PROJECT

1400 KC Corporate Headquarters Building

Workspaces are changing, and office buildings are less rigid and more dynamic. The new 1400 KC, an 18-story office tower in downtown Kansas City, is built to suit the needs of more than 1,000 employees.

The 625,000-square-foot building, designed and built by our team, features eight stories of office space atop 10 stories of parking. The design emphasizes sustainability, with plans to pursue LEED efficiency standards and Fitwel building health certifications.

The structure, along 14th Street between Wyandotte Street and Baltimore Avenue, is split into three distinct sections: below grade, the plinth and the upper levels of the glass-enclosed structure.

At street level, the building plinth houses parking space wrapped in aluminum tubes that mask the cars behind black-patterned layers and contrast with bright spaces on Baltimore: the main lobby, art galleries, and an urban garden, which connects pedestrians from the city’s convention center to the Power & Light District.

Client

Confidential

Location

Kansas City, Missouri

Region

Midwest

Services

Commercial Buildings

Architecture

Office Buildings

Workplace

Industry

Commercial, Retail & Institutional

This urban respite is uniquely about people and nature, a landscape linking two very different environments. Art installations and garden-sized galleries are spaced along the sidewalk, creating an urban experience focused on beauty. This lush shade garden captures the first 20 feet from the street, still tied to the city’s energy but quietly providing space to reflect, focus and experience the streets through a softer lens.

The floors above are the first two stacks of white aluminum and glass designed to identically match the visual language of the top two stacks of the office floors and rooftop. The upper levels of the garage allow for maximum southern daylight and create a scale and proportion to the structure that sits well with its neighbors. The views from this glass garage offer a stunning panorama of the city and are not wasted on cars, as the levels one day can be easily converted into future office or residential use as our demands on parking decrease in the future.

The modern high-rise tower’s unique elements include a rooftop terrace with a multipurpose training and conference center, a full-service cafe and multiple outdoor terraces. The warm white metal-and-glass blocks are stacked horizontally to contrast the verticality of the surrounding buildings and to add visual movement.  

The east, north and west edges of the streetscape are designed to connect pedestrians in the neighborhood to the Loews Hotel, the convention center, and the Power & Light District.

Photos by Michael Robinson / @mrobinsonphoto