State of Kansas Health & Environment Laboratories

Clark & Enersen designed this roughly 100,000-square-foot, three-story laboratory building for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on a 3.61-acre site in Topeka's Capitol Complex, between Topeka Boulevard and Harrison Street. The state broke ground in March 2023 on the $30.9 million project, funded through federal ARPA dollars, and Governor Laura Kelly opened the finished building in March 2025, consolidating the department's public health and environmental testing labs into a single, purpose-built facility.

The exterior alternates dark charcoal and light limestone-toned Ludowici terracotta rainscreen panels across the building's folded massing, with full-height glazing marking the entry and stair towers. The material's durability and low maintenance suit a facility built to house sensitive laboratory operations for decades.