DS+R to design college performing arts center in massachusetts
portrait © peter ash lee / courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

 

 

 

interdisciplinary studio diller scofidio + renfro has been selected to design a new performing arts center for the college of the holy cross in massachusetts. the building is slated to include a 400-seat concert hall and theater, a 200-seat flexible performance space, and a ‘high technology beehive space’, which will provide collaborative work and shared multimedia facilities for recording, sound/video editing and other technical aspects of theater production.

 

the design of the center, which will be funded in part by a $25 million USD gift from alumnus cornelius b. prior, was selected by holy cross following an international design competition. the facility will likely be located in what are now parking lots behind healy hall, a student residence. the surrounding building site will be designed to accommodate various entrance points for academic purposes, performances, and campus visitors.

 

‘we feel incredibly privileged to be working with holy cross to imagine hybrid spaces that engender new forms of teaching, learning, and artistic creation’, commented ricardo scofidio, partner at DS+R. ‘the building will be a cultural hub for the campus and a meaningful contribution to the performing arts typology.’

 

‘we are pleased to call on the extraordinary talents of DS+R to design this important new facility on our campus,’ said fr. boroughs, the college’s president. ‘the performing arts center has been launched because of the remarkable generosity of neil prior. with his transformative gift and the anticipated support of others, we are poised to realize the shared vision of holy cross and DS+R for a building of lasting architectural significance which will substantially enhance our academic programs.’

 

construction of the $60 million USD project is expected to begin in 2017.