The studio offers an ideal setting for the competition, as it was designed to cater to students who face similarly intense challenges in bringing their creative projects to life throughout the school year. The versatile space will provide the Make 48 teams with an open, flexible, technology-rich working environment to support the rapid development, prototyping and pitching of innovative ideas.

“Our goal in the design process was to create a clean, blank slate with abundant light that would be flexible, both as a daily work space and over time as educational programming and technology evolves,” said Mark Wise, Project Designer with Gould Evans. “The space needed to provide an efficient, comfortable space for students to work, as well as a home for the cutting-edge technology KCAI offers, so we designed the studio to be scalable, offering ample space around the equipment for students to move and gather in.”

The studio is a central resource shared by all of the Art Institute’s 13 majors, ranging from ceramics and sculpture to fiber and filmmaking. In addition to a gallery and critique room, the new 5,000 square-foot addition to the Sculpture Department’s Volker Building features a fabrication lab equipped with state- of-the art technology. The teams will have full access to an array of digital fabrication tools including:

• Interactive touch screens for digital collaboration

• Laser cutters and engravers

• Eight different types of 3D printers

• Computer numerical control (CNC) routers

• Cameras and scanners

• A digital loom

Gould Evans’ design of the new studio responds to the Institute’s need to create a space that allows students to gain experience and become skilled in using the technology that will continue to be present in the work place for years to come.

“Building a printing and prototyping studio that specializes in digital input and output means that KCAI is preparing tomorrow’s workforce,” said Tony Jones, President of the Kansas City Art Institute. “We’re teaching advanced skills, while providing a valuable asset to our local community.”

The Kansas City Art Institute features a traditional, yet also eclectic, collegiate setting with campus buildings surrounding an historic estate and its original mansion, Vanderslice Hall, now the administrative center for the Institute. The new David T. Beals III Studio is designed as a counterpoint to the 1896 Vanderslice building, expressing KCAI’s currency and tradition, while also celebrating the past, future and present of art. The facade, which is made of black matte metal paneling, and simple shed form of the building contrast gently with the historic building, contributing to the richness of the campus.

Make 48 is a semi-annual, national competition that began in April of 2015. Eight half hour episodes capturing the highs and lows of the competition, from product inception to final design, will air early next year on local PBS stations.

About Gould Evans

Gould Evans’ award-winning designs are recognized for their specificity to people and place. Our diverse portfolio of architecture stems from a design process that starts with the client’s goals. We share a passion for regional architecture and design that positively impacts our communities. To learn more, visit www.gouldevans.com

About the Kansas City Art Institute

Located in Kansas City, Mo. at 4415 Warwick, KCAI is a private, independent four-year college of art and design awarding the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with 13 studio majors. KCAI also offers a post-baccalaureate program in art education, certificate programs and continuing education courses. Founded in 1885, KCAI is Kansas City’s oldest arts organization. For more information, visit www.kcai.edu.

Gould Evans Media Contact

Megan Krtek

(816)701-5422

megan.krtek@gouldevans.com

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