Architects chose glass interiors from Bendheim for a brand-new airport terminal in Kansas City, Missouri. Bendheim’s Z-KISS Concealed Interior Glass Cladding System facilitated installation, speeding up one key aspect of a $1.5 billion project.
What Bendheim contributed
The new single terminal at Kansas City International opened in February 2023. From the beginning of the design process, meetings with the city’s taxpayers identified a streamlined experience for travelers as a high priority, with an emphasis on comfort and dignity. In 2018, the mayor and city council of Kansas City, Missouri, specifically directed lead architects at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill to create “the most accessible airport in the world.”
One reflection of this aim was the terminal’s restroom design. In addition to traditional male- and female-only spaces, provisions were made for gender-neutral facilities, aiming to ease travel for families with young children and shorten long wait times for female passengers. These options are coded with color as well as signage to direct travelers appropriately: blue for men, yellow for women, and green for gender-neutral rooms.
In addition to back-painted glass for the restrooms, Bendheim also provided etched laminated mirrored glass from Bendheim’s Titanium line to frame the new terminal’s elevators in a warm cinnamon shade. While emphasizing access and inclusivity, project architects also bore in mind the terminal’s prominence as a brand-new welcome center for Kansas City.
Bendheim provided the back-painted etched glass used to execute this vision, as well as the patent-pending Z-KISS concealed attachment system. With over 10,000 square feet of glass provided, Kansas City International represents Bendheim’s largest Z-KISS installation to date.
About Z-KISS
A fully-engineered alternative to traditional Z-clip fastening systems, Z-KISS requires fewer horizontal hanging brackets while providing mechanical support for the dead load of glass. Designed to create a frameless aesthetic for opaque glass, Z-KISS can be used with a wide range of Bendheim glass choices, including back-painted, mirrored, or digitally printed varieties. The glass is delivered with the hardware preinstalled, ready for installation, and accompanied by Bendheim shop drawings and layout drawings.
What Bendheim says
“Our design capabilities and the breadth of our product offerings give us wonderful opportunities to support the visions of our architect partners,” says Said Elieh, vice president for sales and innovation, Bendheim. “Ease of installation is a high priority for us too, since it’s our job to make the beauty of these special glasses a practical choice. We’re extremely proud of our contributions to Kansas City’s next-generation airport, and we greatly respect their commitment to safe and comfortable travels for everyone.”
