In the News: Capitol Federal® and Architecture Students Collaborate on Reptilian Pavilion

University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design students honor the original Capitol Federal building

Capitol Federal and the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design have collaborated to offer a unique experience to Topeka’s children. The Reptilian Pavilion, a concrete and steel structure designed to honor the original Capitol Federal building that stood in downtown Topeka from 1924 until 1960, will open at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center following phase one construction on May 27, 2021.

Third year KU architecture students enrolled in a design-build studio were inspired by the original Capitol Federal building at 534 Kansas Avenue in Topeka. The architectural landmark, designed by George Elmslie and within the Prairie Style originating in Chicago, blended local flora and themes derived from the State of Kansas in the sculptural details to produce a unique piece of architecture that carried with it stylistic blends emerging in major cities at that time.

Working with retired Architect Jim Dunlap, who provided reference materials on the project, the students studied the nature-inspired architectural ornamentation of the original building crafted in terracotta. The students then designed a shade pavilion and interior exhibit on architecture to be installed at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center. The pandemic delayed the project and placed the interior exhibit on permanent hold, but the outdoor structure was still needed. A second group of students has brought the project to life at the children’s museum, and a later group will install the terracotta tiles.

The pavilion is the product of a partnership between the KU School of Architecture and Design, Capitol Federal, KBS Constructors, McClure Engineering, AZZ Galvanizing, Foley Equipment Rentals, the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center and other supporters.

“Capitol Federal is proud to honor and celebrate our history in this unique and creative way,” said Tom Hagen, Corporate Communications for Capitol Federal. “While our former CapFed headquarters has since been demolished, the inspiration and real world experience it has brought to these KU School of Architecture and Design students will last a lifetime. We are excited that kids who come to the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center will have the opportunity to learn more about Topeka’s past, and about architecture, for generations to come.”

That’s because the Discovery Center on Friday, May 13, unveiled a new, scaly roof on its Reptilian Pavilion that offers a cool place to play during the summer. The project began in 2020, with students from the University of Kansas School of Architecture and Design starting to design the pavilion. Construction began during spring 2021 with the base structure, and was then completed this spring by eight KU architecture students and presented to the public during an informal open house.

The student volunteers originally planned to use terra cotta tiles for the roof, according to KU associate professor Keith Van de Riet, but decided to instead go with recycled, aluminum traffic signs that were shaped to look like scales by the students. Van de Riet oversaw the project, as well as the New Years Pavilion that was constructed by another group of KU architecture students and unveiled in February 2022.

“It’s reptilian, so they came up with the scaly thing,” Van de Riet said. “They wanted it to be three-dimensional. They had a top and a bottom tile at one point that doubled the number of tiles and we ultimately engineered that out.”

Van de Riet said they created more than 500 aluminum tiles but only ended up using about 460 to create the scaly surface.

“Once we acquired all the flat street signs, we started drawing and laying them out and it was just a process of chopping, refining and then curling it on a roller,” Van de Riet said. “Then they’d reflatten the edge where it was attached and it was ready. Plus they had to sand the silver part to even it out. The ones that were facing up ended up getting sandblasted because the sanding didn’t kill the glare for us.”

The Reptilian Pavilion was designed and built in honor of the original Capitol Federal building in downtown Topeka. Built in 1924, the architectural landmark drew inspiration from local flora and fauna — a design approach known as biomimicry — in the sculptural details to produce a unique piece of architecture that stood until the 1960s. Starting in 2019, students from the KU School of Architecture and Design studied the architectural ornamentation of the original building before they designed this pavilion in 2020 using biomimetic style to honor the building’s legacy and architectural significance.

Three groups of students worked on the project at different stages throughout the pandemic. The students who worked on this project were:

Geraughty Badger, Kendall Belcher, Ethan Eben-Herrera, Jonathan Guzman, Jahnavi Kalani, Celine Khashram, Molly Knake, Hannah Kouri, Alyssa Mckee, Jonathan Moebius, Walter Rundgren, Salomi Saiyed, Ethan Seiler, Jordan Vonderbrink, Robert Zoschke, Lauren Black, Matt Gallentine, Julia Gillman, Jeffrey Mcbee, Eliott Freeman, Ryan Nguyen, Maggie Roux, Ethan Witt, Santiago Patino, Leo Aguilar-Behsman, Justin Fontaine, Jodi Gore, Jack Leff, Jared Lombardi, Ethan Overland, Zach Poelzl and Sarah Preston.

Collaborators and supporters of the project included Capitol Federal; KBS Constructors; McClure Engineering; AZZ Galvanizing; City of Lawrence, Traffic Engineering; Douglas County Public Works; City of Topeka, Traffic Engineering and Masters Media Blasting.