Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Point Park University: Pittsburgh Playhouse and Academic Complex

  • 04/01/19
point park university

PHOTOS © KEVIN G REEVES PHOTOGRAPHER, IMAGES COURTESY OF DLR GROUP|WRL

DLR Group|Westlake Reed Leskosky’s design for the new Point Park University Pittsburgh Playhouse and Academic Complex provides state-of-the-art facilities for the university’s nationally recognized Conservatory of Performing Arts (COPA) program. The playhouse is a League of Resident Theatres member and plays a crucial role in cultivating skills that enable students to pursue careers as working artists. The new facility houses the university’s four performance companies and incorporates two historic structures: University Center and the Stock Exchange Building.

Situated on 1.5 acres at the university’s downtown Pittsburgh campus, the 90,411-square-foot complex is a substantial addition. The project includes three new theaters: a 550-seat proscenium/thrust main stage and multi-form 212-seat “transformational theater,” both of which feature variable enclosures that allow each venue to play to its urban neighborhood, and a 102-seat black box venue. It also houses a sound stage, scenery shop, prop shop, paint shop, costume shop, television studio, scenic design and general classrooms, rehearsal halls, acting studios, classrooms, and faculty offices as well as public amenities such as lobbies, concessions, ticket/business office, and performer support.

The tight urban site created a planning challenge for the proscenium, requiring the venue to abut the sidewalk and precluding conventional access from the rear of the theater. DLR Group|WRL responded to this constraint by developing patron access from the side of the theater and developed an asymmetrical seating arrangement that responds to patron flow. Positioning the main stage to be visible from the street connects passersby to the university and its creative programs, and the Playhouse’s location in the city’s downtown business district offers Pittsburgh a unique cultural attraction that will positively impact the local economy.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management April/May 2019 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

  • LAN, Inc. Opens Office in College Station, Texas

    Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN) recently announced the opening of a new office in College Station, Texas, to support its regional client base, according to a news release. The organization provides engineering, design, and program management services for water, wastewater, transportation, stormwater, and education clients in the Brazos Valley.

  • Photo credit: Elkus Manfredi Architects

    University of Virginia Selects Design-Build Team for New Residential Complex

    The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., recently announced that it has selected a design-build team for a new upper-class residential development on campus, according to a news release. Capstone Development Partners—in partnership with Elkus Manfredi Architects and the Hoar Construction/Hourigan construction team—will move forward with the three-building, 310,000-square-foot housing facility.