Minnesota Orchestra and Toronto architects KPMB unveil designs
for expansion of Orchestra Hall
Orchestra raises $38m towards $40m project
Click
here to view design renderings, a video and complete
descriptions, or click
here to download an "Introducing the New Orchestra Hall" PDF
document.
(April 9, 2010) -- Award-winning Toronto-based architects
Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB) unveiled today schematic
designs for the renovation and expansion of Orchestra Hall, home
of the Minnesota Orchestra in downtown Minneapolis. The $40
million project to revitalize Orchestra Hall—towards which the
Orchestra has raised $38 million to-date—focuses on a
reinvention of its public lobby spaces and creates a dramatic
exterior that better connects the Hall to the city outside.
“In renovating Orchestra Hall, we made it a priority to
preserve the iconic elements of the original 1974 design, while
also re-envisioning aspects of the building to better fit the
current city and context,” says architect Bruce Kuwabara, who
serves as design partner on the renovation. “This project
offers a remarkable opportunity to renew a great venue and
revitalize Orchestra Hall’s relationship to the city of
Minneapolis.”
The renovation doubles Orchestra Hall’s available lobby
space, simplifies lobby circulation, adds two exterior terraces
and creates a new multi-purpose “City Room,” on the lobby’s west
side that can flexibly accommodate a range of catered
receptions, dinners and performances—and opens directly to a
generous open-air terrace in warm months. “The expanded lobby
will be one broad, interconnected space, and it will feel more
inclusive,” says architect Marianne McKenna, who serves as
partner-in-charge. “We’ve clarified the circulation, doubled the
square footage per patron and improved access to amenities. All
these factors contribute to the appeal of Orchestra Hall as a
wonderful gathering place, ideal for its setting in the heart of
downtown.”
The new Orchestra Hall is expected to open in 2013.
Including State bonding support, the Orchestra’s fundraising for
the renovated venue now totals $38 million, the vast majority of
which has been raised in the last seven months. “We undertook
this renovation in the midst of a very testing economy, and it
has been critical that we tightly focus the scope of the project
and run it with considerable discipline,” says President and CEO
Michael Henson. “Our community has responded to this approach
with tremendous support, and we are pleased to now unveil the
new designs.”
“From our first meetings with KPMB, the architects grasped
the complexities of the renovation and also saw its many
exceptional possibilities,” continues Henson. “It has been
fascinating to watch them create a renovated venue that
preserves the signature elements of the current Orchestra Hall
and yet creates something absolutely new.”
The project will also include modest renovations to backstage
areas and to the auditorium, including refreshed finishes and
updated lighting and sound systems. London-based Sound Space
Design will oversee acoustics during the renovation, making
appropriate onstage adjustments and ensuring that the
auditorium’s current excellent acoustics are maintained through
the renovation.
Says Music Director Osmo Vänskä, “It is a great thing when a
community comes together to support the arts in such a strong
way. The revitalization of our Hall will improve the experience
of our audiences and players for decades to come.”
For images and a complete description of the new exterior and
lobby spaces, please see the “Introducing
the New Orchestra Hall” companion document.
About Orchestra Hall
When Orchestra Hall was built in 1974, it was developed in
two parts: the auditorium and the wrap-around spaces including
the lobby and backstage areas. The bulk of the resources at
that time were appropriately directed into the creation of a
first-class auditorium and acoustic—with budget constraints
causing project designers to create a wrap-around shell to house
the lobby, office and backstage spaces. Now more than 35 years
later, the building exterior and public lobby spaces will
undergo a major renovation to keep pace with the public’s
evolving expectations of a contemporary hall. The project will
also include modest renovations to the auditorium and backstage
areas.
About KPMB
Founded in 1987 by Bruce Kuwabara, Thomas Payne, Marianne
McKenna and Shirley Blumberg, KPMB is dedicated to creating
architecture that supports a vibrant public realm and
contributes to city building across North America and Europe.
KPMB projects include Chicago’s Goodman Theatre, numerous
commissions for Yale University and projects for Star Alliance
in Los Angeles, Japan and Switzerland. In the mid-1990s, KPMB
was part of a consortium to design a master campus plan for the
University of Minnesota.
The firm has also played a major role in the cultural rebirth
of Toronto: six of the nine projects
that comprise Toronto’s Cultural Renaissance were designed by
KPMB. These include a 2006 expansion of the Gardiner Museum,
described by the Toronto Star as “a wonder in glass and
stone…that does nothing less than reassert architecture’s power
to transform the city,” as well as the $75 million renovation of
the National Ballet School in 2005. KPMB also led a major
expansion of the Royal Conservatory of Music, involving the
addition of a 1,000-seat concert hall, which opened in September.
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PRESS CONTACTS:
Gwen Pappas, Director of Public Relations
(612) 371-5628 • gpappas@mnorch.org
Sandi Brown, Public Relations Coordinator
(612) 371-5641 • sbrown@mnorch.org
