Architect: Moshe Safdie, of Safdie Architects, is an Israeli/Canadian architect, urban designer, educator, theorist, and author.
The exterior consists of two symmetrical half shells of vertical, concentric arches. The south façade of the Center is made entirely of glass. For those inside Brandmeyer Great Hall, the glass puts Kansas City on display; for those on the outside, the Kauffman Center becomes like a terrarium.
The 285,000 sq. ft. structure houses two performance halls: Muriel Kauffman Theatre (1,800 seats) and Helzberg Hall (1,600 seats). The venues share backstage space that runs the entire length of the Kauffman Center. There are dressing rooms that can accommodate more than 250 performers, along with 11 rehearsal rooms. The Kauffman Center joins the Lincoln Center as another of the few performing arts centers in the country to have two (or more) performance venues in one building. Another example is the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C.
This was being built and was completed shortly before I moved back here to attend OU. I followed this structure through the civic discussions, the design stages (when made available), and physically went downtown a couple of times while under construction. I did not go to opening night : ) due to my community status and income, but I went downtown a few weeks later to walk around and check it out myself. I was awestruck! One of the most amazing modern designs I have ever seen personally. The way he positioned the structure with the rest of downtown and the use of flat glass on one side and then the unique shell on the other side, and the way it was "broken up" was just beautiful!
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