How can one set elements on top of the Applicationbar (or have the layout be aware of it)?

How can one set elements on top of the Applicationbar (or have the layout
be aware of it)?

To clarify, I want to have my ApplicationBar resting on top of my
LayoutRoot grid. The desired effect would be like this:
<StackPanel>
<Grid x:Name="LayoutRoot" Background="Transparent">
</Grid>
<phone:PhoneApplicationPage.ApplicationBar>
<shell:ApplicationBar IsVisible="True" IsMenuEnabled="True">
</shell:ApplicationBar>
</phone:PhoneApplicationPage.ApplicationBar>
<StackPanel />
Of course, the above code doesn't work because the must be in the root tag
of the page, but I do wish it did.
Does anyone know a way that I can create this effect? It doesn't have to
be a perfect solution, just something that replicates it and will work on
any resolution.
Thank you for reading and for your help