Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Bard College at Simon’s Rock
Daniel Arts Center

The Center is a composition of buildings and landscape, forming an enclave for the arts at Simons Rock. The performing arts wing contains a dance studio, the 100-seat Studio Theater, and 350-seat Mainstage Theater configured to bring the audience to the performer, and to support technical training for theater students. A visual arts wing contains studios for painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and electronic and digital arts. A separate shop building provides flexible facilities for ceramics, sculpture, metalworking, and woodworking. The double-height entrance lobby and generous connections between spaces provide opportunities for collaborative work and for sharing the wide variety of activities occurring in the Center on a daily basis. 

The interior and exterior material palette of steel, wood, polycarbonite, and glass is simple and durable. Outdoor courtyards between the buildings serve as a multi-use gathering spaces. A performance amphitheater connects to the Mainstage with a sliding door, while garage doors in the shop building allow work to spill outside. A boardwalk connection through the adjacent woods links the arts with the campus center.

Client
Bard College at Simon's Rock
Status
Completed 2004
Project Size
New Construction | 53,000 SF
Program
Visual Arts, Performing Arts
Awards
Chicago Atheneum American Architecture Award
AIA New England Award
United States Institute for Theatre Technology Award
Boston Society of Architects Honor Award
Ann Beha Architects, now Annum Architects
Project Team
Ann Beha FAIA, Robert Miklos FAIA, Geoffrey Pingree AIA, Tom Kahmann AIA, Mark Oldham AIA, Patrick Tam, Zachary Hinchcliffe (ABA/Annum); LeMessurier (Structural); TMH (MEPFP); White Engineers (Civil); Reed Hilderbrand Associates (Landscape); Fisher Dachs Associates (Theater Planning); Nicholas Browse & Associates (AV); Jensen Hughes (Code); Ripman Lighting (Lighting); Acentech (Acoustical); OccuHealth Inc. (Occupational Health & Safety); Mullaney Corp (Construction Manager); Peter Vanderwalker (Photography)