VISION

THE BUILDING

DESIGN TEAM

PROJECT DETAILS

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

NEWS / EVENTS

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Project Background

In January 2004, PGAV/Sasaki was retained by University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC) to prepare a Program Planning and Conceptual Design Study for the Miller Nichols Library and in May 2007 the team was asked to develop the concept through Schematic Design.  The need for this study stemmed from well-documented deficiencies in the three primary space types within the library:  collection space, student study space, and support staff space. The mechanical systems had also reached the end of their life cycle in the forty-year old building.

The vision for the Miller Nichols Library is to transform the perception of the library as a “book vault” into one that embraces both the University and the surrounding communities by adequately serving their needs.  This project outlines a renovation of the existing 169,733 gross square feet Miller Nichols Library along with an addition of approximately 68,296 gross square feet.  The resulting project, conceived as an Interactive Learning Center rather than simply a library, envisions a new paradigm for the University of Missouri - Kansas City which:

•    Reaffirms UMKC’s master plan which places the Library at the heart of the campus.
•    Delivers library services, classrooms, and academic and community support services in a manner that responds to the needs of today’s students and faculty, and is being a model of flexibility which allows on-going transformation.
•    Integrates instructional space within the Library, offering not only a more relevant pedagogical model, but also a more cost effective approach to the delivery of education.
•    Includes program elements that allow UMKC to reach out and become a more active civic participant in the greater Kansas City Community.

The Vision

Project Objectives