Project Overview:
Taking a look at the constant elevation changes throughout Cleveland, it doesn’t take very long to discover that without the arcades connecting upper level streets to those at lower elevations it would be much more difficult to get around the city. At Washington Ave, the Superior Viaduct sits about 20 feet high but requires walking several blocks to reach. Given the program of a theater complex that includes a Black Box Theater with moveable seating for 150 persons, a Tiered-Floor Projection Theater with fixed seats for 150 persons (with rear projection booth), and an Outdoor Amphitheater with seating for 75 persons, along with administration offices, storage rooms, workshop spaces and a loading dock, the open public spaces of this project also allow for a connection between Washington Ave and the Superior Viaduct with entrances on both levels.
Initial precedent studies helped create standards for seating size and placement by raising issues of acoustics, comfort, visibility and focus. Massing studies and various processes of model making were critical in further developing structure and material choices, while the connections to the Washington Ave site and the Superior Viaduct dictated the development of form.
Precedent Study:Agora Theater
Precedent Study:Dance Palace
