Included within the Grand Avenue Redevelopment Plan is indication of the architectural style and illustrative examples of the architectural concepts which shall serve to guide the design of all renovations of existing buildings or new buildings within Val Air Ballroom PUD. All buildings in the PUD shall reinforce the concept depicted in the Grand Avenue Redevelopment Plan. Specific architecture for all buildings shall be evaluated as part of the site plan review and approval process.
Recognizing that the ballroom building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, all exterior modifications or building additions to the Val Air Ballroom shall be compatible with the historic character of the existing building or the midcentury era. Repair and/or replacement shall be of like kind or revert back to the original historic appearance, as directed by the State Historic Preservation Office. It is strongly recommended that any alterations or additions follow The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation by the National Park Service.
All buildings within the Val Air Ballroom PUD shall accommodate the following in building design:
A. Form And Scale: Buildings should reinforce the aesthetic concept as depicted by the precedent images contained in the Grand Avenue Redevelopment Plan. Buildings shall be designed to relate specifically to the pedestrian in scale and variety. The following techniques should be used to meet this objective:
1. Corporate architecture shall be prohibited except as permissible by the Grand Avenue Redevelopment Plan in that it reinforces the iconic imagery desired for the Val-Gate district.
2. Buildings shall be organized to create a logical balance and relationship with the site, open spaces and circulation.
3. The building's design should meet context and site objectives such as providing gateways, creating linkages and framing or terminating views.
4. Variation in building height, mass and roof forms shall be provided while still maintaining an overall building continuity.
5. Shifts in building planes/facades and variation in exterior materials shall be incorporated to minimize long expanses of wall.
6. Variation in materials, material modules, expressed joints, textures, colors and details should be used to break up the mass of the buildings.
7. Variation in horizontal planes through the use of materials, color and projecting forms should be implemented to signify an entry and/or protect the pedestrian.
8. Ground floor retail areas should provide the maximum possible glazing toward sidewalks to provide pedestrians with visual interest.
9. A building's roof form and related details/materials are an integral part of the architectural design aesthetic. Roofs should not be designed as attention getting devices related to the reinforcement of signage or as an identifiable corporate image unless said identification is in keeping with the Grand Avenue Redevelopment Plan aesthetic.
B. Material Quality And Detail: All sides to each building are to receive high quality materials and finishes (three-hundred and sixty (360) degree architectural treatment). There are no "backs" to a building. Materials should be durable, economically maintained and of a quality that will maintain their appearance over a prolonged time.
1. Primary building materials shall include glass, steel or metal siding, architectural precast concrete, composite materials, stone and brick. The use of natural wood and architectural metals shall be used in moderation and cannot be the predominate building material. Composite or metal panels shall use concealed fasteners and have finished edges. Concrete products shall have integrated color rather than surface applied paint or stain.
2. The following materials shall not be used for cladding unless specifically approved by the city of West Des Moines as part of the architectural elevations:
a. EIFS or synthetic stucco.
b. Concrete masonry units.
c. Tilt up precast concrete systems that are structural in appearance.
d. Materials that are intended for interior use.
3. Changes in materials should occur at either inside corners or where a detail is drawn to specifically accommodate a transition. Stone and brick materials should wrap corners several feet in order to provide authenticity to the materials. (Ord. 2595, 1-2-2024)
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