Once upon a time, the orange was the socioeconomic driver of the City of Anaheim. The hesperidium may no longer play quite as crucial a role in the city’s economy, but its former importance has not been forgotten.
Take for example the design of the new $500 million Anaheim Performing Arts Center (APAC). SPF:architects studied the trunks, root structures, and leaves of orange trees, and even the skin of oranges, to draw inspiration for the half-billion-dollar project. The result is a complex that is organized as a grid to mirror the layout common to an orchard, with each major building adopting a circular shape deriving from an orange tree. Additionally, each of the main structures is clad in perforated copper-anodized aluminum, meant as an evocation of the skin of an orange. “We imagine that if we were to roll up the pavement of the parking lot we would find the old spirits of old citrus trees” says Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA SPF:a Design Principal, in a release.
Rendering courtesy of SPF:architects.
The 500,000-sf cultural campus is defined by three separate theaters: a 2,000-seat concert hall, a 1,700-seat opera hall, and a 600-seat black box theater. Other defining features include a museum tower with an observatory that is set on a 24-foot podium, an outdoor amphitheater, two restaurants, office space, a convention hall, and lecture rooms. Paths, paving, and open spaces emanate from key buildings in concentric circles to the peripheries of the property.
The 1,700-seat opera hall. Rendering courtesy of SPF:architects.
Landscaping will include a grand fountain, reflecting pool, and a green roof. Underground parking is also included.
Construction is expected to take two and a half to three years.
Rendering courtesy of SPF:architects.
Rendering courtesy of SPF:architects.
Rendering courtesy of SPF:architects.
Rendering courtesy of SPF:architects.
Related Stories
Giants 400 | Aug 19, 2022
2022 Giants 400 Report: Tracking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
Now 46 years running, Building Design+Construction's 2022 Giants 400 Report rankings the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. This year a record 519 AEC firms participated in BD+C's Giants 400 report. The final report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Performing Arts Centers | Jul 5, 2022
Tour the new Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Oregon
This month, the community of Beaverton, Oregon, welcomed a new haven for artistic expression with the opening of Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (The Reser).
Performing Arts Centers | May 10, 2022
A historic performance space is transformed to reinforce a campus’ Arts District
Connecticut College’s Athey Center for Performance and Research at Palmer Auditorium balances the old and new.
Building Team | May 9, 2022
Cincinnati’s Andrew J Brady Music Center transforms the city’s riverfront
In Cincinnati, Ohio, the Andrew J Brady Music Center aims to connect audiences with live music while transforming Cincinnati’s riverfront.
Performing Arts Centers | Mar 8, 2022
Cincinnati Ballet’s new center embodies the idea that dance is for everyone
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.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2022
On-campus performing arts centers and museums can be talent magnets for universities
Cultural facilities are changing the way prospective students and parents view higher education campuses.
Giants 400 | Nov 19, 2021
2021 Cultural Facilities Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. cultural facilities sector
Gensler, AECOM, Buro Happold, and Arup top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest cultural facilities sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
Performing Arts Centers | Nov 7, 2021
A cultural and business center that’s a hub for a company and—maybe—a city
Capital One Hall had been in the works for two decades.
Performing Arts Centers | Sep 28, 2021
On its Golden anniversary, Parish Episcopal School in Dallas adds a performing arts center
The new building’s design blends in with the campus’ existing structures.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.