UVM Recital Hall Renovation and Addition

The University Music Department had a beautiful performance space that suffered from poor acoustics and a lack of back-house space. Through a collaborative design process with a multi-faceted client team, Scott + Partners found creative and efficient ways to provide backstage practice spaces, piano storage, and a green room. Wheelchair access grants access to the bottom of the seating area as well as the stage. A connection between the stage and the piano storage room was created through a twelve-inch concrete wall so instruments can be wheeled directly from stage to storage that doubles as a piano rehersal room. An overhead door to the drive way behind the building improves load-in/load-out workflows.

DLR group was a part of the project team to improve acoustics in the performance space, and the original seating was refitted with new fabrics by the original installer.

The exterior was designed to reference the shapes and proportions of the existing performance space. The height of the addition off the back was selected to match the changes in height of the original steps down on the facade. The materials were selected to relate to the existing board siding. The stepping of the walls in the back was directly related to existing site conditions and shallow bedrock that limited relocation of existing underground utililties, but rather than being strictly reactive to those conditions, the form in plan also relates to the stepping of the original and new building heights.