University Business - June 2008 - (Page 56)

FE US SU TN R EES H O C K L A C E OF P A Campus Theater’s Act II Alma Thomas Fine Arts Center at Southwestern University (Texas) By Melissa Ezarik ringing new life to a 1950s-era theater involves addressing everything from stage size and lighting and sound to temperature control and audience comfort. • FUNCTION: Art, music, and theater facility—with studio, classroom, and performance space—for The Saroﬁm School of Fine Arts. • PROBLEM: Despite some recent building additions, including a “black box” theater and some labs, gallery space, and oﬃces, the center’s main concert hall was in need of a complete overhaul. The stage couldn’t accommodate performances with a large cast; there was no orchestra pit; the lighting, sound, and scenery rigging systems were dated; and the noisy old HVAC system at times had to be turned oﬀ during a performance and then back on before the Texas heat became unbearable. In addition, audience members had to contend with a lack of lobby space. People tended to arrive just before a performance and “linger throughout the building, with the sense that they were standing in the hallways waiting for the doors to open,” says Paul Gaﬀney, dean of The Saroﬁm School. For those with physical disabilities, parts of the building were inaccessible. Also, with some parts not sonically isolated from each other, a performance couldn’t take place at the same time as a rehearsal elsewhere in the center. • SOLUTIONS: Two small additions, a new entrance, new building systems, and a total theater renovation later, the center is in its glory. Guests have a place to visit with each other and even view some art before a performance, with a bright, new lobby about four times the size of the former dark hallway. Gaﬀney notes that “150 to 200 B The facility’s roomier Alma Thomas Theater gets a standing ovation from guests—and cast and crew. The large cast of Fiddler on the Roof wouldn’t have fit on the old stage. people can be mingling comfortably.” Speaking of comfort, the 700-plus theater seats are roomier. And larger productions are now possible, especially with the two nine-foot grand pianos that used to dominate the space behind the curtain stored in a new climate-controlled area. Disabled guests can use a dedicated wheelchair lift for easy access to the lower area of the theater (all staﬀ, plus individuals upon request, have a key), and inside steps have been replaced with ramps. “Access to all new and existing spaces for users and visitors to the School of Fine Arts has been achieved,” says architect Robin Bruno. “The most challenging aspect of the design was the integration of the new and existing spaces, knowing there is a ﬁnal phase of the project left to complete,” adds Bruno, speaking of future plans to expand the building further and renovate its large main wing. But for the time being, Gaﬀney knows that, at a glance, visitors can tell it’s “a top-notch arts facility.” • TIMELINE: Completed in November 2007, dedicated in March 2008 • COST: $10 million • ARCHITECT: Group Two Architecture in Austin Breaking Ground: Other Places • Construction of a 75,000-square-foot science building at Susquehanna University (Pa.): With increases in overall enrollment and in science majors, the current science building now serves about 50 percent more students than a 1990 renovation was envisioned to support. Plus, much of the space doesn’t support collaborative learning. A new $45 million facility, designed by STV of Douglassville, Pa., will be the campus’s largest academic building. Expected completion is fall 2010. • Construction of a 53,000-square-foot ﬁtness and athletic center at Sweet Briar College (Va.): Sweet Briar’s peer schools had all recently upgraded or built new athletic centers. Not having excellent facilities had become a recruiting disadvantage with both athletes and non-athletes. The new $10.5 million facility, designed by Craddock Cunningham Architectural Partners of Lynchburg, Va., will be attached to the recently renovated Williams Gymnasium and contain an elevated running track, racquetball courts, and a Teraflex gym ﬂoor that will serve as multiuse space for college events. Expected completion is fall 2009. 56 | June 2008 universitybusiness.com http://universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - June 2008

University Business - June 2008
Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
People Watch
Endowment Management
Viewpoint
On the Hill
Future Shock
2008 Annual Directory of Higher Education Consultants
Independent Outlook
Sense of Place
Cover Story - History in the Making
Getting Serious About Service
Sustainability and Energy Management
Internet Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
End Note

University Business - June 2008