JE Dunn + team break ground on Operation Breakthrough Ignition Lab

Representatives from Operation Breakthrough, Eighty-Seven and Running, GC JE Dunn Construction and the design team recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the Ignition Lab, located at 3030 Troost Avenue in Kansas CIty, Mo.

When Travis Kelce signed a four-year, $57 million contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs in August 2020, his first purchase was the Muffler Shop - that building will soon be transformed into the Ignition Lab, an environment designed to engage teens in real-world learning experiences through workforce development and entrepreneurship, providing multiple pathways after high school.  

“In signing on for six more years with the Chiefs, I’m recommitting myself to the work I have left to do off the field as well. Kids (that) I danced and ate pizza with at OB (Operation Breakthrough) a few years ago are now teenagers navigating a world that doesn’t always have their back,” said Kelce.

The Ignition Lab is the natural next step for students, ages 14-18, who have aged out of Operation Breakthrough’s MakerCity program having acquired basic skills in coding, circuitry, culinary arts, construction and design, digital media, robotics, visual art and more.

“We are excited to close the opportunity gap in STEM.  Helping our children explore a variety of different fields including computer science, automotive and engineering, manufacturing, electronics and multimedia will not only help them figure out what they are passionate about but create opportunities to build a strong portfolio of client work, certifications and capstone projects.  I know of no other program that will provide this range of opportunities for our high school children,” said Mary Esselman, CEO of Operation Breakthrough.

More than 700 urban Kansas City children come to Operation Breakthrough each weekday for nutritious food, lively learning, health and dental care, therapy and TLC, while their parents work or attend school.

The children range from infants to age 14. About 20 percent are homeless. More than 700 percent of families live on annual earnings of less than $12,000, 65 percent of our children witness violence by the age five. More than 90 percent of our 5-year-olds test “school ready” each year, as compared with fewer than 50 percent of children in poverty nationally.

The current Operation Breakthrough MakerSpace and MakerCity STEM spaces promote hands-on collaborative learning in the arts, electrical, robotics, construction, culinary arts, multimedia, automotive and engineering, maker and green tech for children age 5 to 14.

“The vision is to give them a safe haven where they can continue to find role models, discover interests and develop skills once they age out of OB’s after-school program. I’m so excited to be purchasing a building adjacent to OB’s MakerCity that will be the future home of ‘The Ignition Lab, powered by 87 & Running.’ Together with OB’s staff and supporters, we’ll create a co-working space where teens will have the support, resources and opportunity to explore careers in STEM, launch their own entrepreneurial ventures and gain real-world experience,” said Kelce.

Students at the Ignition Lab can enter into the experiences at a beginner level and work through experiences that build proficiency.  When they are ready, experiences are available for mastery development, including when appropriate industry recognized certifications.

When Operation Breakthrough students are at school, area high school students will use the space during the day to enhance their classroom curriculum. The Lab, designed by Clockwork Architecture + Design, is expected to open Fall 2021 at the beginning of the new school year. 

Other project partners include: MEP engineer - Lankford Fendler; structural engineer - STAND Engineering; civil engineer - BHC; owners representative - MC Realty Group; and Solar Consortium.

Before and after pictures of the lab along with some construction video are available via Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1loa9TQsc2mkYnCL71hu1HF9w8Arvhii4?usp=sharing

About Operation Breakthrough: Operation Breakthrough, incorporated in 1971, provides a safe, loving and educational environment for children in poverty and empowers their families through advocacy, emergency aid and education.  It cares for more than 700 children ages six week to 14-years-old every weekday and will be expanding to serve high school students in the fall. www.operationbreakthrough.org

About Eighty-Seven & Running: Founded by Travis Kelce, Eighty-Seven & Running helps underserved youth strive to become productive citizens by mentoring and motivating them to explore and develop their abilities while learning critical life skills. Founded in 2015, it has remained dedicated to providing resources and enrichment opportunities for youth and their communities through fundraising, athletic programs, mentoring, and outreach initiatives. www.87running.org

KCP&L program lights up MC Realty's energy efficiency effort

With more than 3.5 million square feet of commercial property in downtown Kansas City, MC Realty Group is well-known for its success in revitalizing dozens of abandoned and obsolete buildings. But in recent years, the parent company of DST Realty Inc. and Financial Holding Corp. has quietly made energy efficiency a priority within its portfolio of historic, renovated properties.

“We were looking for ways to make our properties safer, more comfortable, and more energy efficient for our tenants,” MC Realty Vice President of Operations Tom Corso said. “We realized that one of the few costs we can control is energy.”

MC Realty has worked closely with KCP&L to identify, prioritize and complete 31 energy efficiency projects in recent years, taking advantage of the utility’s substantial rebate program. By improving HVAC and cooling towers and adding energy saving features like LED lighting to parking garages and elevators, the upgrades have earned MC Realty almost $2 million in rebates from KCP&L and saved its properties an estimated 4.2 million kWh a year.

In addition to cutting energy costs, MC Realty has saved money on maintenance and replacement expenses because LED lighting lasts longer than old lamp or ballast lighting.

“I’d highly recommend KCP&L’s rebate program to other property management firms,” Corso said. “It’s very simple, and they’re easy to work with. Projects that didn’t make sense beforehand make sense after the rebate.”

For more information about the rebate program, visit kcpl.com/mybusiness. 

ULI 2017 Developments of Distinction: 10th & Wyandotte Parking Garage

The 10th & Wyandotte Parking Garage replaced a blighted, 30-year old parking garage at a busy intersection in Downtown Kansas City. Because the structure was an integral part of the neighborhood with high visibility, BNIM enlisted the support of artist Andy Brayman to quite literally breathe art into the design of the parking garage. 

"(BNIM was) interested in having an artist work on the project and not have it be just sort of a piece made that would be tacked onto the garage at the end. The thought of (the art) kind of being integrated into the process early on seemed really different to me and really exciting," Brayman said.

The goal was to create a structure that contributes to the neighborhood and environment rather than merely serving as a placeholder. 

"It was just an opportunity within the garage to do something fun and unique and interesting," said BNIM Principal Craig Scranton. "The holes inside allow for ventilation within the garage so that allows us to be an open parking garage... it was a cost effective, low energy solution to a parking structure, so it’s very functional and also artistic."

According to BNIM Designer Elvis Achelpohl, BNIM sought an artistic yet functional solution to "puncture" the garage and create pattern to ensure air would flow through the structure. 

"The concept is just creating ornamentation with the rules inherent in precast garage typology," Achelpohl said. "I think there are about 5,000 or 6,000 holes in the piece, and Andy was able to make about 10 percent of those have a ceramic tiles that are embedded, and that’s the color you see (from the outside)."

Brayman worked to ensure movement of air within the facade while creating different panels with decorative ventilation holes in a variety of colors, shapes and patterns. 

"It wasn’t just a cookie-cutter thing where every panel was the same as the next," he said.

The result is a functional yet aesthetically pleasing community improvement, one that caught the attention and respect of ULI Kansas City's Developments of Distinction panel of judges. 

"We think this garage is a lot more interesting than before, and I hope it has a positive impact on the next door neighbors," Scranton said.

Project partners include: MC Realty Group, developer; BNIM, architect; Burns & McDonnell, general contractor; Bob D. Campbell, engineering services; Custom Engineering, engineering services; Taliaferro & Browne, engineering services; The Matter Factory/Andy Brayman, artistic services.