The site and building design of this new academic building at the Kansas City Art Institute provides a new campus gateway and community connector that anchors an important civic space in between the Kemper Art Museum and the Nelson-Atkins museum of fine art and welcomes students, faculty, tourists, and patrons to this higher educational jewel of Kansas City. The master plan verification and conceptual design process engaged the campus community in determining the departments with the greatest facility challenges and the greatest potential for growth, including interdisciplinary collaboration. The design creates a new home for Media arts and Liberal arts programs that includes shareable classroom spaces as well as specific lighting and acoustic requirements.