EDUCATIONAL

Heritage Center for the Performing Arts

Michigan

Alma College is located in the center of the state of Michigan. It provides a strong liberal arts and science education.

The three main components of this 50,000 square foot multi-purpose Performing Arts Center - a 500 seat concert hall, a 250 seat flexible theater, and a dance studio - are clearly articulated as independent volumes, and are united by loggias and a unifying vocabulary of masonry and cast stone.

The spacious lobby and multi-use dance studio allow for large public gatherings and exhibitions. This facility is developed as a group of independently articulated theaters and pavilions, which are merged into a coherent whole. This design encourages interaction between theater, dance, and music groups.

The building's exterior uses design elements from the existing campus while introducing distinctive central arches and unifying banding to highlight the significant nature and prominent location of the structure. Located at the entrance to the campus, the Heritage Performing Arts Center becomes a signature building for Alma College. The administration desired a facilitythat would be compatible with the other buildings on campus. The Performing Arts Center was therefore designed as a foreground building that respects its context.