Expanded Arts Centre

Vision

In July 2014, the departments of Music and Theatre merged to form one school called the Fountain School of Performing Arts. The school now needs the refurbishment of mechanical work, sound options for the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium and an addition that will provide space for a new 300-seat concert hall, space for Costume Studies and a rehearsal space for theatre studies.

Features

The arts centre project adds a 42,400 sq. ft. (approx), three-storey performing arts wing to the Seymour Street side of the 50-year-old Arts Centre.

The addition will include a new concert hall and practice rooms, and will allow Dal’s Costume Studies program — currently housed in rented space at the corner of Coburg and Oxford streets — to be fully integrated with the other programs in the Fountain School.

The Arts Centre expansion project includes:

·        New 300-seat concert hall that can accommodate an orchestra while offering an intimate audience. 

·        A rehearsal studio, practice rooms and private teaching rooms.

·        Space for Costume Studies, including innovative studios with fitting rooms, laundry and drying facilities that will allow students and faculty to better integrate with the Fountain School’s other programs.

·        A revitalization of the existing building’s systems (electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation), as well as upgrades in soundproofing, air-handling systems.

Project overview

Size: Approximately 42,400 gross square feet plus existing Arts Centre HVAC upgrades

Budget: $38.5 M

Construction start date: Fall 2019

Construction Substantial Completion: 2023

Architects: Lydon Lynch /Thomas Payne

Construction Management firm: EllisDon

Project Updates