EL DORADO was hired to study potential options for updating and expanding the Foundation Facility at Kansas City Art Institute. Included on our team is Stand Structural Engineering, AL Huber and GPRS. The team was crafted to ensure that structural viability, cost and constructability remained the focus of our efforts. Our knowledge of the Foundation program and other studio arts programs across the country played a part in proposing massing and potential additions that would serve the studio-heavy curriculum well. The focus of this study is on capacity to add, based on a reading of local code and zoning ordinances. In an effort to consider a broad range of possibilities, four distinctly different improvement concepts have been explored. They range from a simple re-clad to a re-clad and addition, to a small demo and new build to a large demo and new build. Each has pro’s and con’s which, when comparatively considered, gives KCAI leadership a set of tools to help deliberate. From these concepts we were able to define a series of evaluation lenses to help KCAI leadership determine the best value proposition for moving into the next phase of work, which starts with programming.