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.
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.
The new building consists of nine studios. 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.
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
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 19, 2013
Best in brick: 7 stunning building façades made with brick [slideshow]
The Brick Industry Association named the winners of its 2013 Brick in Architecture Awards. Here are seven winning projects that caught our eye.
| Jul 18, 2013
LEGO takes on the iconic Sydney Opera House
This September, LEGO will expand its LEGO Creator Expert series with a 2,989-brick model of the iconic Sydney Opera House.
| Jul 18, 2013
Koolhaas plan selected for Miami Beach Convention Center redevelopment [slideshow]
The master plan by OMA's Rem Koolhaas and Shohei Shigematsu beat out a submission by Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group for the massive redo of the Miami Beach Convention Center.
| Jul 2, 2013
LEED v4 gets green light, will launch this fall
The U.S. Green Building Council membership has voted to adopt LEED v4, the next update to the world’s premier green building rating system.
| Jul 1, 2013
Report: Global construction market to reach $15 trillion by 2025
A new report released today forecasts the volume of construction output will grow by more than 70% to $15 trillion worldwide by 2025.
| Jun 28, 2013
Building owners cite BIM/VDC as 'most exciting trend' in facilities management, says Mortenson report
A recent survey of more than 60 building owners and facility management professionals by Mortenson Construction shows that BIM/VDC is top of mind among owner professionals.
| Jun 5, 2013
USGBC: Free LEED certification for projects in new markets
In an effort to accelerate sustainable development around the world, the U.S. Green Building Council is offering free LEED certification to the first projects to certify in the 112 countries where LEED has yet to take root.
| Jun 3, 2013
Construction spending inches upward in April
The U.S. Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce announced today that construction spending during April 2013 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $860.8 billion, 0.4 percent above the revised March estimate of $857.7 billion.
| May 28, 2013
Minneapolis transit hub will double as cultural center [slideshow]
The Building Team for the Interchange project in downtown Minneapolis is employing the principles of "open transit" design to create a station that is one part transit, one part cultural icon.