HKS Named Fast Company's #1 2026 Most Innovative Architecture Firm

Recognition highlights Astra Tower as a prototype for buildings that address climate and civic health

DALLAS, March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fast Company has named HKS the #1 Most Innovative Architecture Firm and #31^st on its 2026 World's Most Innovative Companies list, reflecting the firm's leadership in shaping the future of global business, technology, and culture.

The recognition is driven by the firm's work on Astra Tower in Salt Lake City, a residential high-rise designed to address one of the city's most urgent public health challenges. It also reflects how HKS is using architecture as a tool to improve human, urban, and ecological outcomes. It also reflects how HKS is using architecture as a tool to improve human, urban and ecological outcomes.

Salt Lake City's geography and seasonal inversions trap pollution, contributing to some of the worst air quality in the U.S. Astra Tower addresses this with a centralized system that filters incoming air to hospital-grade standards before distribution, reflecting a design approach centered on cleaner air, occupant wellness and environmental responsiveness.

A second strategy focuses on awareness and behavior. In partnership with Utah Clean Air (UCAIR), Astra Tower communicates real-time air quality through a color-changing LED crown and displays in shared spaces, helping residents and the broader community make more informed daily decisions.

Together, these strategies point to a future in which buildings go beyond mitigating environmental challenges to actively improving the environments around them. That vision translates into healthier air and stronger connections between people and their surroundings at Astra Tower.

"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 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."

Astra Tower reflects an approach HKS is applying more broadly – using research and interdisciplinary collaboration to address environmental, human and urban challenges through design.

"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. "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."

To view project imagery for Astra Tower, please visit this link.

About HKS
HKS is an interdisciplinary global design firm. Our team of 1,800 architects, designers, planners and advisors across 29 offices partner with clients to design and develop elegant solutions to complex challenges. From iconic gathering places to healing environments, our designs enhance experiences and elevate outcomes for all stakeholders. Our work is inspired by curiosity, driven by research and technology and informed by a deep understanding of human and environmental needs. We're proud to be a carbon-neutral firm in 2023.

Media Contact: [email protected] 

SOURCE HKS