There will be much hoopla next spring over the opening of three museum projects: the Cincinnati wing of the Cincinnati Art Museum, the new Contemporary Arts Center and the renovated Taft Museum.

The publicity will help not only the three arts groups and the city's downtown economy as a whole, but also local architects KZF Design.

Based in Walnut Hills, KZF is designer and architect of record for the art museum's project, architect of record for the CAC, and engineer/associate architect for the Taft project. The company's education and cultural division accounted for close to 40 percent of its $16.9 million revenue in 2001.

The division, which also does work at the University of Cincinnati and other universities, has provided an even higher percentage of total revenue this year.

While not the most robust profit centers, the museum projects are professionally rewarding and even fun, KZF officials said, comparing them to pro bono work at a law firm.

"You sharpen the edge of your skills on projects like this," said Mike Hayes, vice president of marketing.

Jim Cheng, design director for the CAM project, said museum projects like the three coming to fruition next year "are really wonderful projects for an architect."

"The really gratifying thing is when you can finish the project, stand next to the client, and they say, `Yeah, this is what I was trying to do.'"

Cliff Peale