WAKEFIELD SCHOOL PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
The Plains, Virginia
CLIENT Wakefield School
PROGRAM Flexible ‘performance platform’ inside a hill for a K-12 private school, and a waypoint between Washington, DC, and cultural institutions such as Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival and the Shenandoah Conservatory
AREA 1,860 m² (20,000 sf)
STATUS Completed Concept Design 2015; canceled 2016
DESIGN ARCHITECT REX
PERSONNEL Adam Chizmar (PL), Maur Dessauvage, Alysen Hiller Fiore (PL), Suemin Jeon, James Killeavy, Weronika Marciniak, Joshua Ramus, Vaidotas Vaiciulis
EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT Samaha
CONSULTANTS Arup
A K-12 private school emphasizing arts education, Wakefield School—known as “the secret on the hill”—wanted a new performing arts center that would inspire and value its students’ creativity (“they should feel like they are on hallowed ground”), while also breaking down perceived barriers with its community.
The venue is therefore conceived to serve as a vibrant arts teaching tool, a community forum for debate, poetry readings, and lectures, and a performance waypoint between Washington, DC, and cultural institutions such as Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival and the Shenandoah Conservatory.
The shoebox-shaped main hall features a simple bleacher system with a control room on top that can be moved along gantry rails to cheaply and easily transform the space. Fully deployed, the bleachers provide seating for 200; partially deployed, they accommodate more intimate audiences; and when fully retracted, a flat-floor configuration remains, suitable for school gatherings, experimental performances, or rental opportunities.
Above the main hall, a full-span tension wire grid replaces traditional catwalks, providing a walkable surface for students to safely access lighting, rigging, and other overhead equipment. This system not only enhances flexibility and safety but also serves as a hands-on educational platform, allowing students to practice essential backstage skills. When not in use for performances, the grid can serve as a unique lounge for students and visitors.
To keep the performing arts center’s size in scale with the rest of the campus while occupying the school’s main frontage, the main hall and its support spaces are embedded into the hillside and topped with a clerestory at the level of the tension wire grid. The clerestory introduces natural light into the performance space when desired, which can be controlled by curtains when blackout or privacy is required. The building’s lobby is located directly adjacent to the transparent grid level, changing this exciting technical space—typically hidden—into a visible, multi-functional element.
