Kansas City Multipurpose Hall
On a gently sloping, two-block city site, the 500,000 sq ft complex was built as a link between an existing auditorium and a greened underground parking garage. The three-storey structure utilizes the natural gradient of the site. The two lower floors form a base upon which the 200,000 sq ft column-free hall, spanning the street and containing its technical and ancillary rooms, is built as a separate structure. The base houses assembly and storage rooms with direct access from the street. All fixed storage rooms are located on all three levels—at the building's perimeter—and accommodate the vertical ductwork. This ductwork branches off from a 3-metre-high distribution level below the hall level. With the exception of the main floor's ventilation system, which is supplied by additional units from the building's perimeter, the horizontal distribution of utility lines is integrated within the sandwich construction of the suspended ceilings.
