When the University of North Carolina at Wilmington recognized the need to expand and update its facilities for an ever-increasing student body and the continued development of the performing-arts curriculum, the solution required performance, rehearsal, and classroom spaces with capacity for simultaneous use. The goal of the design team was to provide a state-of-the-art building that could maintain the campus' neo-Georgian architectural style and offer a public venue to the community without dwarfing the adjacent campus buildings.
Special Design Features
The design of the 280-seat Recital Hall platform is made up of numerous hard surfaces that project the sound from the platform into the audience where the repetitive angled coffers surrounding the sides and rear of the audience chamber continuously diffuse the sound for a full effect. Live sound in the room can be tempered by acoustical drapes.
The 300-seat Proscenium Theater provides an intimate venue in which the performers can be closely engaged with the audience. The dominant shape of the space is an ellipse that forms the back and sides of the audience chamber. Extensive work with the theatrical and structural consultants was required to create proper sightlines for all patrons in the intimate space.
