Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Troy Building, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Architect, America

EMPAC Troy, New York Architecture

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute : American Development design by Grimshaw Architects, UK

post updated November 10, 2023

EMPAC Troy

EMPAC New York – Background Information

Design Architect: Grimshaw
Project Partners: Vincent Chang, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Mark Husser, Andrew Whalley

Project Team: Simon Beames, Shane Burger, David Burke, Demetrios Comodromos, Chris Crombie, Nikolas Dando-Haenisch, Chris Duisberg, Matt Eastwood, Paulo Faria, William Horgan, Kirsten Lees, Melissa Lim, Theo Lorenz, Junko Nakagawa, Michael Pawlyn, Juan Porral

Architect of Record: Davis Brody Bond, LLP (New York, NY)
Partners-in-Charge: J. Max Bond, Jr., FAIA / William Paxson, AIA
Project Manager: Ernesto Bachiller, AIA
Project Architect: Nathan Hoyt, AIA
Project Team: Steven J. Fischer, AIA, Robert Halverson, Dean Ficek, Marc Massay, Fareh Garba, Belinda Len, Fernando Hausch-Fenn, Richard Klibschon, Jon Edelbaum, Ying Li, Oliver Sippl, Mayine Yu, Dohhee Zhoung, Glenn O’Neill, Danny Papajic, Donald Nicoulin, Bruce Dole

Acoustician: Kirkegaard Associates (Chicago, IL)
Larry Kirkegaard, FASA, Hon. AIA, President and
Principal-in-Charge
Carl Giegold, AIA, Project Acoustician
Louie Sunga, AIA, Architectural Integration
Terry Tyson, P.E., Mechanical Noise and Vibration Control
Project Team: Tim Gulsrud, Jake Ament, Zackery
Belanger, Anthony Shou, Ben Willt

Audio and Video Systems: Kirkegaard Associates (Chicago, IL)
Frans Swarte, Consultant
Project Team: Richard Laidman, Jonathan Darling, Joanne
Chang, Dennis Hoernig

Theatre Consultant: Fisher Dachs Associates (New York, NY)
Joshua Dachs, Principal
Peter Rosenbaum, Project Manager

Structural Engineer: Buro Happold (New York, NY)
Services Engineer: Buro Happold (New York, NY)
Quantity Surveyor: Donnell Consultants Inc (Tampa, FL)
Construction Manager: Turner Construction Company
Landscape Architect: The Saratoga Associates (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Civil Engineer: Clough, Harbour & Associates LLP
Architectural Lighting: Office for Visual Interaction (New York, NY)
Fire Engineering: Arup Fire (New York, NY)
IT Consultant: Shen, Milsom & Wilke (New York, NY)

Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center Troy – Building Information

Leadership:
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson
President, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Johannes Goebel
Director, eMPAC

Design Architect:
GRIMSHAW
New York

Architect of Record:
Davis, Brody, Bond LLP
New York

Building Size:
221,200 gross sf

Construction Budget:
$141.7 million

Groundbreaking:
September 26, 2003

Opening Festival:
Fall 2008

Principal Performance Venues:

Concert Hall
11,500 sf (1,200 seats)
Theater
4,500 sf (400 seats)
Studio 1
3,500 sf (flexible seating for up to 240)
Studio 2
2,500 sf (flexible seating for up to 120)
Rehearsal Studio
1,500 sf
Artist-in-Residence Studios (4)
200 – 300 sf apiece

Previously:
Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Troy
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

2001 Architecture Competition win

EMPAC images : Grimshaw

Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York USA RPI_EMPAC_desc_0408 Page 1 of 1 EMPAC is a cutting-edge experimental performing arts venue currently under construction; the project was designed by Grimshaw for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.

The building is located on a steep hillside at the west edge of the campus, overlooking Troy and the Hudson valley below. EMPAC will contain a 1,200-seat concert hall, a 400-seat theatre with flytower, two ‘black box’ studios, a dance studio, a suite of artist-in-residence workshops, and professional audio and video recording, editing and production facilities.

A rectangular south wing of the building, containing the more digitally oriented facilities, shields the atrium and public spaces from summer solar heat gain. The concert hall, clad entirely in western red cedar, dominates the north wing of the building and is visible to the outside through a dramatic 100-foot high glass curtain wall.

EMPAC’s mission is not only to provide an environment conducive to the generation of innovative digital work, but also to actively change perceptions about the nature of sound, vision and the human experiential condition. Its unique program, combining the highest quality venues suitable for the performance of both traditional and contemporary music, dance, theatre and visualization, will be unmatched by academic institutions elsewhere in the world.

EMPAC building images : Grimshaw

Performing Arts Centre EMPAC Troy images / information from Grimshaw Architects, UK

EMPAC Troy architect : Grimshaw

Location: Troy, New York State, United States of America

New York Architecture Designs

New York Architectural Designs in 2023 – recent NY building selection from e-architect:

The Greenwich by Rafael Viñoly, downtown Manhattan

22 Thames Street skyscraper building photo : Michael Young
The Greenwich by Rafael Viñoly, NYC

The Spiral, West 34th Street, NYC
Design Architect: BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group

image courtesy of architects practice
The Spiral Skyscraper in New York City