Lutjen Inc's LEED Certified Office Space

Lutjen Inc. has officially moved into their new SFS designed office space in North Kansas City.  The project, which is an adaptive reuse of an existing building is pursuing LEED Silver Certification.  Creating a positive environment for staff was of utmost priority, so features such as indirect lighting, envelope insulative improvements, natural light and exterior views were incorporated throughout the space.

SFS Takes Home 3 MADA Awards

SFS was awarded 3 honors this past weekend at IIDA Mid America Chapter's Design Awards. The Osage Prairie YMCA Natatorium Addition received "Best of Show Runner Up" and Gold in the Sports & Recreation Category. The L.H. Bluford Library Renovation won Silver for the Renovation & Restoration category.

A Very Cool Roof

The new, white "cool" roof and 22kW photovoltaic system on the Dole US Courthouse is complete! SFS in conjunction with Rand Construction, Derbigum Energy Innovations and e-PGEN designed and installed the system for the GSA as a High Performance Building Upgrade under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The system was implemented as an opportunity to generate energy as well as encourage renewable energy strategies in the Kansas City area.

Monitoring of the energy generated by the PV installation can be followed at www.deckmonitoring.com/dole_courthouse. The information automatically updates every 15 minutes to show how much energy has been collected and stored by the system.

The project is one of the first GSA ARRA projects completed in the country.

Reynolds Journalism Institute Wins MADA Award

The IIDA Mid America Design Awards were announced in St. Louis on Friday evening and the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) at MU won Gold in the Education & Research category.

The interior design of the Institute provides an environment that supports learning, as well as, the extensive research and development that takes place at the Institute. These varied needs required the specification of materials and finishes durable enough for college students, yet aesthetically appropriate for visiting international researchers and guests.

Finishes for the facility met stringent maintenance and durability requirements set by the University, while celebrating the energetic and innovative nature the Institute and its users. The simple yet elegant use of glass, concrete, wood and gloss-white terrazzo floors serve as a backdrop to balance the overall energy of the space.

The sensitive space planning and interior design by the SFS design team allowed the Journalism School to transform underutilized buildings into a premiere educational facility and allowed the Journalism School to keep all journalism school facilities in close proximity to each other on campus. "This is the best space the journalism program has ever had," Dr. Brian Brooks, Associate Dean of the School of Journalism said. "It gives (us) facilities that are worthy of the world's first school of journalism.

Reynolds Journalism Institute unveiled at Cenntennial Celebration

The new Reynolds Journalism Institute at the University of Missouri - Columbia was officially dedicated on September 12th as part of the Journalism school's cenntennial celebration. The facility, which opened in time for the new school year provides students and visitors with access to a world-class center for learning, researching and testing new models of journalism. The facility not only provides MU students with a premiere facility but will also attract top journalism researchers and professors to the school. The new facility was featured in the university newspaper the Columbia Missourian
http://columbiamissourian.com/stories/2008/09/11/new-journalism-institute-links-past-present-and-future/

SFS "Green" Project Featured on NBC News

SFS Architecture's "green" renovation of St. Patrick Parish School was featured on Kansas City's NBC action news. The $3 million renovation was broken into two phases and completed over summer vacations so that the construction would not impact school activities. The updated facility has been met with praise from staff, administration and parents.

http://www.nbcactionnews.com/content/livinggreen/story.aspx?content_id=7b5f9f65-9587-41f6-9574-abceb60964df