Four Helix Projects Honored with Kansas City Business Journal Capstone Awards

Our goal is to create spaces that inspire and strengthen the communities in which we live, work, and play. Four Helix projects that reflect our commitment to meaningful design were recently named Kansas City Business Journal’s Capstone Award winners.

Our clients National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Mac Properties, DAK Real Estate, and Cordish Companies will be recognized for their work on the NAIC Headquarters, The Crosswalks, Columbus Park Townhomes, and the Midland Lofts.

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. Its new workplace brings employees together in a connected community.

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 planning and design process was research-based and data-centered. The team had to be unafraid to confront the area’s uncomfortable social, political, and architectural histories. Each corner of this intersection is part of a unique neighborhood, all with different identities, communities, and even elected representatives. During the master planning and conceptual design, the team delved into the neighborhoods’ defining characteristics and engaged with City representatives and community groups to identify their aspirations for the future.

A trio of commercial real estate veterans and advocates for urban living joined forces to develop a parcel of land in Kansas City’s historic Columbus Park neighborhood. They envisioned providing a housing option within this walkable, eclectic area that isn’t so typical — “missing middle” housing. This range of house-scale buildings with multiple tenants provides an increased density between the most common forms of development in Kansas City, the single-family house and the large-scale apartment block.

The client met with key stakeholders in the neighborhood from the beginning of the project. Helix explored more than two dozen site plan options to determine the best use of the challenging, triangular parcel of land to find a solution that was appropriately scaled for the surrounding neighborhood. With the neighborhood’s support, Helix landed on a plan that lines for sale townhomes along Pacific Street with apartments behind. 

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.

You can see the full list of the 2025 Capstone Award winners on the Kansas City Business Journal’s website.