SPF:a has revealed their design for the new Anaheim Performing Arts Center (APAC) to be located adjacent to Angels Stadium in Anaheim’s Platinum Triangle District. The $500 million, 500,000-square-foot cultural campus will contain three theaters and a range of culture and entertainment program elements, housed within striking buildings inspired by the orange tree.
Replacing the existing City National Grove music venue, APAC will offer up an expanded slate of performance venues, including a 2,000-seat concert hall, a 1,700-seat opera hall and a 600-seat black box theater, as well as an outdoor amphitheater, two restaurants, office space, lecture rooms and a convention hall. At the center of the site, a museum tower capped with an observatory will become a new area landmark, with a design that draws inspiration from Anaheim’s agricultural past.
“The design of APAC takes its cue from Anaheim’s unique history with agriculture,” explain the architects. “Unknown to most, the city was once covered in vineyards, later devastated by disease in the late 19th century. The obliteration of the wine industry led to an investment in citriculture, which spurred what’s been dubbed by historians as California’s “second gold rush.”
“Anaheim’s socioeconomic driver quickly became the orange, so naturally our design for the center was influenced by it,” added SPF:a design principal, Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA. “We imagined that if we were to roll up the pavement of the parking lot we would find the old spirits of old citrus trees.”
APAC’s program elements are arranged based on analysis into the trunks, root structures and leaves of the orange tree, as well as the skin of the oranges themselves, all of which revealed circular patterns. As a result, each building uses the circle as a central geometry. These circles also extend into the landscaping plan, where concentric pathways connect buildings with open and public spaces.
“In our minds, the circular shape of the buildings emit rings that dance upon the site,” said Pali.
The chosen facade system also relates to the citrus tree – the four main structures will be clad in perforated copper-anodized aluminum reminiscent of an orange skin.
Additional landscaping elements including a grand fountain, reflecting pool, and green roof. Underground parking will be located beneath the site. The site’s greenery will feature native plants known for their hardiness and ability to cast shade.
“Passing through the civic campus, exterior and interior spaces will morph together,” says SPF:a President & CEO, Judit M. Fekete-Pali, LEED AP, “The design strategy helps break down the architectural masses—no more soulless, vast, and uninviting interior public spaces. Each program element operates independently and together.”
SPF:a has an extensive history designing performance arts spaces. Past projects have included the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California; the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures; and The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles. SPF:a also led renovations to the Pantages and Greek Theatres, and participated in the design of Gehry Partners’ Walt Disney Concert Hall.
News via SPF:a
Architects
Location
Platinum Triangle, Anaheim, CA, United StatesSPF:a Team
Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA; Judit M. Fekete-Pali, LEED AP; Damon Surfas, RA; Judit M. Fekete-Pali, LEED AP; Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA; Damon Surfas, R.A.; Mostafa Ghaffari; Sebastian Greider; Ryan Hong; Natalie May; Renzo Pali; Abigail Skaggs; Ian Camarillo; Ahmed Shokir; Adam O. Sauer, AIA; David KochTheater Consultant
Theatre Projects, Schuler Shook, TheatreDNA®Acoustic Consultants
Jaffe HoldenTraffic Consultant
Gibson Transportation Consulting, Inc.Landscape Consultant
Studio-MLAStructural
BuroHappoldMEP Consultant
BuroHappoldTheaters
2,000-seat orchestra hall; 1,700-seat performance hall; and 600-seat black box theaterAncillary Buildings and Amenities
Art museum, restaurant, outdoor amphitheater, convention and education spacePhotographs
Courtesy of SPF:aArea
500000.0 ft2
