HKS Named #1 Most Innovative Architecture Firm by Fast Company | Astra Tower Recognition
Salt Lake City’s air quality is set to receive a significant boost thanks to a novel approach to building design, as HKS Architects was named Fast Company’s #1 Most Innovative Architecture Firm and 31st on its 2026 list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. The recognition stems from the firm’s work on Astra Tower, a residential high-rise intended to address the city’s persistent pollution challenges.
Salt Lake City’s unique geography, nestled within a valley surrounded by mountains, contributes to seasonal atmospheric inversions that trap pollutants, resulting in some of the worst air quality in the United States. Astra Tower directly confronts this issue with a centralized air intake system. This system filters incoming air to a hospital-grade standard before distributing it throughout the building’s residences. According to HKS, the system is engineered to not only clean the air for occupants but also to return air to the environment cleaner than it takes in, aiming for a net-positive impact on urban air quality.
Beyond the technical aspects of air filtration, Astra Tower incorporates a public awareness component. In collaboration with Utah Clean Air, the building utilizes a color-changing LED crown to display real-time air quality levels. This visual indicator, along with air quality displays in elevators and common areas, is designed to inform residents and the wider community about environmental conditions and encourage informed decision-making.
“At HKS, we believe every project is an opportunity to make the world better than we found it,” said HKS CEO Heath May. “Design isn’t just about what happens within a building. It’s about the conditions we create for 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.”
Emir Tursic, HKS Salt Lake City Office Director, explained the project’s origins. “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,” he said. “Together with our client, Kensington Investment Company (KIC), 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.”
HKS is applying the principles demonstrated in Astra Tower to other projects, utilizing research and interdisciplinary collaboration to address broader environmental, human, and urban challenges through architectural design. The firm’s approach signals a potential shift in the role of buildings, moving beyond simply mitigating environmental impact to actively improving the surrounding environment.