SUNY Fredonia
Completed 2017
60,000 sf New Construction
40,000 sf Renovation
LEED Silver Certified
Design Architect: Deborah Berke Partners
Photo: Chris Cooper
This visual and performing-arts complex is an addition to the original concrete structure designed by I.M. Pei in 1968.
The building employed a metal and glass facade allowing abundant daylight into the interior while simultaneously inverting the original concrete exterior into an interior wall surface which functions as a back drop where the new meets the old.
Behind the addition’s metal-glass façade an interior perimeter illuminated zone was created to emphasize the building’s light weight envelope. The interior functional lighting of the dance and performance studios was arranged to meet the rhythm of the exterior glazing systems thereby further enhancing the visibility of the interior spaces from the building exterior.
On the lower level arts and crafts workshop studios are constructed with a concrete exterior along with punched windows. Luminaires system with an industrial aesthetic and flexible spacing were applied throughout, subtly hinting at the activities occurring on this floor.