Designed by Sander Architects, The design for the William M. Lowman Concert Hall grew from the desire of the client to create a concert hall worthy of the talents of the students at the school, Idyllwild Arts?one of the country?s top three High Schools for the Arts. The student body draws from dozens of countries and students go on to every major orchestra, school and program in the world. Sander Architects proposed a site at the heart of campus to repurpose an unsightly parking lot, thereby creating a central campus quad and gathering space for the school community.
Photography: Sharon Risedorph Photography
This project uses Sander Architects? Hybrid Construction, a type of construction conceived by the firm that combines a prefabricated structural system with custom design. By using prefabricated metal frames to build the most expensive structural components at a fraction of typical costs, the client?s budget can go much further. Since the light-gauge steel building typically spans dozens or hundreds of feet, it was perfectly suited for this application. Other components, such as the building skin, finishes, and layout of spaces are custom designed. Plan
The Concert Hall is sheathed in rusted Cor-Ten panels. The panels have an irregular topography derived from an abstracted musical phrase. This skin alludes to the music within the hall and to the landscape of folded rock and granite that makes up the surrounding mountains. It also blends harmoniously with other buildings ...