The Kansas City Curling Club will be a flagship facility. It will be a gathering place for local curling aficionados. The club will also be the first of its kind in the Midwest, and as such, must make a bold statement reflective of its mission to introduce curling to the region. Physical challenges include the narrow and sloping site, as well as delivering a facility able to host games in a climate with widely-variable temperatures.
The inherent characteristics of the long and narrow curling sheet are advantageous for the constrained site. IAA's designers proposed a long, linear building, emphasizing the geometry and materiality of the ice sheet. The glass façade, much like ice cubes, would transition from opaque white to transparent clear, controlling the sun and allowing visibility into the playing area. A dynamic series of support spaces for social, functional, and administrative functions would make use of opaque glass louvers, providing instrumental solar control. Much like the curling stone sliding across the ice surface, a granite box hovers atop the curling ice, hosting a shuffleboard lounge, and seating for optimal views to the sliding stones and sweeping below.
