Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s $40m Art Centre to Open in February

26 January 2011 (Last Updated January 26th, 2011 18:30)

The $40m Perry and Marty Granoff Center at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island in the US, will be unveiled next month. Designed by New York-based architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the three-storey arts centre will feature a 218-seat auditorium, four production studios,

The $40m Perry and Marty Granoff Center at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island in the US, will be unveiled next month.

Designed by New York-based architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the three-storey arts centre will feature a 218-seat auditorium, four production studios, a gallery, a recording studio, a multimedia lab, a physical media lab and an outdoor amphitheatre.

Construction work was carried out by Shawmut Design and Construction.

Spanning 3,607m², the design concept involves three stacked floor slabs that are cut in half and slipped vertically to create six half-levels divided by a glass wall.

The building is targeting a Gold certification from the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) programme.

Brown University president Ruth Simmons said: "The Granoff Center reaffirms the university's belief that the arts are integral to a liberal education. It builds on academic excellence at Brown and promotes multidisciplinary engagement among students and faculty."