OPN worked with Confluence Landscape Architects and the City of West Des Moines to realize the Jamie Hurd Amphitheater in 2020. The Amphitheater offers a community-based cultural space, bringing people together to share musical performances and creative showcases including concerts, movies, and festivals. The stage accommodates up to 55 musicians with lawn seating for up to 2,000 spectators.
The team worked closely City Stakeholders utilizing visioning and benchmarking studies to develop guiding principles: unify the existing campus architecture, provide top-of-the-line acoustics, maintain views to the pond and campus
accommodate a variety of performances, and provide a landmark for the City of West Des Moines.
The $2.4 million outdoor amphitheater is located next to a pond near West Des Moines City Hall and the West Des Moines Public Library.
The design incorporates materials and forms from the adjacent building on the City Campus to create an performance space that is both airy and grounded. The cantilevered steel truss, resembling a folded piece of paper, is designed to direct acoustics, protect performers, and elegantly blend with the campus. Cast-in-place concrete walls, treated with color and form liner, hide the stage support and AV spaces from spectators.
Construction of the Jamie Hurd Amphitheater was funded through generous donations from the Microsoft Corporation and the Richard and Linda Hurd family along with Local Option Sales and Services Tax. It is the second element of the city’s Five Waters Project.
2020 • Iowa Ready Mixed Concrete Association Excellence in Concrete Award
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