flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Cincinnati Ballet’s new center embodies the idea that dance is for everyone

Performing Arts Centers

Cincinnati Ballet’s new center embodies the idea that dance is for everyone

The dance company moves into a $30.8 million home that can fit its growing needs.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | March 8, 2022
Cincinnati Ballet
Cincinnati Ballet's new home accommodates growing needs. Photo: Brad Feinknopf

Cincinnati Ballet had become a victim of its own success, according to company president and CEO Scott Altman. “We were bursting at the seams in our old building. We had simply outgrown the facility,” Altman told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

In September, Cincinnati Ballet moved into a new home that can accommodate the growing needs of its two dance companies and dance academy: the purpose-built $30.8 million Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance.

Expansive windows allow natural light to fill almost every space in the building, including the offices and the wardrobe department, which had been housed underground in the company’s former home. Some studios look out onto expanses of trees; others offer views of downtown.

Expansive Windows
Expansive windows allow natural light in. Photo: Brad Feinknopf

At 62,000 square feet, the Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance is more than 60% larger than its previous home. The center includes nine dance studios, one of which has a mobility lift system that provides a new level of mobility to students with physical disabilities. The facility also features large dressing rooms, public lounges, break rooms for performers, a 140-seat performance space, and a recording studio.

Studio
The new building consists of nine studios. Photo: Brad Feinknopf

Display Case
Display cases show different ballet dresses. Photo: Brad Feinknopf

“This new Ballet Center is a dream,” Altman said.

The owners and the architects, GBBN, wanted the open, accessible design to embody Cincinnati Ballet’s mission to break down the stereotype that ballet is only for a certain group of people—and illustrate the idea that dance is for everyone. For its design, GBBN received an AIA Cincinnati Architecture Honor Award.

Night exterior
Night exterior of Cincinnati Ballet. Photo: Brad Feinknopf

The Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance joins a local arts district that includes other major cultural institutions, including the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park.

Owner: Cincinnati Ballet

Design architect and architect of record: GBBN

MEP engineer: dbHMS

Structural engineer: Schaefer

General contractor/construction manager: Messer Construction

Related Stories

Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023

Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023

Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.

Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023

2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms

A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.

Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023

Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023

Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.

Performing Arts Centers | Jul 18, 2023

Perelman Performing Arts Center will soon open at Ground Zero

In September, New York City will open a new performing arts center in Lower Manhattan, two decades after the master plan for Ground Zero called for a cultural component there. At a cost of $500 million, including $130 million donated by former mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the Perelman Performing Arts Center (dubbed PAC NYC) is a 138-foot-tall cube-shaped building that glows at night.

Performing Arts Centers | Jun 20, 2023

Designing arts spaces that curate inclusivity

GBBN's Julia Clements and Marcene Kinney, AIA, LEED AP, talk tips for designing inclusive arts spaces.

Museums | Jun 6, 2023

New wing of Natural History Museums of Los Angeles to be a destination and portal

NHM Commons, a new wing and community hub under construction at The Natural History Museums (NHM) of Los Angeles County, was designed to be both a destination and a portal into the building and to the surrounding grounds.

Performing Arts Centers | Jun 6, 2023

Mumbai, India’s new Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre has three performing arts venues

In Mumbai, India, the recently completed Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) will showcase music, theater, and fine arts from India and from across the globe. Atlanta’s TVS Design served as the principal architect and interior designer of both the cultural center and the larger, adjacent Jio World Centre.

Architects | Jun 6, 2023

Taking storytelling to a new level in building design, with Gensler's Bob Weis and Andy Cohen

Bob Weis, formerly the head of Disney Imagineering, was recently hired by Gensler as its Global Immersive Experience Design Leader. He joins the firm's co-CEO Andy Cohen to discuss how Gensler will focus on storytelling to connect people to its projects.

Performing Arts Centers | Mar 9, 2023

Two performing arts centers expand New York’s cultural cachet

A performing arts center under construction and the adaptive reuse for another center emphasize flexibility.

Virtual Reality | Feb 27, 2023

Surfing the Metaversity: The future of online learning?

SmithGroup's tour of the Metaversity gives us insight on bringing together physical and virtual campuses to create a cohesive institution.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Giants 400

Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023

Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.



Giants 400

Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023

Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.


Performing Arts Centers

Perelman Performing Arts Center will soon open at Ground Zero

In September, New York City will open a new performing arts center in Lower Manhattan, two decades after the master plan for Ground Zero called for a cultural component there. At a cost of $500 million, including $130 million donated by former mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the Perelman Performing Arts Center (dubbed PAC NYC) is a 138-foot-tall cube-shaped building that glows at night.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021