Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts: “Two Perfect Instruments” Begin Their Song in Kansas City

Park space surrounds the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. All photos by Tim Hursely.

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts looks southward over Kansas City, Mo.

Much of the south-facing façade is covered in glazed glass, creating a transparent relationship with the surrounding urban fabric.

The main lobby, Brandmeyer Great Hall, serves both arts venues, and is also where the main bar and gift shop are located.

The space outside the two performing arts venues is organized into seven levels.

The Muriel Kauffman Theatre is warm and vibrant, a rich space with seats upholstered in deep reds and oranges, and glowing balconies illuminated from within with golden-toned LEDs.

Helzberg Hall is sober and subdued. Seats upholstered in blues and purples create a cooler environment, subtly balanced with the warm orange tones of Douglas fir floors and terraced walls.

The two performing arts venues that make up the center are loosely symmetrical and meet in a glass seam in the middle. Designer Moshe Safdie, FAIA, calls the venues “two perfect instruments.”

The building’s north side, which evokes a rising wave or a clamshell, is defined by a series of circle segments layered vertically.

Back to AIArchitect October 21, 2011

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