Snohetta’s Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts

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Construction is underway on the campus of Bowling Green State University (BGSU). If all goes according to plan, the Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts will be finished in 2011. The timing seems perfect, given that the university recently dubbed the arts its first “Center of Excellence.” This gorgeous building by up-and-coming Norwegian-based architectural firm Snohetta will most certainly bring attention to and validate the importance of the arts programs.

Snohetta’s Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts

We had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Katerina Rüedi Ray, Director of the School of Art at BGSU, about the planning of the Wolfe Center. She described the design of the building as akin to a glacial rock, springing forcefully from the landscape of the campus. The building, a geometric rectangle, sits on a sloping horizontal plane, giving it the appearance of digging into and pushing up from the soil. This is not only an attempt to connect with landscape, but also seems an accurate representation of the aggressive and poignant role the Wolfe Center will play on the university’s campus, both for students and the community.

The Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts will include not only cutting edge architecture, but state-of-the-art technologies for students. “It’s a building that will be primarily for the department of theater and film, but It also has spaces for the musical arts, computer labs for graphic design in the school of arts, and a space that can double up as a practice space for dancers. It has a film and video production studio. It is state of the art in respect to stage and digital performance. That’s what makes it really interesting--that new technologies and traditional performance technologies will collaborate,” Rüedi Ray explains.

Interior rendering of Bowling Green State University's Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts by SnohettaInterior rendering of Bowling Green State University's Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts by SnohettaInterior rendering of Bowling Green State University's Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts by SnohettaInterior rendering of Bowling Green State University's Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts by Snohetta

At the center of the building will be a horseshoe-shaped theater. The remaining rooms and performance spaces will wrap around the theater, making the building structurally and economically efficient. The Wolfe Center will also use natural light in its design, as well as incorporating many energy-saving and eco-friendly measures to reduce operation costs and give the building a sustainable edge. Architects expect the building to receive LEED certification, with the possibility of Silver if all points are achieved.

Snohetta was selected from a pool of over 150 applications for the design of the Wolfe Center, after they were commissioned to design the Memorial Museum Pavilion at the site of the World Trade Center in New York.

"It's not atypical, but for the arts building it was really nice to have that investment, financially and culturally. Going with a real important architectural firm confirms that the arts were deemed an important focal point for the university." Katerina Rüedi Ray, Director of the School of Art at BGSU on hiring an international architectural firm.

According to Rüedi Ray, the firm was chosen for a variety of reasons. “In the end, Snohetta got the project because, for one, they really were the strongest designers in the pool and had the most collegiate and collaborative method of working. They have a very horizontal office. It’s not much of a pyramid in terms of hierarchy. Bowling Green works in the same way. I’ve worked in a number of different institutions, and this one is by far the most collaborative institution. We were also investing in a firm that we would probably not be able to hire years down the road. Snohetta also won the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2009, Europe’s most prestigious architectural award,” Rüedi Ray says.

Construction of the building is estimated to cost $40 million. It will be the first building designed by Snohetta to be completed in America (though not the first commissioned) and is the first building on BGSU’s campus to use an international architectural firm. Most of the newer buildings being constructed on campus were designed by regional firms. Rüedi Ray concluded, “It’s not atypical, but for the arts building it was really nice to have that investment, financially and culturally. Going with a really important architectural firm confirms that the arts were deemed an important focal point of the university. We feel really fortunate.”

Exterior rendering of Bowling Green State University's Wolfe Center for the Collaborative Arts by Snohetta

Tara D Sturm

Tara is a freelance writer currently pursuing a Master of Urban Planning, Development, and Design at Cleveland State University. Her writing has covered a wide breadth of topics, but she particularly enjoys meaningful work concerning community development, sustainability, and design. Her articles, blogs, and musings have been featured in various online and print publications, and she hopes her words will inspire creativity and innovation as we work toward social and structural change.

Website: tarasturm.com/
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