KCAI Paul & Linda DeBruce Hall

DESIGN FOR

Community

DeBruce Hall was scaled to fit appropriately within the Southmoreland and Rockhill communities.

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CLIENT: Kansas City Art Institute | LOCATION: Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City Art Institute’s 15-acre campus is nestled in the Southmoreland Historic Neighborhood and flanked by prominent art museums – the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Because of its highly visible location, the new Paul and Linda DeBruce Hall interfaces with the campus community, neighboring residents and nearby museums.

Services:
Architecture, Interior Design & Custom Fabrication

Awards:
AIA Kansas City Design Excellence Merit Award (Architecture category)
IIDA Mid-America Gold Award (Higher Education/Research category)
Architect’s Newspaper ‘Best of Design’ Awards – Honorable Mention

Completion Date: July 2020

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PROJECT SIZE: 17,790 SF

DeBruce Hall was scaled to fit appropriately within the Southmoreland and Rockhill communities. These neighborhoods’ use of curved brick and stone is an influential design move in the form of the building. A prominent portal entry that speaks to the historic and unique front doors found throughout the neighborhood. Classrooms and administrative spaces are placed around an airy atrium, connecting students and staff with each other and the landscape. Building from the inspiration of classrooms in a garden, a courtyard garden is a place of relaxation and inspiration, complementing the interior work and focus spaces.

“This is a residential neighborhood and we wanted something that would fit in. We didn’t want it to be a chilly, institutional building. It’s really a state-of-the-art facility and highly flexible. It looks gorgeous and we’re very happy with it.” – Tony Jones, The Nerman Family President, Kansas City Art Institute

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“It was a true honor to work with the entire KCAI team on this project. With multiple KCAI alumni on our Hufft team, we see firsthand the exceptional education KCAI provides its students. We believe this building will add to the student experience, as well as contribute to the already amazing aesthetic of the surrounding neighborhood…If you look at this area, the prominence of the site is not lost on us.”

— Matthew Hufft, Co-founder & Principal, Hufft