The story told by the arts in America is also Orlando's story - a tale of many people coming together, from diverse backgrounds and with divergent interests, to create a community that enriches the lives of all.
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On Friday, August 22, 2008 the Central Florida community celebrated the design unveiling of the 330,000-square-foot Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center in the heart of downtown Orlando. The influences that inspired the forward-thinking design came from the city itself, its surroundings and the energy of the people that live here.
DPAC's design architect, Barton Myers and Associates, working with local architects HKS, Inc. and Baker Barrios Architects, has designed a number of world-class performing arts centers, including New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and the recently completed Tempe Center for the Arts. Lead design architect Barton Myers himself has designed performing arts centers since 1973. The firm's designs have received prestigious architectural accolades and are considered among the finest in the world.
The collective team intimately observed and researched the city of Orlando and its surroundings. They toured dozens of facilities and landmarks and were inspired by the natural landscape. While designing a 21st Century building, the team placed great emphasis on looking at historical elements and how other local buildings respond to the unique Florida environment.
The group also worked to find the right balance between designing a signature building that is equally open and welcoming. "What we are designing here is a hybrid between object architecture - an iconic building such as the Sydney Opera House or the Walt Disney Concert Hall - and a contextual performing arts center, such as Tempe Center for the Arts, that welcomes the community and reflects its surroundings," said Barton Myers.
The team also met with a tapestry of residents to obtain a full range of perceptions. Feedback from members of the Orlando community has been very clear. While residents are looking for a center that will enable world-class performances and offer enhanced arts education programs, they simultaneously want that arts center to belong to them. DPAC needs to be a home for not only Bach, the American Ballet Company and Shakespeare, but also artists like Carlos Santana, The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The community needs a performing arts center built with the interests of everyone at its heart.
"We found that there's a vibrancy that's very youthful. In talking to and observing the people and measuring the pulse of the community, we found a yearning for urban lifestyle, diversity and communal activity," said Ryan Ihly, Senior Associate at Barton Myers and Associates.
Another focus was on the natural elements of Florida. The team worked to incorporate the omnipresence of water, light, and other aspects of the natural ecology into the design of the facility and the surrounding outdoor plaza. According to Ihly, "What's important is to accentuate the natural environment and to provide relief from it at the same time. We had to deal in a very direct way with issues of rain and sun, hence the extensive roof line that provides protection from the elements while also becoming a major component of the aesthetic idea."
The result is a performing arts center design that is an interpretation of the city's architecture, its natural environment, and its people.