Kauffman Stadium

Kauffman Stadium Improvements at Royals Ballpark

The recent Kauffman Stadium renovation for the Royals Ballpark in Kansas City was lead by the architects at Populous (formerly HOK Sport). The improvements to the structure included an exterior stainless steel facade produced by Zahner, as well as improvements to the interior experience. The improvements also included a golden crown, which was also produced by Zahner.

The new structure at the Royals stadium features two sections which use selective perforations in stainless steel to create the image of the Royals logo on the surface of the metal. This perforated surface wraps the entire building, yielding a mesh facade which provides light, air control, and an visually intriguing artistic aesthetic.

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Photo of the Royals Logo, created by Zahner's own ZIRA™ Process.
Image © Mike Sinclair

A pattern of perforations and dimples allows glimpses of the original structure and the emblazoned the Royals’ graphic adds visual delight. Daylight and air transverse the facadade, and the result is a breezy atmosphere which anticipates the excitement of the ballpark within.

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Light flows into through the perforated facade.
Photo © Mike Sinclair

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Photo © Mike Sinclair

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Photo © Mike Sinclair

The details above show the exquisite stainless steel surface, a process Zahner developed for a soft semi-reflective surface known as Angel Hair™ Stainless steel. The details also reveal how the logo is composed of a dimpled and perforated facade. When standing a hundred feet from the facade, these dimples and perforations disappear to the naked eye, becoming the Royals graphic seen above and below.

The Science Behind the Surface

The pattern which determines the location of perforations and dimples is part of one of flagship products, the ZIRA™ Process. It allowed the client to choose a picture or graphic; they chose the Royals logo, which was then translated into machine language, fabricated, and installed by a team of Zahner craftsmen and engineers working together to ensure the highest quality result.

What make the ZIRA™ Process brilliant for an application like the Royals Stadium, is the way that the pattern translates from panel to panel, despite a significant offset staggering effect that was designed for the facade. This Parametric Relationship between the panels makes the installation process less complicated and quite efficient, because everything was pre-engineered to match.

At night, repeated blue strokes of light accentuate the facade, complimenting the sculptural gesture of the original stadium. The metal panels and their subtle detail provide a contemporary statement for the renewed Kauffman Stadium.

This project was awarded the AIA Design and Craftsmanship Citation Award for Perforated Metal Facade.

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Photo © Mike Sinclair

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Photo © Mike Sinclair

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The project is located in eastern Kansas City, Missouri. View the Royals Crown in Google Maps. Below is an aerial image which shows the two locations where the perforated Royals Logo occurs on the screen wall. The image below also shows another project by Zahner for the stadium, the Royals Crown which adorns the megascreen at Kauffman Stadium.

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