Remembering design alumnus and innovator David Immenschuh

The University of Kansas School of Architecture & Design community is mourning the death of alumnus and design innovator, David Immenschuh (Interior Design 1967). David was a sustainability pioneer, an influential force in the national interior design profession, and a leading voice in the Kansas City arts community. 

The “I” in BNIM—recognized as one of the nation’s trailblazing sustainable architecture and design firms—David was one of the first interior design principals of an architecture firm nationally, paving the way for other firms to incorporate both interior design and architecture. 

David helped to foster a sea change in the way his firm and clients incorporated sustainability into their workplaces, and thereby provided a model for other firms to do the same. Under David’s leadership, BNIM integrated ecological considerations into the design process, engaging with local manufacturers and product representatives to create environmentally responsible solutions. 

The impressions of his half a century career can still be seen in multiple Kansas City and national buildings including the Janus Library at the Kansas City Art Institute, Mast Advertising & Publishing, KCP&L Headquarters, Kansas City Public Library Plaza Branch, JE Dunn Headquarters, Bartle Hall Convention Center, the Harry S. Truman State Office Building, Westin Crown Center Hotel, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and the School of Nursing and Student Community Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston among others. 

David was fierce supporter of the arts through his work and in his personal life. Not only was he an avid art collector himself, he used his sophisticated art knowledge towards refining his firm’s designs. He worked with multiple clients in expanding their art collections, often helping them recognize great artists ahead of trends. Some of these clients included H&R Block; CBIZ; Stinson, Mag & Fizzell; and Blue Cross Blue Shield. 

David graduated from the University of Kansas in 1967 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in interior design.