Completed circa 1973, the existing performing arts center facility houses the University of Nebraska Omaha’s School of Music. The facility includes classrooms, practice rooms, teaching studios, and a 460 seat concert hall. The new addition and renovation reestablishes the building as a proper collegiate facility for the school’s program. A two story 100 seat ground level recital hall with a glass backed stage is oriented toward a pedestrian spine providing a unique perspective for audience, performers, and passersby on campus. Additionally, glazed openings in the studio and lounge spaces put the internal activity on display allowing the School of Music to call out to the larger community as the activities are pushed to the perimeter.

Jury Comments: The architectural massing elevates volumetrically; the masonry is lifted in a playful move that contradiction the typical weighty expression of brick. The auditorium space is modest but capitalizes on the views through past the performance stage and again, using masonry in an unexpected say to create interest and acoustical variation within the space.