UMKC Bloch Executive Hall, Kansas City

Simple and elegant in form and powerful in expression, the new university building harmonizes with its neighboring buildings thanks to a color palette that is deliberately in keeping with the surrounding colors. The poly-chromatic facade consists of seven different natural shades, including red and yellow-brown, with orange as the theme color. Color theorist Josef Albers once declared that “orange is the color of design”. This statement has been fully embraced in the concept for the Bloch School, where design-orientated thinking and learning represent a fundamental educational principle. The north-facing side of the building features a light color scheme, the south-facing side a darker color scheme. Five of these colors were used for the curved corner elements. Only the base on the north-facing side, which “carries” the two upper floors, is rendered in a uniform dark red. The facade solution was implemented using a substructure and prefabricated TERRART® SOLID panels – a highly economical and efficient technique that over the past few years has become increasingly popular all over the USA.