Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Colburn School in Los Angeles Breaks Ground on Campus Expansion

  • By Matt Jones
  • 04/10/24

The Colburn School in Los Angeles, Calif., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a 100,000-square-foot expansion designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, according to a news release. The Colburn School is a music and dance education and performance institute that offers services to people of all ages, from 7-month-olds to adults. The school’s new building, the Colburn Center, will increase the school’s training and performance facilities and stand adjacent to the existing Grand Avenue campus.

“The Colburn Center will be a game changer, stepping up everything we do for the school’s own community, for our peer organizations that make the LA artistic ecosystem so vibrant, and for the public that we look forward to welcoming,” said Colburn School President and CEO Sel Kardan. “At Colburn, making performances accessible to LA audiences is as much a part of our core mission as making first-rate music and dance education available to everyone. These are the same values we see in the wonderful design by Frank Gehry: artistic excellence at the highest level, combined with a deep love for the dynamism and diversity that animate life in a great city.”

According to the news release, the Colburn Center will stand alongside the Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Grand complex—also designed by Gehry—to form the largest concentration of the architect’s work in the world.

Principal design features include a 1,000-seat theater performance space, four studios for dance classes and rehearsal, and other teaching and support facilities, according to a project fact sheet, as well as a natural-light-filled entrance and gardens at street and rooftop levels. All performance and rehearsal spaces were designed to accommodate a wide variety of potential configurations and productions.

“This is a long time coming, and I am so grateful for everyone who helped make it possible,” said Gehry. “For me, this building is very special. It adds significant opportunity for growth in music, music education, and collaboration inside of Colburn and with the other arts institutions in LA. I really believe it will unlock untold riches in the cultural community here in LA and I am honored to be a part of it.”

The Colburn School is partnering with McCarthy Building Companies for the project’s construction, the news release reports.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.

  • Nashville Elementary School Receives LEED Gold Certification

    Goodlettsville Elementary School, part of Metro Nashville Public Schools in Nashville, Tenn., recently achieved LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to a news release. The 81,750-square-foot school opened in 2023 and was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC).

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.