Michael Maltzan Architecture has been selected to renovate the outdoor space at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, California to create the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza. In hopes of transforming the site into more of a “dynamic town square,” the new plaza design will be centered on a multipurpose outdoor stage, which will act as a “site for visitor engagement.”
With enhanced lighting and sound technologies, the stage will host a variety of community events and performances, such as the LA Opera, Southern California bands, a jazz series, family-friendly concerts, and more.
In correspondence with the Center’s greater, signature architecture, a circular stairway will connect the plaza to Segerstrom Hall, above, and is topped with an observation terrace and open air seating lounge.
Surrounding the plaza will be “three intimate green spaces: a Plaza Entry Grove, an Amphitheater Grove, and a Community Picnic Grove,” all of which will offer shaded seating and pedestrian pathways.
The renovation is a piece of the greater three-part plan to redesign the Segerstrom Center—along with the public plaza project will come a new Center for Dance and Innovation (also designed by Michael Maltzan), as well as an enhanced model for civic engagement, which will establish partnerships with civic, business, and community leaders in order to better meet the needs of locals.
“The power of world class performance to entertain and inspire, and our commitment to community, are at the heart of a bold new vision for Segerstrom Center. Our great opportunity, and motivating institutional obligation, is to now unlock the Center’s full potential to effectively engage all of the wonderfully diverse communities of Orange County.”
Construction will begin on both the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza, as well as the Center for Dance and Innovation in early 2016, with an expected date of completion in the fall of 2016. Learn more about the project here.
News via the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
