Hoefer Welker Featured at AIA KS/CSR Conference

Hoefer Welker Director of Design Hosam Habib will speak at the 2016 AIA Kansas/Central States Region Conference & Exhibition in Manhattan, Kan., about the Northland Innovation Center (NIC) in Gladstone, Mo.

The NIC is one of nine selected projects featured at the conference, which focuses on exploration of the infrastructure of design, and celebrates the unique cultures that support designs found exclusively in the Midwest. Hosam will spend 60 minutes responding to the conference theme, and offer a unique opportunity for dialogue and learning among attendees.

The NIC is a groundbreaking, state-of-the-art facility, which provides a learning environment for K-12, including Students in Academically Gifted Education (SAGE) from the North Kansas City School District and Northwest Missouri State University (NWMSU) higher education graduate and undergraduate programs. The building introduces its audience to a contemporary environment for education, nested in a re-gentrification of Northland’s up-and-coming neighborhood.

“We reinvented the model for urban structures with the Northland Innovation Center,” Hosam said. “Our goal was to design a creative, sensory space where children feel encouraged to respond to their surroundings. We aligned the design of the building and the program with the teaching process, making it project-focused from use of bright colors to define wayfinding to painted duct work, exposed ceilings and natural lighting throughout the facility.”

The vertical, five-story urban school layout was designed with a project-based learning approach. It features open floor plans that encourage children to learn from one another. Additionally, the facility incorporates a modern playground and a terrace designated for learning outdoors.

“It is an honor to be selected to speak at the conference,” Hosam said. “I look forward to engaging with attendees and sharing experiences amid a new architectural learning landscape.”

The NIC, as well as Hoefer Welker’s Kansas State University Foundation project, will also be featured during the infrastructure poster exhibit at the conference.

Congratulations to Hosam and the team: