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DEKC 2019: Helix brings home 3 AIA KC Design Excellence Awards

Each year, the Kansas City design community comes together to celebrate the impressive and thoughtful projects that emerge from local firms. During the annual ceremony on Friday evening, two Helix projects were recognized with three AIA Kansas City Design Excellence awards.

University of Kansas Medical Center, Health Education Building

University of Kansas Medical Center, Health Education Building received both Professional’s Choice and a Citation Award for Architecture. AIA KC members are invited to vote for the Professional’s Choice winner, making it a true distinction in the local design community. Hailed as the poster child for the future of health education, HEB was designed in collaboration with CO Architects as an innovative facility that encourages interdisciplinary education.

“They worked really hard to create various strategies to bring light into the building and create a strong connection with the outdoors.”

“This was a very ambitious project. We really appreciated the fact that this was a very large and complicated project. The designers of the project worked really, really hard to bring a lot of daylight into the building, on the upper floors, and also in some of the large classroom areas. A lot of these spaces are often completely devoid of daylight, and they worked really hard to create various strategies to bring light into the building and create a strong connection with the outdoors.”
— AIA KC 2019 Jury Comments

Client: The University of Kansas Medical Center

Team: McCownGordon Construction, Henderson Engineers, Bob D. Campbell, SK Design Group, Sextant Group, Land3
Photography by Bill Timmerman.

19 Main at Corrigan Station

19 Main at Corrigan Stationearned a Merit Award for Architecture. Being the first new construction office building in the Crossroads in more than 60 years, every architectural move is designed to support and enhance urban vitality.

“The detail was appreciated, the materiality was appreciated, the central staircase clad in glass is very handsome. Just seemed to be a standout architectural design in the urban context.”

“It’s very beautiful but modest, and clearly an intelligent building. It impressed all of us very much. It seems to be contributing to something, whether it’s placemaking or reestablishing a corner, and as such, it just seemed to be a very solid building. It also seems to be a very well-designed building. The detail was appreciated, the materiality was appreciated, the central staircase clad in glass is very handsome. Just seemed to be a standout architectural design in the urban context.”

— AIA KC 2019 Jury Comments

Client: Copaken Brooks, 3D Development

Team: Miller Stauch, Lankford Fendler, PMA Engineering, SK Design Group, Standard Sheet Metal, Rosehill Gardens, FP&C Consultants

Photography by Michael Robinson.

In addition to the project awards, Helix designer Travis Snell and his cohort from the Kansas City Design Center won an award for their work on West Bottoms Reborn: A Vision Study for a System of Public Spaces. KCDC Executive Director Vladmir Kristic said it best: “Proud of our talented and hard-working students who stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their professional peers!”

This year’s jury was comprised of an esteemed group of nationally recognized designers, including: Mark Rusitzky, AIA, partner at COOKFOX Architects; Karen Fairbanks, AIA, founding partner at Marble Fairbanks Architects; and Andrew Berman, FAIA, founding partner of Andrew Berman Architect.

We’re honored to share these awards with our clients and design, construction, and engineering partners. This recognition is the culmination of contributions from each team member.