Zankel earns accolades for design, lighting
Skidmore's Arthur Zankel Music Center has received several awards for architectural and technical excellence.
Another full house in the Zankel Music Center's
Ladd Concert Hall. This photo shows lighted
custom wall sconces.
Most recent was the announcement that Zankel architects EwingCole received the grand award for outstanding educational facility design in the 20 th anniversary fall 2011 edition of Learning by Design, the biannual guide that showcases innovative school and university design and construction projects.
EwingCole's was one of only three firms to receive a grand award in this fall's design competition.
Judges commended the firm for successfully integrating Zankel into an existing campus. They noted how the building complements the campus plan by providing the fourth side of a quadrangle and creating an amphitheater in the center. The dramatic glass wall at the back of the stage in the Helen Filene Ladd Concert Hall succeeds in bringing the surrounding woods into the performing space and is "a great integration of indoors and out, marking the most important performing space on campus," said the judges.
"This project gets the big things right," the judges said. "It gets the campus feel, achieving a collegiate look with a little pizzazz that complements the campus architecture."
Click here to view the digital version of Learning by Design featuring the article on Zankel.
Earlier in the fall Zankel's Ladd Concert Hall received the 2011 Philament Award from the IES Philadelphia Section for lighting design excellence. In addition to the performance lighting system, the custom wall sconces were cited as especially attractive features of the hall.
EwingCole and associated firm Belson Design Architects were recognized with a Silver Citation for Zankel in the 2011 Educational Interiors Showcase competition hosted by American School and University magazine. The jury remarked, "Great use of glass to merge the practice rooms with the outdoors. Simple, yet tasteful."
The most recent accolades are on top of two previous recognitions. In 2003 the Zankel Music Center design received an honor award for unbuilt work and in 2010 a merit award for built work, both from the Cleveland Chapter, American Institute of Architects.
And just last week, a recording of a performance made in Ladd Concert Hall received a Latin Grammy Award. The Brazilian Guitar Quartet Plays Villa-Lobos won for best classical record. The CD was recorded in Ladd Concert Hall in early 2011. Noted Joel Brown, chair of the Department of Music, "With the wonderful acoustics of the hall, I'm sure this will be the first of many!"
