Construction set to begin on new office building at KU Medical Center

October 15, 2009

A new environmentally friendly building is on the horizon at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Construction will begin this fall on a three-story 40,000-square-foot building at the southeast corner of Rainbow and Olathe boulevards. The $6 million project will be funded by KU Endowment. The first and second floors will provide space for the medical center, the third floor will house KU Endowment offices.

The building will be constructed at 4125 Rainbow Blvd., replacing a building that originally was a 1950s hotel. Most recently, the building has served as office space for the medical center. Demolition of the existing building is scheduled to begin this month, and construction will be completed in 2011.

The building is expected to qualify for LEED silver certification because of its environmentally friendly features. It will have a highly reflective roof to deflect heat, a ground-source heat pump system to save energy, and strategic use of windows on the east and west sides to minimize the impact of radiant heat.

Dale Seuferling, president of KU Endowment, said coordination with the city and the adjacent neighborhood has been a critical element in the success of planning this project. “This will be an attractive, useful and energy-efficient building that will serve KU Endowment and the KU Medical Center for generations,” said Seuferling.

In addition to new parking and site amenities, improvements will be made to the existing medical center parking area to the north of the building, and to the adjacent streetscape along Rainbow Boulevard.

KU Endowment offices on the Kansas City, Kan., campus currently are located in the Medical Center’s support services facility at 2100 West 36th Ave.

KU Endowment is the official fundraising and fund-management foundation for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

Posted on

October 15, 2009