LENEXA, Kan. — Eric Taylor is a mechanical engineer through and through. He calls himself a "lifer."
But over the course of 17 years in the business, Taylor’s picked up a few traits from his clients, and in his most recent project, his clients will be Olympians.
Lenexa, Kansas-based Henderson Engineers is one of three Kansas City-area firms helping build the Intuit Dome.
The arena will host the Los Angeles Clippers NBA Team.
But when the Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles in 2028, the venue will host basketball competitions.
"It’s exciting to think someday we’ll be able to see an Olympic sport at one of the venues we helped design," Taylor said.
Taylor’s path toward designing the facility mirrors an Olympian’s path to the medal stand.
He embraces the challenge, relies on a strategy, works with a team, maintains high standards, and can soak in the gratification of a successful finish.
"To be able to take something you’ve stared at on paper or a computer screen for years and to see it completed,” Taylor said.
But don’t call Taylor an Olympian. The "lifer" is happy to stick to engineering.
“I wouldn’t go that far, but it makes you hold your head high,” he said.
Taylor hopes Americans are holding gold medals around their heads at the Intuit Dome in 2028.
Associates from the Kansas City offices of Walter P. Moore and AECOM also helped design and build the arena. The Intuit dome officially opens Friday.
Taylor’s role was to help design an HVAC system which pumps airs from under the chairs in the arena, not from ducts above.
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