The AIA Kansas chapter presented their Annual Design Awards on September 23 in Overland Park, Kans. The chapter honored five projects for design excellence, three for unbuilt architecture, and three student projects. At the event, the chapter, in cooperation with the Kansas Masonry Industry Council, also presented the second Annual Design Awards for the Use of Masonry to three projects for excellence in architecture using masonry.

Honor Awards for Excellence in Architecture

Boy Scouts of America Camp Naish
Bonner Springs, Kans.
by BNIM Architects
for Heart of America Council Boy Scouts of America
Jury Comments: This small encampment employs a simple site strategy that creates a spatial sequence moving from the parking area through and by a series of small, beautifully constructed pavilions. The obsessive commitment to craft—the art of making—is present throughout. The simple buildings contain remarkable volumes that enliven the scouts’ day-to-day camping experience.
Photo courtesy of the architect.

Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri at Columbia
by BNIM Architects and Anshen + Allen Architects
for Curators, University of Missouri
Jury Comments: A remarkable interior volume binds together the disparate parts of this complex campus building. The building’s rational relationship to the surrounding campus allows it to contribute to the overall campus fabric, making this part of campus a better plan and a better “place.” The building’s organization, both in plan and, particularly, in section, revealed a very mature hand.
Photo © John Linden.

The Station at Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, Mo.
by Gould Evans
for Northwest Missouri State University
Jury Comments: This renovation of an unremarkable mid-century campus building uses very modest means and materials to greatly enhance a difficult campus condition. Through the use of simple planes and screens, the composition engages an existing campus circulation path to draw students into the facility.
Photo © Mike Sinclair.

Merit Awards for Excellence in Architecture

Bus and Parking Operations Administrative Building
Kansas City, Mo.
by Bowman Bowman Novick Inc.
for the Kansas City Aviation Department
Jury Comments: We appreciated the straightforward nature of this facility. The organization was clear and unambiguous. Daylight and views out to the surrounding site were used to enrich the staff’s work environment. The result is a delightful place to work. It is an example of a simple, often neglected building type that has been carefully considered and extremely well done.
Photo © Rod Mikinski.

Plaza Colonnade, Kansas City Public Library
Kansas City, Mo.
by BNIM Architects
for Copaken White & Blitt Highwoods Properties/Kansas City Public Library
Jury Comments: Augmenting the “programless” nature of a speculative office building with a branch of the Kansas City Public Library was a master stroke and, in our view, elevated both facilities. The speculative office building is sophisticated in its massing and well composed. The branch library, while cool and stark, has some wonderful spaces for young people.
Photo © Mike Sinclair.

Honor Award for Unbuilt Architecture

Johnson County Office Building
by BNIM Architects
Jury Comments: The presentation clearly explained the condition, strategy, and rationale. Clear diagrams illustrated the generative logic for the building. The resulting facility, although somewhat unconventional, seemed completely inevitable given the presentation. We look forward to seeing this office building for county employees built.
Rendering courtesy of the architect.

Merit Awards for Unbuilt Architecture

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park Discovery Center
by BNIM Architects
Jury Comments: This environmental discovery center sets ambitious LEED™ goals and suggests a number of inventive strategies to allow it to rest lightly on its site. The diagrams are clear and reveal the rationale for the building’s organization and site relationships.
Rendering courtesy of the architect.

Ronald McDonald House in Longfellow Park
by BNIM Architects
Jury Comments: The early sketches reveal a sophisticated site strategy—both in plan and section. An exterior courtyard binds together the buildings elements. The building’s overall massing and expression is sympathetic to the neighborhood without devolving to mere mimicry.
Rendering courtesy of the architect.

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