Since launching a boutique architectural practice in Kansas City some 13 years ago, Matthew and Jesse Hufft have become known for putting a decidedly luxe and modernist stamp on the residential and commercial landscape. From one-of-a-kind, sleek mansions to the uncluttered swoops of a Standard Style store, the Hufft firm’s architectural products tend to stand out.

When the BNIM architectural firm took up residence in a new space last January, it marked the end of an unfortunate chapter but also what now seems like a thrilling new beginning. In the midst of a community dispute over public tax subsidies for developers, the firm had been forced to abandon its ambitious plan to lease and remake a drab Crossroads Arts District warehouse into a sustainable energy showplace.