HKS Earns Top Innovation Award for a Tower That Breathes

DALLAS, TX – March 24, 2026 – Global design firm HKS has been named the #1 Most Innovative Architecture Firm by Fast Company for 2026, a prestigious recognition driven by a project that redefines the very purpose of a building. The firm, also landing at #31 on the broader World’s Most Innovative Companies list, earned the honor for its work on Astra Tower in Salt Lake City, a residential high-rise that does more than house people—it actively fights for their health by combating one of the nation's worst air pollution problems.

This award highlights a pivotal shift in architectural thinking, moving beyond aesthetics and sustainability as passive goals. Instead, HKS has demonstrated a future where buildings can become dynamic, active participants in solving critical urban and environmental challenges. Astra Tower stands not just as an elegant addition to the skyline, but as a powerful prototype for public health infrastructure, a concept that captured the attention of Fast Company's editors, who evaluate thousands of companies on innovation, impact, and relevance.

A Beacon Against the Smog

At 41 stories, Astra Tower is the tallest building in Utah, but its most impressive feature is not its height. It is the building's sophisticated, two-pronged approach to addressing Salt Lake City's notorious air quality crisis. The first strategy is a technological marvel of public health engineering embedded within the structure itself.

The tower is designed with a centralized air intake system that draws in outside air and scrubs it through a hospital-grade filtration process before distributing it to the 372 residential units. This ensures that residents breathe exceptionally clean air, a stark contrast to the often-hazardous conditions outside. The design is so effective that the air exhausted from the building is reportedly cleaner than the ambient air it takes in, turning the entire structure into a massive, albeit localized, air purifier.

The second strategy transforms the building from a private sanctuary into a public servant. In partnership with the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR), the tower's crown is outfitted with a dynamic LED lighting system that serves as a city-wide air quality monitor. The crown changes color in real-time based on data from the building's own sensors and federal sources like the EPA. A white light signifies good air quality, while hues of orange, red, and purple warn the entire community of deteriorating and dangerous pollution levels. This visual communication, reinforced by displays in the building's lobby and elevators, aims to increase public awareness and influence daily decisions, such as whether to exercise outdoors or limit driving.

Designing for a Public Health Crisis

The innovation behind Astra Tower was born from necessity. Salt Lake City's unique geography, nestled in a valley between mountain ranges, creates a meteorological phenomenon known as temperature inversion. During winter, a layer of warm air traps cold, dense air and pollutants at ground level, preventing them from dispersing. This results in a thick, toxic smog containing fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that can cause severe health problems.

Studies have starkly quantified the human cost. Research from Brigham Young University found that poor air quality shortens the lifespan of Utah residents by an average of 1.1 to 3.5 years, contributing to between 2,500 and 8,000 premature deaths annually. The pollution is linked to increased risks of heart disease, respiratory illnesses like asthma and COPD, and pregnancy complications. For the city's most vulnerable—children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions—the air itself can be a constant threat.

It is this dire context that elevates Astra Tower from an architectural achievement to a critical intervention. "Astra Tower was designed in direct response to the realities of living in Salt Lake City, where air quality is an important public health issue," said Emir Tursic, HKS Salt Lake City Office Director, in a statement. He noted the collaboration with the client, Kensington Investment Company (KIC), was key. "Together with our client...we saw an opportunity to create a building that not only supports the people inside it but also engages with the environmental conditions shaping daily life in the city."

The Blueprint for a New Kind of Building

The recognition from Fast Company validates HKS's vision, but its implications extend far beyond a single firm or project. Astra Tower serves as a tangible blueprint for a new paradigm in urban development, one where buildings are regenerative, not just sustainable. The industry has long focused on mitigating the negative environmental impact of construction—reducing carbon footprints, using recycled materials, and improving energy efficiency. Astra Tower represents the next logical leap: creating structures that actively improve the environments around them.

This approach is gaining traction across the architectural world. Competing firms also recognized by Fast Company are pursuing similar goals through different means. NBBJ is using neuroscience to design buildings that counter the cognitive impacts of high heat, while Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is incubating next-generation building materials. The trend is clear: architecture is increasingly being judged not just on form, but on function in the broadest sense—its ability to enhance human health, strengthen community resilience, and heal ecological damage.

Astra Tower's model is particularly compelling for its scalability. While conceived for Salt Lake City's specific inversion problem, the core principles—centralized air purification, public health communication, and responsive design—are applicable to countless industrial cities and pollution hotspots around the globe, from Delhi to Beijing to Los Angeles.

Innovation as a Core Business Strategy

For HKS, the Fast Company award is the culmination of a long-term strategic commitment to purpose-driven design. The firm, which became carbon-neutral in 2023, has built its practice around interdisciplinary collaboration and deep research into human and environmental needs. This philosophy is articulated by HKS CEO Heath May, who stated, "At HKS, we believe every project is an opportunity to make the world better than we found it."

May's statement reflects a growing understanding in the business world that innovation and social impact are not mutually exclusive. By tackling a complex public health challenge, HKS not only created a more valuable and desirable property for its client but also established itself as a leader in a new and vital market. "Design isn't just about what happens within a building," May continued. "It's about the conditions we create for people, communities, and environments to thrive. This recognition affirms our belief that the most meaningful innovation in architecture is measured by how it strengthens the people we serve."

As cities worldwide grapple with the mounting pressures of climate change and urbanization, the role of the built environment has never been more critical. The success and celebration of Astra Tower suggest that the most innovative buildings of the future will be the ones that do more than stand tall; they will be the ones that help us all breathe easier.