Ground was broken on October 6, 2006 and the Kauffman Center will open in Fall 2011.[1] The Center itself is an approximately 285,000 square foot (26,500 m2) facility with two state-of-the-art performance venues: an 1,800-seat Proscenium Theatre and an 1,600-seat Concert Hall. The Kauffman Center will cover 13 acres (53,000 m2), including landscaped grounds over a 1,000 space underground parking garage.[1] The technical requirements and exacting standards required of a facility like the Kauffman Center make it one of the most complex structures in the world to design and build. The cost of the project is approximately $413 million which includes a $40 million operating endowment.[2]
The structure of the Kauffman Center is formed by a series of undulating vertical segments of a circle, forming the northern container of the Proscenium Theatre's backstage, and Concert Hall. They form an ascending, segmented, gently curving, crown to the building. From the crest, the roof descends in a curve following the geometry of a torus of light cables, metal and glass structure toward the South. The tensile forces of the suspended glass roof of the foyer are counteracted by a series of cables tying down the structure to anchors at the entrance terrace. The curved, segmented northern walls are sheathed with stainless steel and punctuated by perpendicular, acid-etched, limestone-colored, pre-cast concrete walls. The theater facades are sheathed with beechwood panels forming continuous, curved, stacked balconies. The various lounges form sculptural shapes visible under the glass foyer structure.
Performance and other facilities
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will house two performance halls:[1]
The two venues will be joined by the Grand Lobby with an expansive view open to the South. The lobby will be used by patrons on performance nights and will also be available for special events held at the Kauffman Center.
Organization
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Unlike other major civic construction projects, no taxpayer funds have gone into its construction.[1] The city of Kansas City has, however, pledged to build and operate a parking garage at the Center.[1]
