Market One

The project is comprised of an adaptively reused building and an adjacent parking lot shaded by a solar array. Grouping service functions in a core along the west maximizes tenant flexibility. New interior construction is pulled away from exterior walls to maximize daylighting and views and to maintain the volume of the original space.

Nothing is more sustainable than breathing new life into an existing resource. Market One tells an important story about the role historic buildings can play in anchoring urban revitalization with sustainable principles. With pragmatic intent and a sensitive touch, Market One harnesses a 1901 manufacturing facility’s inherent flexibility to guide open-ended infill strategies. It integrates comprehensive sustainable strategies and rigorous design into a charismatic existing structure, maintaining the building’s original character and yielding healthy open work environments faithful to its original, airy spaces. The project meets the challenge of pursuing energy efficiency while adhering to National Park Service historic preservation guidelines.

The restraint is a rarity, and this shows maturity about how decisions are being made on intervention and bringing to life. more robust Geothermal loops were unusual—not necessarily innovative but unusual. Like the interiors and the fact that they kept the historic building exterior. It's adaptive reuse and is efficient price per square foot. It's a very good building and is well done. - Jury comment

The adaptive-reuse project achieves a rich, nuanced dialogue between new and old. In some locations, the two are carefully delineated. In others, modern interventions take a back seat to historic character. Throughout the building, transparency and compatible finishes allow space to flow freely. A service and circulation core along the building’s west maximizes tenant space flexibility. The blackened-steel primary stair that occupies the building’s old freight elevator shaft provides dramatic access through the building. A modern, wood-clad conference suite and communal roof deck perch atop the original building, using the old elevator overrun to inform its size and location.

As the first major reinvestment in Des Moines’ Market District, Market One has set the standard for subsequent, responsible development. A series of investments since the building’s completion have followed Market One’s lead in respecting the existing fabric. LEED Platinum status and a 2018 ASHRAE Award have further elevated this project as an influential development model.