The museum is composed of 16 parallel vaults that are each 100 feet (30.6 m) long, 20 feet (6 m) high and 20 feet (6 m) wide (internal measurements).
Intervening low channels separate the vaults.
The vaults are grouped into three wings.
 The north and south wings each have six vaults, with the western one open as a portico.
 The central space has four vaults, with the western one open as an entry porch facing a courtyard partially enclosed by the two outside wings.

With one exception, the art galleries are located on the upper floor of the museum to allow access to natural light.
Service and curatorial spaces as well as an additional gallery occupy the ground floor.
 Each interior vault has a slot along its apex to allow natural light into the galleries.
Air ducts and other mechanical services are located in the flat channels between the vaults.

Kahn used several techniques to give the galleries an inviting atmosphere.
The ends of the vaults, which are made of concrete block, are faced with travertine inside and out.
The steel handrails were "blasted" with ground pecan shells to create a matte surface texture.
The museum has three glass-walled courtyards that bring natural light to the gallery spaces.
 One of them penetrates the gallery floor to bring natural light to the conservation studio on the ground floor.

The landscape has been described as "Kahn's most elegant built example of landscape planning" by Philadelphia landscape architect George Patton.
Approaching the main entrance past a lawn edged by pools with running water, the visitor enters a courtyard through a grove of Yaupon Holly trees.
The sound of footsteps on the gravel walkway echoes from the walls on either side of the courtyard and is magnified under the curved ceiling of the entry porch.
 After that subtle preparation, the visitor enters the hushed museum with silvery light spread across its ceiling.
Harriet Pattison played the lead role in the landscape design and is also the person who suggested that open porches flanking the entrance would create a good transition from the lawn and courtyard to the galleries inside.
 Pattison, who had also worked with Kahn on other projects, was an employee of Patton.
She is the mother of film director Nathaniel Kahn, Louis Kahn's son who made the film "My Architect" about his father.
The museum is composed of 16 parallel vaults that are each 100 feet (30.6 m) long, 20 feet (6 m) high and 20 feet (6 m) wide (internal measurements). Intervening low channels separate the vaults. The vaults are grouped into three wings.  The north and south wings each have six vaults, with the western one open as a portico.  The central space has four vaults, with the western one open as an entry porch facing a courtyard partially enclosed by the two outside wings.
With one exception, the art galleries are located on the upper floor of the museum to allow access to natural light. Service and curatorial spaces as well as an additional gallery occupy the ground floor.  Each interior vault has a slot along its apex to allow natural light into the galleries. Air ducts and other mechanical services are located in the flat channels between the vaults.
Kahn used several techniques to give the galleries an inviting atmosphere. The ends of the vaults, which are made of concrete block, are faced with travertine inside and out. The steel handrails were "blasted" with ground pecan shells to create a matte surface texture. The museum has three glass-walled courtyards that bring natural light to the gallery spaces.  One of them penetrates the gallery floor to bring natural light to the conservation studio on the ground floor.
The landscape has been described as "Kahn's most elegant built example of landscape planning" by Philadelphia landscape architect George Patton. Approaching the main entrance past a lawn edged by pools with running water, the visitor enters a courtyard through a grove of Yaupon Holly trees. The sound of footsteps on the gravel walkway echoes from the walls on either side of the courtyard and is magnified under the curved ceiling of the entry porch.  After that subtle preparation, the visitor enters the hushed museum with silvery light spread across its ceiling. Harriet Pattison played the lead role in the landscape design and is also the person who suggested that open porches flanking the entrance would create a good transition from the lawn and courtyard to the galleries inside.  Pattison, who had also worked with Kahn on other projects, was an employee of Patton. She is the mother of film director Nathaniel Kahn, Louis Kahn's son who made the film "My Architect" about his father.
Kimbell Art Museum