The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts combines a beloved architectural icon with advanced technology and a new attitude about public engagement in the arts to create one of the most flexible multi-purpose performance halls in the United States. The project embraces the multi-faceted cultural identity of the city with a complex tapestry of form, materiality, light and landscape. Drawing inspiration from San Antonio’s rich vernacular of color, pattern and public celebration, the Tobin Center offers a diverse architectural experience capable of continuous transformation in response to programmatic and environmental influences.
The aspirations for the renovation/expansion project were threefold: to create a large, flexible, multi-use performance space with acoustics comparable to the world’s finest concert halls; to renew the historic building for future generations; and to create a vibrant connection between the city’s main cultural venue and the River Walk. A passionate network of community stakeholders met this challenge, defining a vision for a “performing arts center for everyone” that underpinned the planning and design.
Themes of multi-functionality, adaptability and diversity are embedded throughout the project’s public spaces, including three performance venues. The main performance hall can rapidly transform seating and stage geometry, lighting, color and acoustics to suit the unique qualities and objectives of each performance—in effect giving the city many venues in one, and providing local arts groups with unlimited possibilities to attract new audiences with innovative programming. The hall can be modified to accommodate flat floor concerts, tiered seating for symphony and theatrical performances, banquet and conference seating, and virtually any other event type—all in less than 30 minutes. This capacity for efficient, rapid transformation has enabled the Tobin Center to become the most heavily used performance hall of 2,000 seats or less in the world.
View Original