PROJECT A. Mario Loiederman Middle School Performing Arts Center

ARCHITECT Craig Gaulden Davis:James Determan, FAIA, Andrew Beres, AIA, Adam Berry, AIA, Tinashe Kasiyamhuru, AIA, Andrea Kuhfuss, NCIDQ, IIDA, Stewart Cartmell, Associate AIA
GENERAL CONTRACTOR TMI
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT A. Morton Thomas & Associates, Inc.
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER CMJ Structural Engineering
CIVIL ENGINEER A. Morton Thomas & Associates, Inc.
MECHANICAL ENGINEER James Posey Associates, Inc.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER James Posey Associates, Inc.
PHOTOGRAPHER/RENDERER Patrick Ross
 

LOCATION  Silver Spring, Maryland, US​

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  5/3/2021

SITE Originally built in 1956 as Belt Junior High School, Montgomery County Public Schools recommissioned Mario Loiederman Middle School in 2005 as a creative and performing arts magnet school. The school is located in suburban Silver Spring, one of the 10 most ethnically diverse cities in the U.S. Of the 999 students 61% are Hispanic, 18% Black, 13% White and 5% Asian. The existing school is painted completely white with the blue facia.

PROGRAM Because the school was built as a general education Junior High School, the building has no performance venues. This project adds 22,000 sf of performance and learning spaces including a 425-seat theater, dance studios, choral, instrumental and theater classrooms as well as set construction, dressing rooms, offices and support space.

CHALLENGE Owners asked for spaces that inspire students, delight audiences and welcome community. They asked for a building that is colorful, flexible, unique, organic, maximizes daylight, has performance identity and fosters inclusion.

SOLUTION The performing arts center is placed in the threshold of the school and community, rebranding the white, rectilinear school with an object informed by, and for the arts. As the theater is crafted for audience experience, user experience became a design driver for all spaces of the performing arts center. Simple solid masses are punctured with openings providing daylight for learning spaces and projecting colored theatrical lighting at night- so passersby will know this place is about performance. The lobby is a glass “open curtain” displaying the movement, color, light and excitement of opening night. This first interaction with the space is intended to build anticipation for approaching spectators, display a value for the arts, and inspire awe in young artists. “Awe is the beginning of wisdom” (Abraham Joshua Heschel). Biophilic design was used throughout to promote emotional wellness, improve attention and mood, so student performers are emotionally and cognitively positioned to perform well.

FLEXIBLE Operable partitions and telescoping theater seats transform the performance space into dance and theater classrooms during school hours, increasing utilization of the space. All floors in the dual-level theater are dance floors allowing multiple stage configurations.

ENERGY Conservation is achieved through a super high-performance building envelope, durable materials with high recycled content, efficiencies in HVAC, lighting, power and water. Storm water is collected in bioretention boxes which are natural filtering system and recharge the aquifer. The building envelope was designed with continuous vapor, water, air and thermal barriers around all surfaces of the building. The thermal barrier including the roof and exterior wall, door and glazing systems were designed to be 10% better than IECC requirements. A solar study was done and shading provided on south, east and west glass.

COMMUNITY Members of the neighborhood participated in the schematic design of the building. Their interests and concerns were incorporated into the design. For example, the performance space can be securely separated from the school allowing community use for summer camps, meetings and community performances.

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF