In each issue of Building Design+Construction, we feature the latest new construction and renovation projects in a section called, On the Drawing Board. Here, we have assembled eight of the most notable cultural facility projects currently in the works. They include a soaring opera center in Hong Kong, a multi-tower music center in Calgary, and a massive expansion to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. Check them out below.
1. NATIONAL MUSIC CENTRE UNITES ELEMENTS OF CANADIAN MUSIC
Allied Works Architecture is designing the National Music Centre, a project on the site of the historic King Edward Hotel and music venue in Calgary. The 160,000-sf museum, performance space, and teaching facility will combine new construction plus adaptive reuse of the “King Eddy,” ultimately comprising nine towers connected by pathways that bridge a major street. The old hotel will be completely refurbished, and will house a radio station, recording studios, classrooms, and performance and exhibition spaces. A new five-story building across the street will include museum and performance space. Also on the Building Team: Kasian (associate architect), Haley Sharpe Design (exhibition design), Fisher Dachs Associates (theater design), and CANA (CM).
2. DESIGN PARTNERSHIP TO CONDUCT PLANS FOR HONG KONG OPERA CENTER
Bing Thom Architects and Ronald Lu & Partners Company Ltd. have been chosen to design the Xiqu Centre, in Hong Kong. The opera center, scheduled to open in 2016, will be the first of 17 core arts and cultural venues to open in the West Kowloon Cultural District. The facility will include two auditoriums, with 1,100 and 400 seats, and a 280-seat teahouse, as well as training and educational facilities for the creation and development of Chinese and Cantonese opera works.
3. FORT LAUDERDALE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TO GET UPGRADE
A joint venture between Stiles and Miller Construction Co. is renovating and expanding the 20-year-old Broward Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The 18-month upgrade is phased and planned to keep the center’s schedule of performances running smoothly while new amenities, a two-story waterfront pavilion, and terraced dining areas are added. A three-story arts education wing that will face Avenue of the Arts is also in the works. Wilson Butler Architects designed the project, with Jacobs Engineering Group as project manager.
4. NEW HOTEL, MUSEUM EXPANSION UNDER WAY IN MUSIC CITY
Brasfield & Gorrie is building the Omni Nashville Hotel and an addition to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville. The project, totaling 1.4 million sf, includes an 800-room hotel and 225,000-sf expansion to the Hall of Fame. The facility will encompass a ballroom, music venues, and restaurants. LEED Silver is targeted. Also on the Building Team: HKS (architect) and Earl Swennson Associates (associate architect).
5. NORTHWESTERN'S MUSIC SCHOOL AWAITS NEW HOME ON EVANSTON CAMPUS
The new home of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music will be located just south of the school’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall on the southeastern edge of the Evanston campus. The 152,000-sf building will feature a 400-seat recital hall and a 150-seat opera rehearsal room-cum-black box theater. The project is slated to achieve at least LEED Silver certification. Building Team: Goettsch Partners (architect), Thornton Tomasetti (structural engineer), Cosentini Associates (MEP engineer), and Power Construction (general contractor). Planned completion: 2015.
6. ARTISTS AND VISITORS GO WITH THE FLOW AT NEW CONTEMPORARY ART INSTITUTE
The new Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University, in Richmond, is designed to facilitate the way artists work today. Designed by Chris McVoy and Steven Holl of Steven Holl Architects, New York, N.Y., the 38,000-sf building will be part exhibition and performance space, part lab and incubator, fit to hold programming from visual art to theater to film. At the heart of the building will be a double-height “forum,” a flexible space that links the three levels of galleries. This floor plan will allow artists to create work that extends across spaces and permit visitors to circulate through the space via a variety of paths. BCWH Architects are the local architects on the project.
7. MARYLAND LIBRARY WILL HOUSE BOOKS WITH A SIDE OF ART
With a 22-month completion plan, The Lukmire Partnership (architect) and Costello Construction (general contractor) have teamed up to complete the 70,000-sf Silver Spring (Md.) Library. The five-story facility will house nonprofit art group Pyramid Atlantic in the basement and on the first two floors, with the library occupying floors three through five. The $35 million library, which is targeting LEED Silver certification, will feature all-glass curtain wall. A combined escalator system with ornamental staircase will be the focal point of the interior.
8. MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE LIBRARY TO GET MAKEOVER
Medgar Evers College, a City University of New York (CUNY), is planning a $11 million renovation and addition to its 45,720-sf library in Brooklyn. The school commissioned ikon.5 Architects (architect) and MBI Group (general contractor) to head up the project, which will transform the 1980s facility into a contemporary information media commons. The 2,000-SF Welcome Center addition will feature a cafe with a full-height electronic media display, terrazzo floor, and bamboo-clad entry.
Related Stories
Architects | Aug 19, 2015
Despite dip, architecture billings remain strong
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the July ABI score was 54.7, down a point from a mark of 55.7 in June.
Architects | Aug 17, 2015
Historic power plant converted to modern offices in Minnesota
A landmark power plant in Owatonna, Minn., damaged in a 2010 flood has new life as the headquarters of Owatonna Public Utilities following a renovation by architects Leo A. Daly.
High-rise Construction | Aug 11, 2015
Calatrava's Turning Torso wins CTBUH's 10 Year Award
The 623-foot, 57-story tower was the world's first twisting skyscraper. Completed in 2005, the building, designed by Santiago Calatrava, rotates 90 degrees along its height.
Architects | Aug 11, 2015
Architecture firm compensation trending upwards
Latest AIA compensation survey finds average compensation for staff positions up 3.5 percent from early 2013
Architects | Aug 11, 2015
12 architecture schools join NCARB's 'speedy path to licensure' program
For architecture students, a license to practice may soon be available as early as graduation day
Architects | Aug 10, 2015
HDR expands its Canadian presence through merger with CEI Architecture
Public-private partnerships are expected to be one of the combined entity’s strengths.
Retail Centers | Aug 10, 2015
Walgreens’ flagship in Hawaii harkens back to the island’s fishing culture
A house where canoes were made served as the model for this drug superstore’s design.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
GOVERNMENT SECTOR GIANTS: Public sector spending even more cautiously on buildings
AEC firms that do government work say their public-sector clients have been going smaller to save money on construction projects, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR GIANTS: To succeed, school design must replicate real-world environments
Whether new or reconstructed, schools must meet new demands that emanate from the real world and rapidly adapt to different instructional and learning modes, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
MULTIFAMILY AEC GIANTS: Slowdown prompts developers to ask: Will the luxury rentals boom hold?
For the last three years, rental apartments have occupied the hot corner in residential construction, as younger people gravitated toward renting to be closer to urban centers and jobs. But at around 360,000 annual starts, multifamily might be peaking, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
