained additional help and guidance from El Dorado, an integrated architecture, urban design, curatorial, education and fabrication practice based studio.
Virginia North
Keith Philips
Philip Plowright
James Stevens
