New World Symphony

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Project Name: New World Symphony
Construction year: 2011
Website: www.nws.edu/NewCampus
Address: Lincoln Theatre, 541 Lincoln Road , MIAMI-FLORIDA - United States

Architect(s) : Gehry Frank (www.foga.com)
Project Category: Cultural

Latitude: 25.7907
Longitude: -80.1338

New World Symphony

The main entrance of New World Center is set in a soaring, 80-foot-high glass curtain wall on the east facade, providing uninterrupted views of the skylit main atrium and the dramatic, tumbling forms of the interior spaces beyond. Created using glass with no iron content, the curtain wall is utterly clear and disappears when lit from within, by the skylight during the day and by the space’s 44 programmable, multi-directional colored lights at night.

The entrance is distinguished by a white, wave-like canopy, and opens out onto a plaza and a two-and-a-half acre public park. A 650-square-foot LED light field will be positioned at the top of the transparent wall, branding the institution and announcing its programming.

Located to the right of the atrium is the performance hall, its structure masked on the east facade by a giant, 7,000-square-foot projection wall, adjoining the glass-fronted entrance. The projection wall will be used for outdoor presentations and will be complemented by an immersive audio system in the adjacent park. The main viewing area located in the park opposite the projection wall will accommodate up to 1,000 people, and will be surrounded by speakers designed to look like two giant, gently curving ballet barres.

The six-story high, glass-fronted atrium provides a spectacular and dynamic entry-point to the building, with its playful, tumbling geometric forms delineating the structure of the internal spaces. When viewed from outside the building at night, these large, dramatically-lit, irregular forms will take on the character of performers on a proscenium stage, turning the building itself into a performance.

The skylit atrium incorporates the campus’ box office, a large, illuminated glass bar with an undulating, green-tinted titanium canopy, and baby-blue banquettes with plywood backing. The space features polished concrete floors and painted walls.

The roof terrace on the sixth floor is accessible via two high-speed elevators, and features a pavilion reception space, a music library and a private suite, surrounded by an oasis-like garden.

The iconic performance hall is a technically sophisticated, flexible and immersive space with seating for 756 people. Uniquely designed entryways lead from the atrium into the hall, with two serpentine corridors delicately narrowing and then widening to dramatically reveal the space. Visitors will enter the hall in its center, by the stage, and will be greeted by a 360-degree view of the space.

arge, 360-degree curvilinear acoustic sails span the upper half of the space, and double as projection surfaces that will enhance the concert-going experience with theatrical lighting, specially commissioned videos and projected contextual information from fourteen 30,000 lumen projectors. Natural light in the performance hall is afforded via an overhead skylight and a large panoramic window located behind the stage.

An intimate space, the performance hall is designed to support everything from solo recitals to concerts by the New World Symphony’s full orchestra. To simulate the acoustical conditions of a much larger concert hall within a relatively small space, the design provides sufficient volume for the sound to develop.

Fourteen distinctive configurations of the stage and in-the-round seating allow for new performance experiences.

Built in the heart of Miami Beach, New World Center, the New World Symphony’s new campus, is an innovative facility for music education and performance with state-of-the-art technical capabilities, and an adjacent 2.5-acre public park into which the institution will extend its programming. The campus is the first purpose-built home for the New World Symphony.

Contributed by ArchiTeam