Holland Performing Arts Center

Responding to the downtown context, the urban design strategy reinforces Omaha’s characteristic patterns of pedestrian and vehicular movement, enhances the site’s relationship with a landscaped, linear park, and establishes connections with surrounding buildings.

Sheathed in zinc and glass, the elevated, horizontal volume is punctuated by a solid and a void. The stone-clad concert hall volume is capped by a clerestory range that fills the hall with natural light during the day, adding a sensual dimension to the experience; at night, the hall appears as an illuminated lantern – a beacon to the arts. The void is a protected and publicly accessible terraced courtyard at ground level.

Moveable platforms allow the classical shoebox-shaped concert hall to adjust to a range of music and audience types. Wood and plaster finishes foster a warm, intimate ambience throughout. The flexible, “black box” chamber music hall can be used as a banquet or rehearsal space. The courtyard functions as a third performance venue as well as an outdoor reception and event space.

The multi-level, glass-enclosed lobby creates a visual connection between the park and the landscaped courtyard and functions as an arrival space for ticketing, patron services, café and retail. A grand stair overlooking the courtyard leads to the upper-level lobby promenade and provides access to the concert and chamber music halls.