University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Noel Fine Arts Center
Steven Point, WisconsinThe University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point has a highly successful and fully accredited fine arts program in Theater and Dance; Music; and Art and Design. To expand all the departments and integrate the Dance and Suzuki Music programs, the University completed a major remodeling and addition to the existing Fine Arts Center.
The new facility assembles all of the programs under one roof, thereby creating a multi-disciplinary synergy between the programs, faculty and students.
Another objective was to use the building as an opportunity to address a growing desire of the student body, and campus in general, to incorporate sustainable design features. Therefore, the design team identified several strategies that incorporated environmentally-friendly materials and reduced operating costs. Some of these strategies included, but not limited to:
The new three-story addition was made over the existing eastern one-story section extending the building's footprint further to the east. It includes art studios, dance studios, a black box theater and music rehearsal spaces.
The addition was designed to create a lighter-feeling and more welcoming building, while giving respect to the arts. It created distinguishing entries, with the major performance entrance to the east and the student entrance to the north. The project was phased to allow for partial building occupancy during the construction period.