Four Helix Projects Honored with Kansas City Business Journal Capstone Awards

At the root of the Helix mission is the desire to create spaces that have a positive impact on the community in which we live, work and play. Four recent Helix projects that exemplify this principle were recently named Kansas City Business Journal’s Capstone Award winners.

Our clients (naic client), (crosswalks client), (midland lofts client), and (Columbus Park Townhomes client) will be recognized for their work on the NAIC Headquarters, The Crosswalks, Precious Blood Renewal Center and Spira Care Centers, respectively.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the country’s oldest member services group, founded in 1871 to serve insurance regulators in each state. The NAIC’s broad group of members come together to serve insurance consumers. With more than 600 local employees, the organization understands the impact that its workplace can have on associates’ productivity and wellbeing. Its new workplace brings employees together in a connected community.

As an organization, the NAIC’s values are constantly progressing. Faced with the challenge of defining what the future of its workplace should be, the NAIC and Helix delved into the distinct needs and priorities of the NAIC’s diverse departments. The extensive visioning and programming process was a true collaboration between the design-team and a forward-thinking client. It shed light on ways to build community by breaking down siloes between departments, establishing a strong brand identity, and providing an exceptional experience for members and employees alike. To address the NAIC’s programmatic goals, implementing free-address workstations enabled the team to reduce the overall footprint and allocate space for luxurious employee amenities.

Consider the four corners at the intersection of two city streets: Troost Avenue, which has been seen as Kansas City’s racial dividing line, and Armour Boulevard, a leafy jewel of the city’s parks and boulevards system. Once the crossroads of a thriving commercial corridor and a stately residential thoroughfare, the intersection fell victim to decades of redlining, suburban flight, and neglect. The four corners have become a blank slate for something new and can now act as a catalyst for the area’s revitalization without having to tear down existing buildings or displace anyone.

Increasing demand for housing in Kansas City’s urban core has sparked a swell of development, challenging building owners, developers, and designers to think creatively about how they can meet this growing need. Helix has partnered with Cordish Company to transform the Midland office building into The Midland Lofts, Kansas City’s newest high-quality affordable housing.

Regarded as an “underutilized historic jewel,” the Midland building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The defining exterior characteristics will be preserved and enhanced where needed, leaving the most dramatic transformation to occur within the building’s interiors.

Spira Care is an innovative new offering from Blue Cross Blue Shield that is the first of its kind in the Kansas City market. Helix collaborated with integrated marketing agency Barkley and healthcare architecture firm Pulse Design Group to design Care Centers that reimagine the patient experience and help members navigate the world of healthcare. Designed to create an atmosphere of hospitality, Spira Care Centers offer easy access to an array of services for members within a warm, welcoming environment, including primary care visits, routine behavioral health services, lab draws, X-rays and more. The first Spira Care Center opened in January 2018 and now boast a total of five Care Center locations. Photography by Michael Robinson. 

You can see the full list of 2019 Capstone Award winners on the Kansas City Business Journal’s website.