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OUTSTANDING Outstanding
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C o l l e g PROJECT e/University Project
2011
Zankel Music Center—Skidmore College
2011
Saratoga Springs, NY
GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN
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2011
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EwingCole of 100Citation N. 6th Street Excellence Philadelphia, PA 19106 www.ewingcole.com
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Performing Arts Center
2011
Joseph Donahue 215/625-4119 Belson Design Architects www.belsondesign.com DESIGN TEAM Tom Applequist, Lead Designer Charles Belson, Managing Principal Ryan McNutt, Project Manager Steve Bishop, Construction Manager, MLB Construction RoLand LaFond, Site Superintendent, MLB Construction Paul Lundberg, Project Manager, Skidmore College OWNER/CLIENT Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY Mike West, Vice President for Finance & Administration, Treasurer 518/580-5810 KEY STATS Grades Served: Post-secondary Capacity: 2,400 students Size of Site: 27 acres Building Area: 66,700 sq. ft. Space per Student: 28 sq. ft. Cost per Student: $1,135 Square Foot Cost: $408 Construction Cost: $27.3 million Total Project Cost: $29 million Contract Date: Nov. 2007 Completed: Jan. 2010 Photography: Eduard Hueber/ archphoto.com; Korlarp Suwacharangkul
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he design team performed a study to help Skidmore College determine whether its nearly 40-year-old music facility should be renovated or replaced. The study concluded that even extensive, costly renovation would still not bring the acoustics of the existing recital hall up to par. With nearly 40 full- and part-time faculty, Skidmore’s music department offers more than 50 courses in such diverse areas as the Western classical tradition; electronic- and computer-based musical composition; non-Western musical forms and traditions; jazz, pop, and rock; and West African drumming, as well as individual instruction in a wide variety of instruments and vocal genres. Students may pursue their musical passions at a level typically seen at a music conservatory, engaging in close interaction with faculty who are accomplished performers, scholars, and composers. Aligned along a north-south axis, the building is divided into two separate spheres of activity,
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with a wide, brightly lit glass atrium in the center that serves as a crossroads and a gathering space. South is the performance sphere, featuring the 600-seat Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall, an acoustically tuned space that can be scaled up or down for any size audience. Designed to accommodate a full orchestra and chorus, its stage is backed by a dramatic threestory-high glass wall overlooking nearby Haupt Pond. North is the instructional
sphere, which includes faculty offices, 14 practice rooms, the 90-seat Elisabeth Luce Moore Hall for lectures and recitals, electronic music laboratory, piano lab, and several classrooms. This wing is used virtually around the clock to accommodate the practice schedules and creative needs of students during evening and night hours, and teaching during the day. Located on the main drive near the college’s entrance, the Zankel Center serves as a gateway to the campus. Its