SPECIFICATIONS

In May 2007 Queen's Board of Trustees approved Snohetta / ema Architects, a partnership of two firms, to provide the design for the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts.

Snohetta, originating in Norway and with branch offices in New York, is well known for its innovative and creative work such as the Alexandria Library in Egypt and the Oslo Opera House, for which the firm has been awarded The Mies Van der Rohe Award, The European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture, 2008.

The design team also includes ARUP Consulting Engineers and Theatre Projects Consultants, who are responsible for acoustical properties and the interior design of the performance spaces. Founded in 1980 from an original London U.K. company, ARUP has provided acoustic consulting for venues such as: City Recital Hall (Sydney, Australia), BBC Radio Theatre (London, UK), Getty Center (Los Angeles, CA), Miller Theater (Columbia University, New York, NY), the Istanbul Cultural Centre (Istanbul, Turkey), NYtt Operahus (Oslo, Norway), and Birdsnest (Beijing, China).

The project includes approximately 80,000 square feet to house the following:

• a 560-seat concert hall with with superior acoustics, and including:
  • a drop-down screen for film presentations
  • sound studio and recording facilities for local and national recording opportunities
• a large public lobby with a café on the waterfront and exhibition space for local and regional artists
• a climate controlled art gallery, accessible to the public and utilized for instruction and display
• a 100-seat studio theatre, offering maximum flexibility for student and community use
• a 90-seat film screening room
• a rehearsal hall for multi-purpose use
• instructional space for the School of Music and the Departments of Drama, Film and Media, and Art
• operating space for the Queen's Performing Arts Office

Some parking will be available on site, with approximately 12 accessible spaces for evening performances. Neighbouring parking lots at Corrections Canada and Providence Care will be on available on a user-fee basis, and a shuttle service will be provided from the Queen's lot on Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard. Public transportation is available immediately adjacent to the site.

Construction begins Spring 2011!

Artistic renderings courtesy of SNØHETTA

For student performers themselves, a hall that is well-designed acoustically, will make their instruments and voices resonate with more beauty and greatly improve their level of performance. John Burge, School of Music

Supervised students would be able to do an entire production. It will give them unique insight into what’s required to curate an exhibition. Ron Spronk - Professor of Art History