GastingerWalker& Honored with the AIA Kansas City Firm of the Year!!

The Firm Award is presented to an AIA Kansas City Member Firm that has shown exceptional leadership and made significant contributions to the profession and the built environment.

The AIA Kansas City Board recognized GastingerWalker& this year for their strong commitment to the profession and the chapter, their dedication to both design and to accomplishing their clients’ goals with projects that enhance the health, safety, and welfare of the community.

GastingerWalker& has been a significant resource to the AIAKC by continuously supporting and encouraging their staff to be involved as members, by volunteering in the community, and dedication to the profession. The AIAKC chapter has been fortunate to have many of the staff of GastingerWalker& provide significant contributions in leadership on its board and committees.

Many of the most successful programs that the AIAKC provides have benefited from their staff members, including Committee on the Environment, Pillars, Education Outreach, our Equity Symposium, Women in Design, and our annual Design Excellence Awards. The Firm’s staff has led many of these committees over the years and was instrumental in the founding of the AIAKC Equity in Architecture committee in 2017.

GastingerWalker also makes many contributions to the community and profession outside of our chapter, as well state and national AIA positions, NCARB, the Kansas City Chamber, Downtown Council of Kansas City, university boards, and preservation groups. The Firm has been recognized with many design awards that show their commitment to design excellence, historic preservation, and sustainability.

The support for this nomination by Dave Broz of Gensler stated how significant the partnership between these two firms has been, calling it “a partnership that goes beyond just business and creates lasting bonds that clients feel, and architecture that is award-winning.”

Deborah Mann, Executive Director of Emmanuel Family & Child Development Center, shared that from day one, GastingerWalker& went above and beyond to create a “beacon for the community and provides hope to our children, their families, and the East-Side Kansas City Community.”

In February 2021, GastingerWalker will celebrate 40 years in business, and what a fitting recognition for this Firm to be recognized as the AIA Kansas City Firm of the Year.

Capitol Federal Breaks Gound on the Newest KC Northland Location!

Continuing our long-standing relationship with Capitol Federal, we're excited to partner with them in bringing their newest branch to the KC Northland! The groundbreaking took place at the Tiffany Springs location and is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2021.

Read more from the KC Biz Journal

Samantha McCloud named as one of KC's 30 under 30

Congratulations to our own architect, Samantha McCloud for being named one of KC’s 30 under 30. Way to go Samantha! 

INK KC

BY NICOLE KUBE

SAMANTHA MCCLOUD, 28

“As an architect, I am passionate about the built environment and its power to affect positive change. Small changes in a neighborhood can have a very big impact on the local culture and social dynamic of a place.”

In their own words
am a 28-year-old licensed architect and Associate at GastingerWalker&. Success is an evolving goal that is personally defined, and I most value the type of success that I can share with others. Architecture is a collaborative field, and through this lens, I choose to see personal achievement as a production of many moving parts. Being an architect isn’t just a vocation, it is a passion, and an ever-unfolding journey.   

In college, to my great surprise, I was offered a scholarship to be a coxswain on the K-State women’s rowing team. As a small, soft-spoken girl, I had never imagined I would be a collegiate student-athlete in highly competitive and aggressive company...read more

AIA KC Big Night

GastingerWalker& enjoyed AIA KC Big Night on September 27 at the Center for Architecture & Design! During the celebration of the AIA KC chapter's 2017 activities and success, several of our own team members were recognized. Amy Kinderknecht was inaugurated into the Board of Directors as the 2018-2020 Associate Director. Mike Fahey was thanked for service in the Board of Directors Selection Committee, and Samantha McCloud was recognized for her initiative and service as Co-Chair of the Equity in Architecture Committee.

National Ampersand Day

Celebrating "National Ampersand Day" comes easy for the GastingerWalker& team! It's kind of our thing.

Color + Couture 2016

Last Friday, GastingerWalker& participated in the 11th and FINAL Color+Couture Fashion show. Although no award was received, fun was had by all! GastingerWalker&'s Emily Gale walked the runway in the San Francisco themed outfit created by the team.

Throw that First Pitch!

GastingerWalker&'s own Lisa Cianciolo, Jennifer McFarland Berka and John Kyger participated in Relay the Way yesterday. The ceremonial first pitch crossed Kansas City for the Royals homeopener. Donations from the event will help build The Kansas City Urban Youth. Go Royals!

A Royal Celebration

What an amazing celebration to witness yesterday! GastingerWalker& & their families showed up to cheer on the KC Royals at the World Series Champions parade along with 800,000+ people. What an incredible display to witness. Way to go Royals! ‪#‎RoyalCelebration‬,‪#‎TookTheCrown‬, ‪#‎forveverRoyal‬, ‪#‎crowned‬, ‪#‎royals‬

Two Locations, One Firm

This February, we celebrated our 34th anniversary as a firm. 2015 also marks the 29th anniversary of our Chicago office.

In 1981, our founders Kirk Gastinger and Wade Walker established the firm based on the philosophy of "listening to clients."

If we listen to and take care of our clients, we will build outstanding long-term relationships. In result, our clients will take care of us.

After five years of growth, relationship building and design with insight, we listened very carefully when one of our clients told us something that would significantly change our firm. AT&T had revised its regional control of real estate. Offices that were in several states, previously controlled by a Kansas City office, were now going to be controlled out of Chicago.

“Our firm had established a reputation as a client, budget, and schedule-oriented firm that provided great service at a reasonable cost,” saidRogers Malone, AIA, principal. “However, the Chicago AT&T Real Estate group could not hire Kansas City architects to do work throughout their region. We needed an office in Chicago in order to continue the relationship."

So Rogers packed up moved his family, and on December 28, 1986 opened the doors of our Chicago office.

In 1986, the Sears Tower was only 13 years old, Ronald Reagan was president, and email and cell phones were a distant speck on the horizon. In April, Rogers will celebrate his 32nd anniversary with the firm, and his 29th year in Chicago.

“Our Chicago office has been able to succeed and excel at relationships for so long because of the culture orginially established by Kirk and Wade in Kansas City,” said Rogers. The team now consists of interior designer Lisa Kincaid, principal; architect John Price, AIA & principal; project designer Heather Lichtfuss; project assistant Marlene Wolz and KC/Chicago liaison Kevin Harden, AIA and partner.

“As the partner linking KC and Chicago, I frequently travel between both offices to keep everyone current. I am the cheerleader pushing the team to do better, and make sure top talent is hired when needed. Representing Chicago’s interests in partner’s meetings has gone a long way to make us ONE office in two locations,” said Kevin.

Kansas City and Chicago have successfully worked in tandem, guided by the firm’s original philosophy. There is great strength in two offices working as one and opportunities are frequently realized. In addition to work for AT&T, the Chicago office has built several new relationships over the years throughout the nation. The firm has completed work in nearly every state.

“We are not an ‘island’ in Chicago. Our office is a part of a bigger whole, and combined we are a team of more than 50 architects, interior designers, marketing and administrative staff,” said Lisa.

After 29 years and three expansions later, the Chicago office has grown to specialize in large corporate offices and healthcare spaces.

“The Chicago office was always intended to be an extension of Kansas City’s office and to grow with additional Chicago clients. The goal from the first day was to expand our client base and continue to provide the same great service that the Kansas City office does,” said Lisa. “It’s incredible to say that we have major corporate experience in two significant Midwestern cities. We have won more business because of this asset. We have the ability to cover a large area that makes clients more confident in our capabilities. We have regional (not just local) flexibility and knowledge.”

Our capabilities have attracted real estate developers in Chicago and, from that, partnerships formed. “We expanded our client base not only locally but with companies doing business in both Kansas City, Chicago and throughout the Midwest. Regionally, besides AT&T, we have worked with Lucent Technologies, Avaya, The John Buck Company, CB Richard Ellis, the GSA, Kemper Financial, Sprint, Morgan Stanley, Van Kampen (now Invesco), BKD, and several others. We also work with Donna Buck and the KC office on several regional Brown Mackie College and Allstate projects, and Jana BeeTriplett on healthcare related projects (including SurgCenter Development). Many of these relationships started in Kansas City and were strengthened by a Chicago presence,” John said. “After we gained regional momentum, we started gaining business from within the Chicagoland urban area (The Tom Terry Group, Civic Opera Building, The Rookery, 104 S. Michigan Ave., 111 S Wacker, Triangle Plaza, 208 S. LaSalle and many others) with additional projects in the suburbs (including Banco Popular, Stonecreek Properties, Barrington Broadcasting and others).”

This map shows all of the states where our team has completed projects; including the Cayman Islands and Jamaica:

Most of the projects for the Chicago office have revolved around corporate interior design. When an opportunity for Kansas City-based client, UMB, came about in Milwaukee, Kevin Harden reached out to Lisa Kincaid and the Chicago team. UMB relocated their Fund Services division in Milwaukee to historic Schlitz Park and this involved interior design and interior architecture as part of a historic renovation. Our proximity to Milwaukee, knowledge of the landscape, and ability to handle details with local vendors and subcontractors demonstrated our ability to have two offices working and collaborating as one.

“We were very excited to work with the Kansas City-based banking company,” Lisa said. “Kevin, who has a relationship with UMB, was able to pass along the work and we just jumped at the opportunity.”

A recent win for the Chicago team was becoming the preferred interior architect for the building at 200 S. Michigan Avenue. Future plans are in progress to create a large public fitness center, as well as other marketing and design projects. Further down the road, our team will be asked to do tenant improvements, construction documents, permits and construction administration as a part of the contract.

Our Chicago office has sustained and grown business over the past 29 years and is strengthened by the dual office structure and goals of our firm. GastingerWalker& regional offerings have taken our firm from a local team to an established national presence.