In the summer of 2019 I joined Luckett & Farley as Design Director to play a part in extending the company's design legacy to meet new social, environmental and economic challenges in the future and support the continued evolution of our design culture. Despite the added stress and uncertainties from the pandemic and the challenge of working remotely, our team has continued to collaborate and push creative boundaries. Today we're looking back at some of the project milestones we celebrated this year.
2020 Project Milestones
Two of our projects received Merit Awards from AIA Kentucky.
The 2020 AIA Kentucky Honors Awards Jury presented two of our projects with Merit Awards: The SmART Bus Stop #2 at 18th and Mohammed Ali Boulevard and a proposed design for an event space for Rabbit Hole Distillery.
We broke ground on the Shawnee Boat Ramp.
One very cold January morning we gathered with Louisville's Mayor Greg Fischer, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, and Louisville Metro Parks to break ground on the boat ramp for Shawnee Park. This project will improve river access for emergency rescues and, in conjunction with the Shawnee Outdoor Learning Center, provide recreation for West Louisville residents.
We kicked off the Camp Restoration project.
Camp Restoration is a tiny home community we’ve designed with shipping containers that will provide transitional housing for homeless vets. It was an honor to celebrate with the Veteran's Club, community leaders, and local veterans as this project continues toward completion. Project Manager Paul Sirek was on hand to share Luckett & Farley’s vision for the project.
We met a big construction milestone on WKU Commons at Helm Library.
At a small event to celebrate the installation of the final beam for the renovation of the new Western Kentucky University Commons at Helm Library, team members from our Higher Education Design Studio (including our new Market Director William Maffett), our partner Gensler, A&K Construction, WKU President Timothy C. Caboni, and additional university leadership signed the beam and answered questions from the media.
The beam raised weighed nearly 1500 pounds and is the largest of seven structural beams that will line the new glass west wall to support the third floor. The new design adds naturally lighted social spaces for WKU students and faculty to interact and collaborate.
We were recognized as part of an award-winning real estate deal.
Luckett & Farley provided site and building assessment services for a new Kroger Co. High-Tech Customer Fulfillment Center that won Real Estate Deal of the Year in Frederick County, Maryland. We helped Kroger evaluate a vacant distribution center that will soon provide hundreds of jobs for the community and be a key component in the seamless fulfillment ecosystem Kroger is rolling out for its customers across the country.
We completed another seven Thorntons locations.
Since 2016 Luckett & Farley has been working with Thorntons, Inc. as their primary design firm for the expansion of their popular convenience store brand throughout the Midwest. In 2020, another seven Thorntons locations opened in Tennessee and Illinois and ten Nashville stores were renovated.
As we reflect on this past year, we're grateful for all the clients and projects that improved their community and gave us a reason to celebrate. Read more about some of the ways our team members excelled during this challenging year.
