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Featured in our Performing Arts BTS for its qualities as a musical performance venue, Studzinski Recital Hall captured our attention again, this time for its ingenious story of adaptive reuse from a college swimming pool to an auditorium for musical celebration.
Studzinski Recital Hall at Bowdoin College transforms a historic McKim, Mead and White swimming pool into a 287-seat recital hall. A large acoustic volume was carved out of the existing structure, and into that volume now stands an intimate oval-shaped vessel for music. The bold, curved geometry of the music hall provides a stark contrast to the former shoebox shape of the existing building. A design vocabulary of taut, minimalist surfaces, and warm, natural materials enwraps the acoustic quality of the space.
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Wood paneling embraces the audience and performer in a singular space. These forms organize audience seating along the sides of the room, surrounding the stage and uniting the audience and performer in a vibrant community of music.
An especially innovative element of the recital hall is the freestanding pylons, clad in brass mesh, that allow sound to pass through to the massive brick exterior walls, maintaining the acoustical depth of the hall. Each pylon contains an inner space that conceals an adjustable acoustical curtain that can be raised or lowered to cater the hall to different music programs.
While the project involves a radical renovation of the interior, a light-touch approach was taken toward the restoration of the building’s exterior. The transformation brings new life to this long dormant campus landmark, and preserves the college’s extraordinary collection of McKim, Mead and White buildings.
Formal name of project: Studzinski Recital Hall and Kanbar Auditorium
Location: Brunswick, Maine
Gross square footage: 20,060 sq.ft.
Total construction cost: $15 million
Completion Date: May 2007
Owner:
Bowdoin College
Barry Mills, President
Catherine Longley, Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer
Donald Borkowski, Director of Capital Projects
Gregory Hogan, Senior Capital Projects Manager
Architect:
William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc.
10 Post Office Square, Suite 1010
Boston, MA 02109
Tel. 617.423.3470 Fax 617.451.9205
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