February 17, 2003

Architect presents preliminary plans for new facilities in performing arts area

By Scott Rappaport

UCSC faculty, staff, and students gathered on February 7 in the Music Recital Hall Lobby to discuss the Arts and Community Access Area Plan for new facilities to be built in the performing arts region of the campus.

Thomas Hacker, lead designer for Portland-based Thomas Hacker Architects, Inc., presented preliminary plans for the placement of a variety of new buildings that could include academic and research space, an art gallery and museum, a 1,200-1,500-seat auditorium, a new parking structure, and pedestrian bridge, as well as other projects to improve access to these new facilities.

The firm is already designing the new Humanities Center that will be across from the bookstore near Cowell College.

"We need to provide for the ultimate build-up of the area," Arts Division dean Edward Houghton said in his introductory remarks. "We need an architectural plan to provide a framework for our vision to become a nationally visible center for the arts—an area where people can collaborate and interact that also provides for a smooth flow of faculty, staff, students, and audiences."

Hacker noted that the goal is to create performance venues and facilities that integrate with the landscape in a sustainable way that would preserve views, while creating an intensified sense of community for the arts. He added that the plans must be completely functional for all possible future uses.

One idea proposed was to look at removing the current parking lot in the area and instead building a new parking structure that would be tucked into the hills among trees at the edge of the site. The center of the area could then be developed with a large auditorium space and museum, creating a central arts village that would connect the northern theater arts area with the southern music buildings.

"We’re here to establish an enduring plan for the future to develop buildings so we can maximize the potential of this site," director of Campus and Community Planning Charlie Eadie told the audience. "It’s a challenging site, a critical crossroads of the campus. It’s also a destination for the community where people have their primary—and often their only—access to the university. So it’s important that we capture the essence of the campus."

Comments and suggestions from participants in the forum focused mainly on addressing issues such as transportation flow, parking, circulation across campus, and disabled and handicapped access to future venues.

"I’m very impressed by the thoughtfulness of the architect and what seems to be a genuine interest in meeting the environmental and practical needs of the campus," observed UCSC Arts & Lectures production and publicity coordinator Moon Rinaldo. "I love the holistic approach taken; it’s so needed."

The group of consultants, led by Thomas Hacker Architects Inc. and Walker Macy, will return to UCSC next month to conduct additional focus groups and workshops, as well as another campus presentation.

"I’m delighted with the turnout, the participation, and the visionary ideas presented in this forum," Houghton noted. "I think it moves us along very nicely."

For additional information, visit the web site.

Return to Front Page