Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts
Amarillo, Tex.
Holzman Moss Architecture
Wooden shell creates acoustic and visual beauty
With the flip of a switch, the Carol Bush Emeny Performance Hall transforms from a symphony concert hall into a dramatic theater at the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts. Requiring less than four minutes, this changeover is almost effortless—magical, even—as the 30-ton acoustic shell glides quietly backward into its own garage. Typically, this sort of transformation requires a large crew of stagehands and many hours to perform. The Globe-News Center’s unique design is possible thanks to an overhead crane bridge that suspends the shell two inches above the ground.
While technologically innovative, the movable shell is also a thing of beauty. Comprised of glue-laminated timbers and stained oriented strand board, it resonates with an amber glow. And resonate is exactly the right word. The architects, Holzman Moss, designed the performance hall to become a reverberating chamber, ideal for listening to classical music. Openings in the seating enclosure allow sound to pass through and reverberate back into the hall.
The intricately configured geometry of the shell extends into the interior of the 1,300-seat auditorium, enveloping both the stage and audience in a single cocoon-like wooden structure, thereby creating an intimate relationship between viewer and performer. With the single-piece wood shell positioned on stage to envelop a symphony orchestra, the audience is treated to superb acoustics. When the shell is tucked away in its garage, the open stage and fly-loft can accommodate theatrical productions as large as Broadway touring shows.
Reflecting community pride and participation, the building’s exterior form and materials draw inspiration from the natural surroundings. A swooping roofline echoes the topography of nearby Palo Duro Canyon, and red sandstone walls imitate the texture and colors of the landscape. Custom-made elements, such as the seat coverings and terrazzo floors, recall the quilt-like patterns of Texas’ vast farm fields, while the lobby ceiling is comprised of metal panels typically found on cattle transport trailers—a highly personal detail that captures local flavor.
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Formal name of Project:
Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts
Location:
Amarillo, Tex.
Gross square footage:
70,384 sq. ft.
Total project cost:
$24.5 million
Owner:
City of Amarillo
Architect:
Holzman Moss Architecture
214 West 29th Street Tower, 17th Fl.
New York, NY 10001
21-465-0808 tel.
212-465-2226 fax
www.holzmanmoss.com
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