A LEED-certified Music Arts Center, built of glass, recycled copper and other sustainable materials for the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn., is under construction and will be completed in May.
The voluminous, glass-walled, 640-seat music pavilion commands panoramic views of nearby hills and lakes. The pavilion seating is configured in the round with parterre and upper-level balconies surrounding a flat-floor orchestra modeled after Boston Symphony Hall. The pavilion's 1-inch-thick glass walls open to an outdoor terrace for community concerts during the summer. The pavilion has adjustable acoustics and will support a wide range of musical performances, as well as a variety of other school functions. In the routine mode, the pavilion will be furnished with lounge chairs and serve as a unique music listening room for students.
The grand lobby of the new building unites the theater arts and fine arts physically. The new center also houses classrooms, practice rooms, ensemble rooms, faculty offices, a technology center, a radio station, green rooms, an expansion of the adjacent Walker Auditorium stage and several student lounges.
The design includes a sediment- and erosion-control plan specific to the site, a high-efficiency irrigation system, and a central chiller plant that optimizes building operation times. Sustainable materials and resources such as recycled structural steel and recycled copper wall and roof panels were used.
The architect for this project is Centerbrook Architects and Planners (Centerbrook, Conn.).
