Soka University of America, Performing Arts Center and Wangari Maathai Hall

PERFORMING ARTS CENTER AND WANGARI MAATHAI HALL SOKA UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

architect ZGF Architects LLP

consultants THEATER CONSULTANT Auerbach Pollock Friedlander ACOUSTICAL CONSULTANT Nagata Acoustics America, Inc. ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING CONSULTANT Auerbach Glasow French CIVIL ENGINEER RBF Consulting STRUCTURAL ENGINEER John A. Martin & Associates, Inc. M/E/P ENGINEER Syska Hennessy Group, Inc. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT SWA Group COST CONSULTANT Davis Langdon

contractor McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.

program manager R.W. Buck & Associates

Narrative

Soka University of America, in planning for its new performing arts center and teaching facility, wanted to create an exciting, innovative environment for its campus and the broader community. In addition to adding more classroom space, the goal was to design a world-class multipurpose hall (hall) with exceptional acoustics that would create highly memorable experiences for audiences and artists alike, and would complement the understated elegance of the campus. The University envisioned a hall that would be flexible enough to accommodate many different types of performances, yet one in which the natural acoustics would not be compromised by that flexibility.

The resulting two-building complex is comprised of a 47,836-square-foot, three-level Performing Arts Center, and a 48,974-square-foot, four-level classroom building, named Wangari Maathai Hall. Wangari Maathai Hall features a 5,600-square-foot, 180-seat Black Box Theater, 11 classrooms, 29 faculty offices, and 13,000 square feet of support spaces that will be shared with the Performing Arts Center, including a loading dock, a green room, five dressing rooms, a rehearsal / dance studio, musician warm-up spaces, and laundry and storage spaces. The two buildings are connected at the first level.

The new complex was designed to blend with the ensemble of buildings on campus, which resembles a hillside Tuscan village,

yet, in the case of the Performing Arts Center, strike a unique figure. Like other campus structures, the majority of the two buildings are clad in plaster with travertine marble accents. However, the lobby side of the Performing Arts Center, the more public of the two buildings, is surrounded in glass. This allows natural light to fill the space during the day, and creates a dramatic glowing lantern effect on performance nights.

The design of the hall takes advantage of the site’s natural slopes. It can be configured to accommodate several different performance modes through stage and seating lifts, and through the use of two seating wagons on tracks, which can be stored when not in use. The primary configurations include convocation (1,200 seats), thrust stage (1,046 seats), and quasi-thrust hybrid (958 seats). The interior walls of the hall are layered with concrete, gypsum board, plaster, and cherry wood at the optimum mass for room acoustics.

The wood is slatted to accommodate sound reflective, absorptive, and transparent functions. In fact, the materials have been “tuned” to perform as a musical instrument.

A dual-level rigging and lighting grid over the main hall stage represents a unique application of theatrical architectural structures. The lower grid is a tension wire lighting grid that provides safe access and flexibility for lighting positions; the upper gridiron is a heavy, load-bearing grid that provides safe access and flexibility

for hanging scenery, lighting, and sound system loads over the stage. Motorized pipe battens allow rapid set-up and striking of overhead elements, a necessity for a hall designed for both music and dramatic performances. The Black Box Theatre floor is sprung for dance, but is also robust enough for heavy scenery loads. The tension grid ceiling is made of woven steel cable, through which lighting fixtures can be focused and theatrical elements can be rigged.

Sustainability was a central component of the project, which has achieved LEEDGold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The complex is expected to consume about 25 percent less energy than if it had been built to conventional building codes. Photovoltaic panels on top of the Performing Arts Center are generating an estimated 7.5 percent of the energy the facility uses. Fixed sunshades on the Center’s exterior are designed to reduce heat gain in the main lobby, yet permit visibility. Vegetated green roofs atop both the Performing Arts Center and the Black Box Theatre portion of Wangari Maathai Hall help to manage and treat stormwater runoff.

Performance Hall Detail / Tier Seating PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick Š Hedrich Blessing.

Technical Director Statement

It is my pleasure to write in support of the USITT Architecture Award submitted for the design of the Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California. My support comes from several vantage points. The first that I would like to address is from the point of view of the mission and principles of the University.

Soka University of America’s mission is, “to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life. “ And two of the four guiding principles are to “Foster leaders of culture in the community” and to “Foster leaders for the creative coexistence of nature and humanity.” The Soka Performing Arts Center helps the university to meet these goals by providing a place of culture that can be utilized by the students, the faculty and staff, and the entire community surrounding the university. The architecture of the facility blends beautifully with the existing buildings, provides visual panoramas of the nearby hills, and includes environmental aspects to help protect the natural habitat of the surrounding canyon areas. So many of the architectural aspects of this building address these specific goals, and the inherent feel of the facility is very much in keeping with the Buddhist principles of peace and tranquility.

From the point of view of the patron, the design of the Soka Performing Arts Center creates a visual focus when entering the campus. And in the evening, when the sun

is down and the lights are gently glowing through the glass curtain wall of the lobby, patrons are naturally attracted to the Center. Because the facility is situated on a hilltop, surrounded by protected canyon land, the amount of light shed by the project is not intense. But the contrast with the darkened hills provides a beacon that patrons can easily follow.

Once inside the facility, patron movement and flow is smooth and uninhibited. Access to all areas is easy and convenient. Video monitors in the lobby provide the dual function of static signage pre-performance, and performance monitoring once the event begins. Elevators provide access to all seating areas for those with mobility challenges. Upon entering the concert hall, the visual effect is stunning. So many times, the reaction is an eye-widening, “Wow”.

Rich, warm cherry wood on the walls and ceiling, and the contrasting white Alaskan cedar stage floor provide tremendous focus for the patron. Plaster surfaces, shaped for acoustical purposes and painted a deep aubergine help maintain visual interest and warmth within the space.

From the point of view of the artist, the configuration of the seating is large and yet intimate. The seating surrounds the performance platform on all sides, enveloping the artist and offering outstanding sightlines. The sound of the hall is warm and resonant without being overpowering. Musicians have stated that

they can easily hear the other parts of the orchestra. And patrons have pointed out that they have heard individual instruments clearly within the full orchestral sound.

In repeated reviews, the Los Angeles Times music critic has heralded the Soka Performing Arts Center as, “The best concert hall of its size in Southern California, and, most likely, in a much greater area than that. Soka is a great concert hall with all the right priorities. It is intimate and creates a powerfully immersive feeling for the listener.”

Technically, the facility is incredibly versatile, easily reconfigured and extremely well equipped. The ability to adapt to new staging options is inherent in the design.

Acoustical changes are done easily, quickly and safely – and virtually silently. Support areas are large and carefully thought out, with enough storage for all of the equipment currently in stock, and room for future growth.

With programming activity now under our belt, the Soka Performing Arts Center has proven to be beautiful, functional, comfortable, adaptable and acoustically outstanding for orchestral events, dance, reinforced jazz music and small acoustic ensembles. It is, truly, one of the finest performing arts centers that I have ever worked in. We could not have even imaged anything better.

Creative Image INSPIRING HARMONY IN THE HALLS

The notion of intimacy is a hallmark of the multipurpose hall. The team and client approached the design of the building from the inside-out, with issues of sightlines, acoustics and audience experience taking center stage. The decision to create seating in the round, with the audience encircling the stage, evolved as the project team continually strived to design the hall toward near perfect natural acoustics without reliance upon amplification. Similar to an outdoor venue carved into a hillside, the multipurpose hall’s stage is located at the bottom of a “hill,” with the majority of seats on terraces that rise to the lobby. The site’s natural slope supported such a layout well.

The public spaces – lobbies and support spaces – became a threshold between the campus and the experience of the hall’s inner core. The unique glass shade system incorporated into the lobby walls, not only reduces solar heat gain and the need for artificial lights, but in its design and high performance, elegantly symbolizes the university’s fundamental principle of fostering creative coexistence of nature and humanity.

1 Performing Arts Center Main Entrance PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

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The Soka Performing Arts Center is understated and airy, and suits the mood of the serene campus, with its fountains and lotus pool. The hall’s interior has a Zen-like calm, and creates a powerfully immersive feeling for the listener.

MARK SWED, MUSIC CRITIC, LOS ANGELES TIMES

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1 Performance Hall Main Lobby, Northwest Corner PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

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2 Performance Hall Partial East Elevation PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

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1 Detail of Performing Arts Center Sunshade Assembly PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

2 Performance Hall Main Lobby Looking Southwest PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

Contextual Resonance AN UNEXPECTED COMPOSITION

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Entry Plaza Performance Hall Courtyard Wangari Maathai Hall (Classroom Building with Black Box Theatre) Loading Area Founders Hall Drop-off Terrace

In this complex, the university wanted to create an exciting, innovative environment for its campus and the broader community.

While the project, located on a sloping site on the university’s campus, was envisioned in the school’s campus master plan, it represents its first addition since the campus was completed, and provides the first true performing arts spaces. The goal was to design a world-class facility that, from exceptional acoustics to architectural finishes, would create highly memorable experiences for audiences and complement the understated elegance of the campus.

Two adjoining buildings comprise the Soka Performing Arts Center (the multipurpose hall) and Wangari Maathai Hall (the L-shaped academic building who’s top

three levels feature classrooms and offices that wrap around the Black Box Theatre.)

The project is designed to blend with the school’s ensemble of buildings, yet strike a unique and contemporary figure. Like other campus structures, it is clad in tan plaster stucco and features travertine marble accents and a red terra cotta roof.

The design of the multipurpose hall, which is surrounded in glass, extends the architectural language of the campus to make its own statement.

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1 Aerial View of Soka Performing Arts Center in Relation to Adjacent Campus Buildings PHOTOGRAPHER Eric “Mitsu” Kimura.

2 View of Soka Performing Arts Center PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

FLOOR PLANS Level 1

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Ticket Office Performance Hall Main Lobby Information Desk / Concession Performance Hall Mezzanine Performance Hall Lower Lobby Performance Hall Stage Seat Wagon Alcoves

Tier I Seating / Performance Hall Tier 2 Seating / Performance Hall Performance Hall Tier 3 Seating Performance Hall Mix Position Performance Hall Control Room / Projection Booth 13 Performance Hall Tension Grid 8 9 10 11 12

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Performance Hall Catwalk Performance Hall Grid Iron Loading Dock Green Room Dressing Rooms Rehearsal / Dance Studio Musician Warm-up Studio

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Workroom Black Box Theatre Lobby Black Box Theatre Black Box Theatre Control Room Black Box Theatre Tension Grid Classrooms Faculty Offices

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1 Detail of Performing Arts Center Sunshade Assembly PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

2 Plaza Between Performing Arts Center and Nelson Wangari Maathai Hall Classroom Building PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

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Community Contribution A CAMPUS THAT IS GIVING BACK

1 Performance Hall, Saint Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Alexander Titov; Piano Soloist Xiayin Wang PHOTOGRAPHER Eric “Mitsu” Kimura.

2 Performance Hall Detail / Tier Seating PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

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We are designing programming that increases the community’s cultural awareness while maintaining a strong classical music presence.

DAVID PALMER, GENERAL MANAGER

It is Soka University’s goal to create global leaders that will provide a contributive life.

This facility represents the University’s contribution to the surrounding communities in South Orange County and expands the institution’s role as a cultural center and gathering place. While the students enjoy the benefits and use of the facilities, it is here to give back to the community that invited the institution to come 10 years ago. While the center was designed to serve its academic mission, the facility, in its first year of operation, has been enjoyed as a community resource in the diversity of programs that have ranged from concerts and dance performances, to plays, meetings, and workshops for

local schools. It has been as responsive to the spectrum of musical programs from intimate chamber ensembles and jazz combos to symphony orchestras. The first season has also revealed a few unexpected attributes that have illustrated the center’s flexibility and highlighted its features. It has lived up to the highest expectations at every event, and even been adaptable for the various challenges of staging a much broader range of theatrical events. It has also unexpectedly, because of its unique acoustics, even served as a recording studio for rental and production without requiring electronic reverberation or enhancements.

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1 Plan / Convocation Configuration

3 Plan / Concert Configuration

2 Plan / Thrust Configuration

4 Photo / Quasi-Thrust Hybrid Configuration Where Stage Elevators 1 And 3 are in the Raised Position.

Elevator 2 is Lowered, and Rows AA and BB are Installed with Platforming PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick Š Hedrich Blessing.

:: Not Shown / PIT Configuration is Set-Up in the Thrust Configuration with Rows AA and BB Removed to Allow for Up to 18 Instruments in Their Place.

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Performance Hall Detail PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick Š Hedrich Blessing.

BUILDING SECTIONS East-West / Performance Hall

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North-South / Wangari Maathai Hall

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Main Performance Hall Performance Hall Tension Grid Performance Hall Grid Iron Green Roof Mechanical Plenum Performance Hall Catwalk Mechanical Alcove Intermediate Lobby

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Circulation Restroom Ticket Booth Seat Wagon Alcove Stage Photovoltaic Arrays Tool Room Performance Hall Lobby

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Performance Hall Mezzanine Performance Hall Control Room Performance Hall Follow Spot Room Performance Hall Stage Black Box Theatre Black Box Tension Grid Group Dressing Rooms Shower

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Classrooms Mechanical Room Offices Storage Electrical Room Black Box Theatre Lobby Black Box Theatre Control Room

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I don’t see Soka’s new venue as competition.

It’s a great concert hall and training ground for new performance professionals. One of my personal platforms is the importance of training new professionals in music, theater, dance and visual arts and I welcome places that offer such training.

JOSEPH C. LEWIS III, DEAN OF THE TREVOR SCHOOL OF ARTS AT UC IRVINE

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1 Black Box Theatre PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

2 View of Overhead Tension Grid that Provides a Walking Surface Above the Black Box Theatre PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

New Technologies A CONCERT HALL WITH ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

1 Aerial view of Soka Performing Arts Center in relation to adjoining campus buildings PHOTOGRAPHER Eric “Mitsu” Kimura.

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The City of Aliso Viejo mandate no net increase in runoff for development projects, so a green roof was integral to the stormwater management strategy.

The complex has a 14,800 SF green roof atop both the Performing Arts Center and the Black Box Theatre portion of Wangari Maathai Hall, which helps to provide acoustical and solar insulation, in addition to managing and treating stormwater runoff. A 140 Kw photovoltaic (PV) system generates an estimated 7.5% of the energy needed. Fixed sunshades on the multipurpose hall’s exterior reduce heat gain in the main lobby, yet permit visibility.

2 View of green roof and PV array PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

A displacement ventilation system was utilized to supply cooler air near the floor, pushing warmer air away from occupants in academic and theater spaces. In addition, water-saving features include low-flow water fixtures and high-efficiency instantaneous gas water heaters. All told, the project is planned to use 45% less water than a conventionally designed building, and have an overall energy cost savings of about 25% over the baseline.

Photovoltaic Panels

Green Roof

Fixed Sun Shades

Daylight Sensors in Lobby

Displacement Ventilation System

LEED-Gold Certified Photovoltaic system generates approximately 7.5% of the building’s energy need Fixed sunshades reduce heat gain and glare while allowing for natural daylight and views Provides 14,800 SF of green roof At least 75% of the building’s construction waste was recycled 2

Functional Operations AN ARCHITECTURE DRIVEN BY ACOUSTICS

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Soka Performing Arts Center is not only the best concert hall of its size in Southern California, but for a multipurpose hall, it is intimate and creates a powerfully immersive feeling for the listener and seems an exception to the laws of physics.

MARK SWED, MUSIC CRITIC, LOS ANGELES TIMES

From the beginning, the design of the Soka Performing Arts Center focused on achieving a high level of acoustical excellence, and a truly unique and intimate space. The university and design team chose to focus on the psycho-acoustics of the space in order to create both visual and acoustical intimacy. To enhance visual and aural immediacy, the design emphasizes the relationship between the audience and the stage, as well as the relationship between audience members, by providing seating on all sides of the stage. In order to emphasize natural acoustics and bring the music to the audience, the design team chose to place the orchestra within

1 Soka Performing Arts Center Grand Opening, Pacific Symphony, Conductor Carl St.Clair; Piano Horatio Gutierez PHOTOGRAPHER Eric “Mitsu” Kimura.

the audience chamber and establish a “sound focus point” at the front of the stage that remains consistent in any musical configuration. The materials, dimensions, and shape of the hall were the outcome of the clear focus on natural acoustics and intimacy for the hall. Specially designed walls placed after about every seven rows of seats reflect sound back into their respective seating tier. Slatted wood was introduced to the interior wall design to cover acoustically geometric shapes behind and a heavy ceiling, designed to reflect sound, is stepped up, with a “visual” ceiling, located several feet below.

Ceiling The Acoustical Ceiling’s Two Layers of Concrete Slabs ≥ 13psf are Separated

By A 3’-0” Cavity. There is a Curved “Transparent” Wood Ceiling is Designed to Not Influence Any Sound Bouncing Off the Heavier Concrete Ceiling. There Are 10 Acoustical Draperies in the Ceiling Area That Can Be Drawn and Closed to Adjust Reverberation Time.

Walls Micro Shaped gfrg Molded Shapes, Weighing ≥ 13psf are Angled in a Sawtooth Pattern to Direct Sound Back to the Audience, with Bumps to Help Scatter the Sound for Exceptional Acoustics.

Stage The Stage is Where the Sound Originates. The Floor is Made of Yellow Alaskan Cedar for its Softness. It Sits Loosely (Not Structurally Anchored) on a Steel Framework, Approximately 7’-0” Above the Concrete Floor.

This Creates an Acoustic Cavity and Diaphramtic Stage Floor That Spread Sound Waves Through the Hall.

Functional Operations INCORPORATING ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY

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The Soka Performing Arts Center is a stunning space visually, acoustically, and technologically.

SAM MORALES, SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, TECHNICAL SERVICES MANAGER

While the University’s goal was to design a high-performance and flexible multipurpose hall with exceptional natural acoustics it also needed to be equipped to support a spectrum of uses and artists alike. Above the seating and staging areas are a double grid and catwalks for technical support systems. The lower one is a tension lighting grid, and above that is a grid iron, used for heavy scenic rigging, winch motors, and fix motorized pipe battens. There are three elevators on the floor (two at the sides and one downstage) that can lower

1 View from Backstage Right Loading Door and Stage Manager’s Position PHOTOGRAPHER Tim Boot © Sonitus Photography.

approximately 30 inches. Seating changes to optimize capacity are accomplished through reconfiguration of two seating wagons on tracks, in or out of seating garages, and a complement of platforms.

The command central for the concert hall is a live mixing position. Acoustics can be adjusted from this location. Motorized draperies and ceiling panels adjust the reverberation of the hall. There are six discreet, permanent camera positions in the facility that allow either a multi-camera recording or live webcasts or broadcasts.

Motorized Lineset Hoist Rigging Grating Grid 55’-0” Long Motorized Lineset Truss Batten

Return Air Plenum

Lighting Tension Grid Border

Bi-parting Midstage Traveler

White Cyclorama (CYC)

2 One of Six Permanent Cameras in the Main Performance Hall.

PHOTOGRAPHER Tim Boot © Sonitus Photography.

3 Lighting Tension Grid PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

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Stage Elevator Mechanisms Utilizing Multiple Gala Systems Spiralift Components for All Three Stage Elevators. Stage Elevators Allow for Quick Change-Over Between Concert, Thrust, and Hybrid Configurations.

Amplifier Room and Patch Bays for Audio Input, Output and Digital Media Source Routing.

Video Control Booth with Complete Switching, Camera Robotics Control Stations, Dedicated Audio Mixing, Video Output Control, Patching and Recording Equipment.

PHOTOGRAPHER Tim Boot Š Sonitus Photography.

Audio Control Position Showing Digital Mixing Control, Remote House Light Control, Video Projection Source, and Crestron Video Control System for Video Output PHOTOGRAPHER Tim Boot Š Sonitus Photography.

Stage Manager and Systems Control Location Backstage Right. System Includes Controls for Acoustic Draperies, Stage Elevators, Motorized Rigging, Chain Motors, House and Work Lights, Crestron Audio and Video Outputs and Lighting Network. Video Monitors Provide Live Feeds from All Cameras in the Concert Hall.

Concert Hall Lighting Control Booth with ETC Ion Lighting Control Console and Fader Wing. Booth Configuratin Allows Room for Stage Manger to Call Productions from This Location and Provides Multi-Camera Video Feed.

Stacked 4000 Lumen Canon WUX4000 DLP Projectors Provide High Definition and Illumination for the 41’ Wide Projection Screen in the Concert Hall.

Performance Hall Detail PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick Š Hedrich Blessing.

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1 Bird’s Eye View of Main Performance Hall Stage from Tension Grid PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

2 View of Black Box Theatre from Control Room Where Ample Technical Support is Provided for Teaching and Experimenting with Live Performances PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

Backstage Supporting Spaces

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1 One of Two Rehearsal Spaces PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

2 One of Five Group Dressing Rooms PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

3 3 Green Room PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

4 Natural Daylight Fills the Rehearsal / Dance Studio PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick © Hedrich Blessing.

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Performance Hall, Saint Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Alexander Titov; Piano Soloist Xiayin Wang PHOTOGRAPHER Nick Merrick Š Hedrich Blessing.

Performing Arts Center Main Entrance PHOTOGRAPHER Dave Burk Š Hedrich Blessing.

Printed on recycled paper.