University News
Public Invited to PAC Schematic Design Presentation August 19
August 14, 2008
MACOMB, IL - - A public presentation of the schematic design for the Performing Arts Center at Western Illinois University will be made by the Pelli Clarke Pelli (PCP), New Haven, CT, architectural group design team from 1:30-3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19 at the Tri States Public Radio Music Performance Studio, 320 W. University Drive, just west of Rt. 67.
During this presentation, the public will see the relationship of the program to the building components. Floor plans, sections and models of the building will be available for viewing as well as a general palette of the exterior building materials.
"The wonderfully collaborative relationship between Pelli Clarke Pelli, the University and the community has contributed greatly to the design for the Performing Arts Center," said Mitch Hirsch of PCP.
The University/community committee is led by Paul Kreider, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Western Illinois.
"We have had an exciting and collaborative process between the design team and our PAC committee, which includes Western faculty and staff and Macomb community members," Kreider said. "Our committee is excited about completing this stage of the design process, and we look forward to progressing to the final realization of a Performing Arts Center for Macomb and the region."
Hirsch said the schematic design phase is the second of the four phase process: pre-design, schematic design, design development and construction document development.
During the pre-design phase, "We looked at the DNA of the University and developed a dozen different concepts. The goal was to determine how the Performing Arts Center could contribute as much as possible to the campus," Hirsch said. Those dozen concepts were narrowed down to three models which were presented to the University committee and community in June 2007.
"The chosen design concept creates memorable places on campus," Hirsch said. "There will be three quads defined by the building: an arts quad between Browne and Memorial halls; another campus quad between Tillman, Memorial and Simpkins halls; and an open community quad on Western Avenue. The chosen design will strengthen the campus with three open spaces."
The current second phase, the schematic design, looks at all of the issues involving the building itself, including the size and shape of the buildings and the relationships between the pieces is considered, Hirsch explained. The architecture of the building emerges from this phase.
The third phase, design development, looks at each piece of the building in a detailed way. The details of interior spaces are refined during this phase and ideas for the character of the interior spaces are developed.
The final phase, the construction documents, will be done by the executive architects OWP&P of Chicago, Hirsch added. They will develop the technical documents that will be used to bid the project and to build the Performing Arts Center.
Western's Performing Art Center design concept, phase one, can be viewed at wiu.edu/president/pac.
For more information, contact Kreider at (309) 298-1552.
Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing
Connect with us: