Nested atop a treed hill slope, the Jannes Library and Learning Center—an addition to a 1912 Georgian style mansion on the Kansas City Art Institute campus—maximizes site configurations, while providing ease of access for pedestrians and vehicles alike. The new addition was designed to respect the existing structure by not trying to mimic its architecture or compete with its street presence. By contrasting the new from the old, both structures are able to retain their separate integrities and are true to their time and construction methods. The existing brick structure houses three departments—Library, Academic Center and Computer Lab—while the new addition solely contains library functions.

The new addition embodies the concept of the "containment of knowledge." The shell of the addition, in respect to the human anatomy, becomes a structural "cranium" for the knowledge contained within the library stacks. ‘Knowledge' is embodied in physical form through books and computers. Perimeter reading and study spaces throughout the building are an important amenity. The overall result culminates in an environment of higher learning and education that promotes interaction.