$21 million
77,750 SF
Master Planning, Architecture
The rural campus of Howard Community College, a rich intellectual, cultural and economic asset in Howard County, is attended by 43% of county residents. The Performing Arts Wing addition to the Arts & Humanities Instructional Building is the latest in a string of projects Howard Community College has undertaken to improve the quality of their facilities in response to the College’s 2000 Master Plan. Wilson Butler Architects worked in association with, Design Collective Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland to design its new Visual and Performing Arts Center for music, theatre, dance and visual arts.
Wilson Butler Architects was responsible for the design of the project’s three performance spaces, many of which are shared with community groups to enhance their operational use time and to further bond the community and the college. They include the 2,320 SF Dance Rehearsal Studio, the 2,570 SF, 118 seat Recital Hall, and the 3,200 SF, 108-116 seat, Studio Theatre. The 3,800 SF Black Box will serve as a flexible, experimental space with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems for theatrical learning for both performers and production crews.
The 2,400 SF Multimedia Hall serves vocal and instrumental practice performances for an audience of 100, while educating students through a highly technical, multimedia approach to music instruction. Instruction also takes place within the Dance Rehearsal Studio. These performance and instructional venues set within the variety of supporting music and theatre educational spaces by Design Collective, Inc. for the Performing Arts Wing, meet the college’s specialized requirements for acoustics, aesthetics and pedagogical facilitation.