The Urban Conservation Campus, on property owned by the Kauffman Foundation, aims to serve the Missouri Department of Conservation's goals to educate urban residents about conservation strategies and Missouri’s natural heritage. The program consists of six educational workshops, various meeting spaces, department offices and a 250-seat auditorium that support the education of school children and adults alike. The theme of discovery and rediscovery permeates the building and landscape as both become teaching tools unto themselves, with the building in particular mimicking natural processes to provide energy efficiently and handle its waste intelligently.

The campus employs sustainable design strategies to reduce energy costs, and the project's impact on the land and resources. The dual nature of the program for the building (educational workshops and office/meeting spaces) allowed two primary wings benefiting from a preferred southern orientation, providing controlled daylight and views to the outdoors, while east and west glazing is kept to a minimum. A Living Machine operates to cleanse the facility’s wastewater for reuse in irrigation and toilet flushing. An outdoor constructed wetland is replenished by site runoff and captured rainwater from the Discovery Center roof. Three different types of photovoltaic installations are integrated into the building and site design.

Kansas City, Missouri
38,600 square feet
11.8 acres
Completion: 2002

2009 American Society of Landscape Architects, Central States Regional Awards - President’s Award
2004 AIA Kansas City Committee on the Environment (COTE) - Excellence in Sustainable Design for Sustainable Landscape | Honor Award
2004 DesignShare International - Innovative Schools | Citation Award
2002 The Greater KC Business Magazine
2002 Missouri Resources