Inviting Inspiration
UMBC celebrates the grand opening of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building.
From the moment its doors opened for fall 2014 classes, students, faculty, staff, and visitors alike have taken delight in UMBCs new Performing Arts and Humanities Building (PAHB), which offers exceptional venues for performances and lectures, settings for teaching and research, and opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.
Its an inviting space, said Scott Casper, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Its a space for every student on campus to experience the performing arts and humanities, for our entire campus community to come together around cultural events, and for people throughout greater Baltimore to participate in UMBCs vibrant cultural life.
The PAHB provides new, state-of-the-art facilities for arts and humanities departments and programs. The building is designed to enhance UMBCs teaching, research, and public outreach, and to heighten the visibility of the arts and humanities as major components of campus and community life.
This new building, the largest on our campus, speaks to the central role that the arts and humanities play in shaping our students as thinkers and as citizens, noted President Freeman Hrabowski. It is designed to foster interaction and collaboration, and it supports the kind of interdisciplinary work that inspires our students and helps them develop as innovators and leaders.
The PAHB is home to the departments of Ancient Studies, Dance, English, Music, Philosophy, and Theatre; the James T. and Virginia M. Dresher Center for the Humanities; the Center for Innovation, Research and Creativity in the Arts; the Humanities Scholars Program; and the Linehan Artist Scholars Program. Its major public venues, which will host dozens of lectures and performances annually, include a concert hall, a proscenium theatre, the Dance Cube, a black box theatre, the Music Box, and a lecture hall.
The 180,000 square foot building, first envisioned in 2004, is situated on 4.8 acres on the west side of Hilltop Road adjacent to the Fine Arts, Engineering, and ITE buildings. The PAHB is a natural extension of the campus to the north, creating a strong relationship with neighboring buildings and enhancing the circulation of the campus.
Recognition
In fall 2014, the PAHB received two significant accolades from the architecture and design community. The American Institute of Architects Baltimore chapter, at its annual Excellence in Design gala, awarded the PAHB the top prize in its Higher Education category, and the Urban Land Institute bestowed upon the building its 2014 Wavemaker Award, which recognizes projects that are truly unique, innovative, and visionary.
The Performing Arts and Humanities Building, said The Baltimore Suns fine arts critic, Tim Smith, makes quite a statement from almost every angle the sun-reflecting, stainless-steel-wrapped Concert Hall; the glass-enclosed Dance Cube jutting from the structure; views of the downtown Baltimore skyline from upper floors.
Sustainability
The PAHB is a very energy efficient building, notes campus architect Joe Rexing, citing features such as its white reflective roof and water management system. Inside the building, finishes and materials were selected for their low VOC (volatile organic compounds), so they dont off-gas materials such as latex paints, carpets that are very green, and sustainable products made of recycled materials. We use certified wood that comes from sustainable forests. And a lot of other finishes that you see inside the building are made from recycled construction materials.
The building has been awarded LEED Silver status, following the guidelines set out by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to identify buildings as green. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized mark of achievement in building specifications. Permanent flat screen displays located in the buildings lobbies offer more detail on the PAHBs sustainable features and LEED certification.
Public Art
One of the most exciting aspects of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building actually stands just outside the buildings entrance: a significant new work of public art, Forum, by Thomas Sayre. The Maryland Public Art Initiative funded the design and construction of the artwork through the Maryland Commission on Public Art and the Maryland State Arts Council. As required in legislation passed in 2013, the Maryland Public Art Initiative integrates public art enhancements into all state-funded construction and renovation projects.
Sayres work was selected following a national call for entries. After much reflection and discussion, said Timothy Nohe, director of the Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts and member of the selection panel, the committee voted Sayres concept as the most reflective of UMBCs vision of a public art installation that invites community engagement, reflects the passage of time, and embraces the values and culture of UMBC.
Thomas Sayre has designed and built public art projects throughout the world and has participated in design teams for civic, educational, and museum buildings. Forum was designed as a stand-alone art experience viewed as a sculpture, he explained, but it is also to be experienced as a place. The space created by the sculpture can be entered, can be occupied, and can be used. The composition is designed to create a place for conversation, for the meeting of small classes, a place where spontaneous and planned performances are encouraged.
Already, the sculpture site has become a point of convergence for the campus community students, faculty, and staff gather under its arches to read, converse and contemplate. In November, it will host an epic reading of Homers Iliad, presented by the Department of Ancient Studies.
Grand Opening Celebration
The campus community is invited to celebrate the grand opening of the Performing Arts and Humanities Building at a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, October 17, from 3 to 4 p.m. in the concert hall. A reception, building tours, and open house events will follow the ceremony.
For information about upcoming events in the PAHB, visit UMBCs Arts & Culture Calendar.
(10/17/2014)
