OFFICIAL: The College Basketball Experience (NABC Hall of Fame) building design

[Critical_Mass]

I love it.  Can't believe HOK Sport came up with something like that.  Even harder to believe a group of non-architects aren't able to look at it and see how impressive it is.  I'm so glad they didn't try to take the theme of the arena and carry it over to the HOF.  Anything would have been better than that.

[Critical_Mass]

I just can't believe how negative everyone on this board is, and not just towards this HOF building. 

It is nearly impossible to have a building w/ cute street-fronting storefronts of retail or even just windows on all sides.  EVERY function / tenant / whatever for EVERY building is always going to have a need for some back-of-house uses, such as mechanical / electrical rooms, bathrooms, storage, trash disposal, etc., etc.  You can't get away from that.  That's why in the past, buidlings in the city were built w/ zero lot lines, right up against each other.  They would have an attractive & pedestrian friendly streetfront, and not have to worry about the sides (unless it was a corner building, where there'd be two street-fronting sides).  Large deliveries, trash collection, etc. could be handled in the back on the alley side, and kept out of sight.  So when you've got a free standing building in the city or anywhere, you're going to have some blank walls.  There are exceptions I'm sure, but most cases this is true.  What did you expect?

Most people on this board seem to have a general disliking for anything contemporary.  Everyone hates Frank Gehry, the Nelson addition, the HOF....I'm sure there are more examples but I can't think of them right now.  Yeah, lets keep building architecture that was cutting edge in 1990.  That'll really make our city stand out.

[Slappy the Wang]

Like I said in another thread......it's a freaking VCR!!!!!!  There's even a tape on top.

[Gladstoner]

Like I said in another thread......it's a freaking VCR!!!!!!  There's even a tape on top.

There probably will be replays of classic basketball moments in the museum.

In any case, that thing on the roof certainly does resemble a video tape.

[Critical_Mass]

Calling the building a VCR is a stretch, besides, the point of view as seen in the rendering from the computer model is one that 99.9% of the people will never see.  Gladstoner, that thing on the roof are roof top units for the mechanical / HVAC system that has a screen wall to conceal them (as seen on top of the plaza colonade building, for instance.)  These are on the roofs of every single building (except the hot ones), a lot of times not screened either (see Bryant Building).  I'm not even sure why they're showing it screened because it is set back from the building edge some distance.  Maybe to conceal it from people in side the arena looking back towards this building.  In any case, you'll likely never notice it.
I think the experience you'll have of this building along Grand will be quite dramatic.  You can see that the "offending" blank wall lifts up off the ground, almost peels away from the surface as it cantilevers over your head.  It peels away to reveal the soft light interior (glass curtain wall along Grand).  It will have this neat effect of a solid heavy mass somehow floating over your head.

[Long]

I like the direction the building takes--

It needs to be a simple form like this, it needs to read as part of the bigger complex, because if it gets too intricate, or really if it takes on too much of its own personality, its going to alienate itself from the rest of the block.  It will look too much like an object that fell out of space and landed there.  

I wish some of you people could learn how to not always apply all the same rules to different situations.  Not every single block in the city needs to have the highest level of interaction with the street, lots of storefronts, windows, etc. blah blah.  When you consider the city as a whole, take into account all of the context, you start to see that you can have variations, where one block can read as a little more massive than the next, depending on the function of the building.  It makes the experience more dynamic when the way you interact with stuff along a path changes-- some things make you slow down, some things make you speed up, some things direct your attention inward, outward, up, down, sideways. . .  there are certain rules urban buildings need to follow to reinforce the urban-ness of itself and its context, but that doesn't mean every building has the same degree of openness.  

Does the south side of Municipal Auditorium suck?  It is a big blank wall.    

The function of the building needs to dictate what it looks like.  Retail spaces needs lots of doors and windows and canopies and all that stuff-- a museum doesn't.  Variation is good.  Too much repetition of "the ideal thing" gets boring when its all you see.  And would it be that much better if they cut a few openings for window displays?  Because that's all you'd get at street level.  They aren't going to cut a door every 25 feet.  I mean, its a freakin 4 square block arena and people are worried about a wall that is 100 feet long?  Look at the bigger picture, people.  And look beyond the site of the arena-- take into account the stuff across the street.  

That said, HOK may be the best in the business at sport venue design.  But their new HQ in the river market gives you a pretty good idea of how well they do other building types.  This rendering of the HOF shows a great concept, great initial moves-- but I have a bad feeling they aren't going to develop it into a truly good, well-thought out building.  Steven Holl's Nelson addition looks like a bunch of blank boxes too, but, if you're willing to learn about it, you can understand why each piece is where it is, why it looks like it does, how it engages the rest of the site, etc. etc.  I have a feeling if you asked HOK why this thing looks like it does, you wouldn't get a very inspiring answer.

[ignatius]

Horrific. It's biggest problem is the blank wall along a sidewalk.  This might be worse than the new green wall building at Linwood/Main.  And I didn't think KC could do worse than that or the Nelson. 

Minimalism is extremely difficult to pull off and looks mundane utilitarian when it fails.  This project says, 'We have not budget so we're trying to convince you this is post-mod minimal hip."  In other words, cheap.

[Gladstoner]

Calling the building a VCR is a stretch, besides, the point of view as seen in the rendering from the computer model is one that 99.9% of the people will never see.  Gladstoner, that thing on the roof are roof top units for the mechanical / HVAC system that has a screen wall to conceal them (as seen on top of the plaza colonade building, for instance.)  These are on the roofs of every single building (except the hot ones), a lot of times not screened either (see Bryant Building).  I'm not even sure why they're showing it screened because it is set back from the building edge some distance.  Maybe to conceal it from people in side the arena looking back towards this building.  In any case, you'll likely never notice it.

Uh..... I guess you're right. 

[Gladstoner]

How about, just for fun, some brainstorming about how basketball, or college basketball coaches in particular, could be represented as architecture. Any ideas?

Other than some sort of dynamic, modern design, I have a hard time thinking of anything.

Who knows? The powers-that-be may actually see some of the ideas here....or then again, maybe not.

[KCPowercat]

couldn't the 'back of the house' be towards the south and the public plaza...and dressed up with various items for the arena (even maybe a projection screen, etc) and make the side facing the street a little more pedestrian friendly?

[kcdcchef]

that is what i want to know..........why can the front not be a tad more inticing to the eye?? i mean, municipal auditorium, has an ugly vista or two, but the front is not an eyesore, you know? hell, we even fixed kemper and gave it a front door a few years ago. they should remember those lessons here. the back end of kauffman stadium  ( the back side where the entrance is and the concessions are ) is ugly, but you see the vista from the scoreboard first. i agree, we need to spruce the intended front door on this.

[Slappy the Wang]

For cryin out loud...it's 2005...at least make it look like a TIVO or DVD player. 

[Long]

Calling the building a VCR is a stretch, besides, the point of view as seen in the rendering from the computer model is one that 99.9% of the people will never see.  Gladstoner, that thing on the roof are roof top units for the mechanical / HVAC system that has a screen wall to conceal them (as seen on top of the plaza colonade building, for instance.)  These are on the roofs of every single building (except the hot ones), a lot of times not screened either (see Bryant Building).  I'm not even sure why they're showing it screened because it is set back from the building edge some distance.  Maybe to conceal it from people in side the arena looking back towards this building.  In any case, you'll likely never notice it.
I think the experience you'll have of this building along Grand will be quite dramatic.  You can see that the "offending" blank wall lifts up off the ground, almost peels away from the surface as it cantilevers over your head.  It peels away to reveal the soft light interior (glass curtain wall along Grand).  It will have this neat effect of a solid heavy mass somehow floating over your head.

I think you're right about how you view and experience the building from street level. . . but its only 3-4 stories tall, and there are plenty of surrounding buildings that are taller.  They definitely need to be thinking about what the top of this thing looks like.

[KCN]

Obviously they aren't going for something that looks like the buildings in the P&L district, so some of you will dismiss it immediately.

What is that supposed to mean?

The front of the building, while personally UGLY AS HELL to me, I can accept because it is at least unique.  I do like the overhang idea and who knows what it looks like underneath.  The northern wall though is just inexcusable, if this rendering is to be believed.  This is not a random street we're talking about here.  This wall will be passed by thousands of pedestrians on some days. 

[Long]

What is that supposed to mean?

The front of the building, while personally UGLY AS HELL to me, I can accept because it is at least unique.  I do like the overhang idea and who knows what it looks like underneath.  The northern wall though is just inexcusable, if this rendering is to be believed.  This is not a random street we're talking about here.  This wall will be passed by thousands of pedestrians on some days. 

The north wall is probably the most "realistic" in that rendering-- it is some sort of panel system to match the panels over the front door of the arena, probably a metal panel, or maybe some sort of stone or concrete, with that upper opening being glass.  But I don't have the first clue what is happening on the Grand street side-- at first it looks like wood planks with some sort of mechanical louver on it. . . but maybe its some sort of metal thing.  But will you be able to see light coming through between those pieces?  Who knows. . . I wouldn't be so quick to accept that "because it is unique" when we don't have the first clue what it is, but then get completely worked up over this blank wall.  Given everything that surrounds that blank wall, it just isn't worth worrying about.

[tat2kc]

Am I wrong in assuming that the HOF is a separately funded building, with no public financing attached?  It the simple exterior due to the financial constraints of the NABC?  From looking at the renderings, it seems to be a buildings that could be built at a later date, and changed depending on how fund raising goes.

[dangerboy]

Even if the museum needs total light control, they could still wrap the museum building with retail on the outside.

[KC0KEK]

The cost of Times Square-size video displays keeps coming down. Even if it hasn't yet reached a price point that they're comfortable with, they could go ahead and build in support (e.g., structural) for it now.

[mister816]

i know that if minneapolis can afford that kind of signage, then kansas city can... they were all over minneapolis' downtown.

[cowtowndisciple]

I think Long has the right idea, more in the range of 40 to 50 feet tall.
Geesh! Where did anyone get the idea that the HOF is 80 feet tall!!!???
Good one, Midtown - although, the billboards you show should face the other direction - towards the highway. I get confused, is that called 670 or 70 now? Yeah, let's plaster more "Johnson-county-style" graphics on these buildings - yee-haw!!! You have to remember, the north elevation you all are complaining about is along 13th street - there's nothing on the other side of that street but parking garages or bail bonds offices, why bother?