Originally constructed in 1951, Irving Hall houses the Kansas City Art Institute’s Departments of Graphic Design and Animation. Faced with the need for two additional general-purpose classrooms within a limited budget and schedule, the project team evaluated temporary structures, additions, and new construction before identifying an underutilized courtyard within the existing building.
Enclosing the courtyard created the needed classroom space while minimizing modifications to the building envelope and systems and meeting the project’s budget and schedule requirements. A large storefront along the campus edge brings daylight into the classrooms and creates a visual connection between the learning spaces and the street.
Mobile furniture, suspended power reels, and tackboard-lined walls allow the classrooms to accommodate uses ranging from digital arts instruction to painting studios. Window treatments and a perforated metal canopy manage daylight, with the canopy also creating a recognizable architectural element along the street.
