The adaptive reuse of 1640 Baltimore was conceived as a mixed-use office and commercial space, designed as a prototype for the interplay of sustainable, site, and wellness standards.  The three-story, 43,000 square-foot building would have served as home for the Kansas City headquarters of BNIM, and provided an additional 12,000 square-feet of leasable space. During the design process, 1640 Baltimore came to be known as Building Positive due to its positive attributes of community-building.

The design of Building Positive embodied the core purpose of BNIM: “We deliver beautiful and integrated environments that inspire change and enhance the human condition.” The building targeted LEED Platinum certification — the highest level of LEED certification — and Living Building Certification, which is the industry’s highest metric for sustainable and or green building design. As a part of these targets, the project was designed with a goal of net-positive energy, producing all of the buildings energy needs on site, plus an additional 5 percent. 

The workplace, planned for the uppermost two floors of the building and the roof, was designed as a laboratory for exploration and research. It also contained a public space intended for outreach and education to the community, and for various events and exhibits. A large open park space to the east was planned to offer public amenities for downtown, its users and the other businesses nearby.