In honor of Earth Day 2015, IAA is excited to announce that our Chouteau Parkway design, completed last summer, recently received the 2015 APWA KCMETRO Award for Transportation ($5-$25 million). Our firm worked closely with civil engineers and the Kansas City Parks and Recreation department to develop a parkway that is both beautiful, as well as environmentally responsible. It is our hope that the design will serve as an example for similar, future developments throughout the city.

Rather than designing the typical, decorative parkway with architectural accents such as fountains and pergolas, our team conceived and executed a design inspired by the rain garden concept. Our intention was to produce a self-sustaining landscape, harvested by rainwater. Starting with the storm water management basins, outlined by engineers, IAA sculpted a series of interconnected earthwork elements. Pedestrians are granted a clear view with winding walking paths forming the edges of the rain garden and a boardwalk spanning the largest part of the basin.

The project reinvents the dead-zone commonly found between busy roadways. The new park space beautifies the otherwise forgotten area, and enhances pedestrian and cyclist safety and accessibility. Perhaps most importantly, it employs environmentally responsible rainwater management techniques, and educates the public about sustainable practices.