Two on the Half Shell: Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Now that Safdie Architects ‘ Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is opening in Kansas City, Missouri, three local companies are relocating to a larger, more technologically advanced facility—with an incredibly conspicuous roof. Like a double band shell on steroids, the ribbed convex forms combine with 40,000 square feet of glass, supported by nearly 5,500 tons of structural steel, to enclose 285,000 square feet of space with a price tag of $413 million.

Moshe Safdie assigned one performance venue to each volume. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City and the Kansas City Ballet share a 1,800-seat theater, while a 1,600-seat hall is home to the Kansas City Symphony. Outside, a terrace offers 113,000 square feet of concrete-paved space for outdoor performances, not to mention summer picnics.