Steven Holl Architects has unveiled renderings for their design of a new Student Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadephia.
The 37,300-square-foot structure will provide dedicated space for the performing arts at Penn and features a 300-seat proscenium theater, 125-seat studio theater, support spaces, and five rehearsal studios. The firm says they will pursue a LEED-silver certification for the project, which is sited on the northeast quadrant of the 1,085-acre campus as a new gateway between the university and city beyond.
“It is a great joy and honor to work on a performing arts center for the students of this historic university on such an important site,” Holl stated.
The design for the Center itself evokes the iconic nearby Fisher Fine Arts Library, repeating the use of red terracotta in its façade while separating the program into unique suspended trapezoidal masses that are meant to echo the movement of dancers across its transparent glazed base stage.
The university says the ideation of the project grew out of a 2019 University Life study and that it will eventually play host to Penn's growing list of more than 70 performing arts groups on campus.
Construction will get underway in the fall of 2024. Costs for the project are estimated at around $75 million. The firm says they expect the new Performing Arts Center to be ready for use by the winter of 2027.
4 Comments
YAWWWWWNNNNNN
I need to see the vacuum instrument SHA uses for design- nothing they've done since St Ignatious (and maybe Seaside) remotely fits its context.
Steven Holl scrawls watercolors and sends photos to his partner in charge, who then delegates interns to figure out what they mean.
hope it will be accessible!
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