Welcome Spring 2025 Students!

Kansas City Design Center is ready to kick off the spring semester and get to work. Our studio includes sixteen students from four states and two schools across four majors. We are hoping that our diverse backgrounds and perspectives will help in ideating well rounded and beautiful projects.

Kansas City Design Center is excited to be taking on a new project. We will be working with Benesch Engineering, El Dorado Architecture and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County to design a bridge proposal for the Central Avenue Bridge. Over the past two weeks we have worked to gain an understanding of not only the condition of the bridge itself, but also an appreciation for the community the bridge serves now and who it could serve in the future. By examining the relevant planning documents for KCK we have begun to understand and dream about what this bridge could bring to the community. 

Though some of the members of our studio are from the Kansas City area very few of us were familiar with the bridge and even fewer had actually been on it. Thankfully, last Friday we were able to complete our site visit and take a physical inventory of how we can use this bridge as a beacon around which to unite the community. 

From this point we look forward to completing our inventory of the site and the surrounding community as we move toward the beginning stages of design. We have gained invaluable information so far and will continue to bolster our knowledge base as we begin model development and generate site plan drawings. 

We encourage you to follow along as we continue to explore the possibilities for the Central Avenue Bridge. Weekly updates will be posted to this blog! Our Instagram @kcdesigncenter will also be a useful tool to stay up to date on the happenings of our studio. We have already learned so much from this project and Kansas City and cannot wait to see what lies in store.

New Year, New Look

Today, we’re launching a new logo, and we’re excited to share the story of how it came to fruition. For the past 17 years, KCDC has celebrated student input and design, so working with students on a rebranding effort felt perfectly in line with our program’s values.

The journey to the new logo has been inspiring. We collaborated with three talented graphic design students from Kansas State University: Abigail Scantlin, Elle Bergerhofer, and Megan Murphy, under the guidance of their professor, Dan Warner. These students brought fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and a thoughtful understanding of the KCDC mission to the design process.

The new logo celebrates our iconic KCDC green, which has become synonymous with our identity. This fresh design adds versatility and adaptability, allowing us to better connect with a diverse audience across platforms.

More than just a visual update, this logo carries a meaningful message of unity. Our work fosters collaboration across state lines, disciplines, and communities. The new design reflects this role, incorporating subtle elements that symbolize connection.

We extend heartfelt gratitude to Dan Warner and his students for their hard work. Their efforts gave us a logo that honors our history and propels us into an exciting new chapter.

As we kick off this rebranding, we invite you to celebrate this milestone. Let’s continue designing a brighter, more connected Kansas City. Stay tuned for updates on our website refresh, events, and ways to get involved in the KCDC community.

Here’s to the next decade of innovation and collaboration! See below for bios of Abigail, Elle, and Megan, and their thoughts on the process.

Abigail Scantlin: Hi! I’m Abigail Scantlin, a junior at Kansas State University majoring in Graphic Design with a minor in Marketing. I enjoy all things art, movies, and traveling. I’ve developed my design skills through classwork and nonprofit projects, and I’ve loved applying them to my work with the Kansas City Design Center. This project was an incredible learning experience, especially when it came to collaborating with and designing for a client. I especially enjoyed animating the logo, which allowed me to further develop my animation skills and contribute creatively!

Elle Bergerhofer: Hi my name is Elle! I am currently a Senior at Kansas State University pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design. I am deeply passionate about communicating ideas and telling compelling stories through design. As a Kansas City native, this project has been so impactful to me in the way it has given me the opportunity to gain real world experience in a community I see and love!

Megan Murphy: I'm Megan Murphy, a K-State student pursuing a bachelor of fine arts with a concentration in graphic design. My passion, however, is in illustration and exploring new mediums. Outside of class, I enjoy many creative hobbies like costume design, digital sculpting, and working with resin!

Welcome KCDC's new Director!

We are delighted to announce that Lauren Harness has been selected as the new Director of the Kansas City Design Center.

"Kansas City and the KCDC are essential to APDesign at K-State.” said Michael McClure, Dean of The College of Architecture, Planning & Design at Kansas State University, “We are thrilled to have Lauren Harness as our new director, we welcome her back to K-State, and look forward to the energy and leadership she will bring in improving Kansas City through applied planning and design research."

Lauren brings a wealth of experience and a diverse portfolio of work to her new role at KCDC. She holds a Master of Architecture degree from Kansas State University (2015) with a minor in Regional and Community Planning and is a Registered Architect and LEED Green Associate.

Lauren's impressive career includes roles at prominent firms such as William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc.; MASS Design Group; Ennead Architects; and El Dorado Inc. Her notable projects range from educational facilities and cultural centers to affordable housing and public parks, showcasing her commitment to socially impactful and environmentally sustainable design.

Lauren is actively engaged in the professional community through various roles, including the Dean's Advisory Council at K-State APDesign, and continued mentoring and volunteer work through her local AIA chapters in both Boston and New York City.

Stay tuned for exciting programming events this fall, including “Coffee with the Kansas City Design Center.” This event will offer a unique opportunity to meet our new Director, Lauren Harness, and engage in discussions about the KCDC mission and our future endeavors.