Los Angeles, California
Complete with comfortable spaces for flexible learning, comfortable color palettes, and acoustic systems designed for those with sound sensitivity, the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center by AUX Architecture for Vista del Mar Child and Family Services is a new addition to a historic piece of Los Angeles architecture.
The project is a remodel of, and in addition to, a 1950s-era Temple situated at the center of a campus for a non-profit organization that works with kids and families coping with learning and behavioral challenges.
The historic Temple was repurposed into a 300-seat theater and educational building that houses a therapeutic dance program.
The building is designed as a series of vignettes that express music and dance.
For its inspired design, the Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center has recently been awarded a 2022 American Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
A translucent polycarbonate façade, made of 35% recycled plastic, wraps around the existing building to create a glowing center for the campus while achieving high levels of durability and sustainability.
Directly behind the façade, a series of rhythmic columns create an interplay of light and shadow.
The resulting gradient pattern works in conjunction with the primary stair and lobby that vary in width in the plan to create a sense of compression and expansion.
This concept drew inspiration from “Lamentation,” the Martha Graham dance piece in which a dancer struggles with a garment, and as a metaphor for the struggles that many students with Autism go through every day.
The building has comfortable spaces for flexible learning, color palettes in light tones, and acoustic systems that aid those with sound sensitivity.
New production support areas and accessory spaces eliminate the traditional classroom model.
Designed to be used for multiple purposes, rooms may be a classroom by morning, rehearsal space by day, and green room by night.
The venue is designed to draw neighbors to the heart of the campus when hosting community events and to showcase the non-profit’s mission to empower regional youth and families.
Project: Glorya Kaufman Performing Arts Center
Architects: AUX Architecture
Lead Architect: Brian Wickersham
Senior Associate: Matthew Aulicino
Project Architect: Sean McCusker
Project Captain: Taylor Nunes-Agins
General Contractor: Shawmut Design and Construction
Lighting Designers: KGM Architectural Lighting
Landscape Architects: SQLA Inc.
Client: Vista del Mar Child and Family Services
Photographers: Nic Lehouxf
