San Mateo County

Firm: DES Architects & Engineers

Client: Not Provided
City: Cupertino
Website: http://www.des-ae.com/

Performing Arts Center

The new Performing Arts Center in Cupertino, CA is sited at the north end of a 112-acre campus with high visibility from Stevens Creek Boulevard. It is shared by the dance, music, and film department, a museum, and an art history classroom.

The 20,485 sf, 1-story performing arts center includes a 400-seat teaching performance hall that includes a 35' x 80' stage, control room, a green room, dressing rooms, and a box office. This flexible space is used for dance, music and film studies and performances thus making the variable acoustics a critical design element. The museum of art displays both student and professional artwork and includes an exhibition space, museum offices and ancillary work rooms and storage space. The art history classroom includes a projection booth and is able to provide multi-media presentations.

With the addition of the museum and art history functions, the building footprint created a semi-enclosed courtyard providing outdoor space for art exhibits, breakout space for the performance hall, events and receptions. In addition infrastructure was installed to allow the space to be used as an outdoor classroom.

A sense of openness was an important design objective. The building is orientated outwardly toward the community. The 2-story glass lobby maximizes natural lighting and gives transparency to the activity and life inside.

To set the building apart yet relate to the campus, the designer selected geometric and linear elements prevalent in the existing Mission-style campus buildings. The contemporary minimalist architecture is a play of overlapping and intersecting planes that creates lightness in volume. A curved glass and metal frontage is a metaphor for the parting of stage curtains. Bold terra cotta and brick red colors stand out, but connects to the campus’ earth tones.

An informal yet elegant style is achieved with exterior materials such as polished cement plaster, architectural metal panels, corrugated metal, glass curtain wall, and high performance glazing. .

The Museum was challenged with space constraints and maintaining its identity from the performance hall. Working closely with all stakeholders the design evolved into a center for the arts, providing individual building identity for the performance hall and Museum while maintaining the strong functional connection and allowing shared use of common space.

The $15 million project is LEED Silver target. Sustainable features include high efficiency HVAC building systems, indoor environmental quality, low VOC products, construction waste management, water-efficient landscape, regional materials, recycled materials in the ceramic tile, carpeting, seating, and acoustical insulation made from denim jeans. The site has alternative transportation with a nearby bus line. Site selection of an infill location on a former parking lot does not disturb a green space.