Expert: McCown Gordon | ArchDaily

Glass-Walled Labyrinth / Robert Morris

Daniel Sánchez — Sat, 24 Aug 2019 17:00:00 +0000

Kansas City, MO. March 11, 2014–A triangular-shaped, glass-walled labyrinth designed by acclaimed artist and Kansas City native Robert Morris is being installed in the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. This dynamic sculpture will provide visitors with an intimate experience, enticing them to interact with the art by winding through the glass maze. The installation of Glass Labyrinth in the southeast section of the park marks the start of a six-month long celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park. The 62- foot by 62-foot by 62-foot, seven-foot-tall labyrinth, which weighs more than 400 tons, will be fully installed on May 22, when a public celebration will be held.

Missouri Innovation Campus / DLR Group & Gould Evans Architects

Rayen Sagredo — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 17:00:00 +0000

The high-tech, STEM-focused facility at the Missouri Innovation Campus (MIC) serves 600 Lee’s Summit R-7 School District students and 1,200 University of Central Missouri students. MIC’s 2 + 2 program, which is a collaboration between both industry and academic partners, focuses on learner outcomes in an immersive and rich, real-life workplace experience. High school graduates can simultaneously earn an associate’s degree, followed by a bachelor’s degree two years later. Students from 16 to 30 are working in a classroom and workplace towards the same degree. These benefits translate into earlier graduation, less college debt, and higher likelihood of job placement. Bachelor degree programs include, Systems Engineering Technology, Design and Drafting Technology, Computer Science, and Cybersecurity.

David T. Beals III Studio for Art + Technology / Gould Evans

Rayen Sagredo — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Bridging between the present and future of art, the new David T. Beals III Studio for Art and Technology at the Kansas City Art Institute creates a flexible, technology-rich learning and working environment that supports the prototyping and development of innovative student projects.

Museum at Prairiefire / Verner Johnson

Rayen Sagredo — Fri, 22 Sep 2017 08:00:00 +0000

The architecture of the Museum at Prairiefire in Overland Park, Kansas celebrates the rich story of the region, stemming from the Kansas tradition of controlled prairie burns. Real Estate developer, Merrill Companies, contacted prominent Museum and Architect Planners – Verner Johnson to aid in creating a structure that would match the surrounding landscape. Jonathan Kharfen, the lead architect on the project examined the landscape and its characteristics and developed an idea to create a building that looked like flames ablaze in the fields. The design evoked a sense of irony, according to Jonathan, “It’s not traditionally a building’s job to conjure up images of fire, in fact, it’s quite the opposite”. The obstacle presented here was how to capture the upward and expansive movement of fire, adding animation to a building constructed of lifeless materials. The solution was to use a combination of multi-colored, iridescent stainless steel tiles, mixed with an innovative use of Dichroic Glass. These products, in conjunction with the stone volumes as a backdrop, provided durability and design versatility, resulting in vivid, inextinguishable color.

Sprint Accelerator / RMTA

Daniel Sánchez — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 01:00:00 +0000

The design team at RMTA was challenged with creating a unique, collaborative space for a newly forged entity within Fortune 500 company Sprint Corporation, breaking the rules of traditional corporate culture and branding. The new organization, Sprint Accelerator, was to become a beacon for technology and entrepreneurship in the Midwest region, bringing 10 start-up companies each year from around the world into Kansas City for three months of intensive work, where they would incubate their ideas, bringing mobile software and application innovation to the healthcare industry. Engineering talent, executive mentors and other resources would be co-located within the space, to ensure the start-ups have an “unfair” advantage against the rest of the industry. At the conclusion of the three-month program, the start-up companies would have the opportunity to pitch their concepts to a number of established companies for the chance to receive both financial and professional backing. Understanding these needs, the design team concluded that the space needed to echo what this new entity represented – creativity, innovation, diversity and first to market.