Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield Music Center

A cohesive new home for the School of Music brings students together in practice, performance, and creative synergy.

Information

Location Columbia, Missouri
Size 47,735 SF
Services Architecture, Interiors
Project Type Arts and Culture, Performing Arts, Learning

The Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield Music Center unites the School of Music within one welcoming, state-of-the-art facility that renews the program’s culture and identity on the University of Missouri – Columbia campus. Students previously attended classes in a series of acoustically inadequate buildings scattered across campus and needed a facility that would better support and strengthen their premier collegiate music program. Immersed in the activity of the University community within downtown Columbia, the facility engages the community through two large entry plazas that dual as external performance venues and impromptu classrooms, allowing music to extend into the campus. Practice and performance spaces are designed for flexibility to adapt to emerging trends and different musical compositions and provide innovative acoustically isolated areas for all rehearsals, recordings, and performances.

Impact + Innovation

The Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield Music Center is shaped by the primary goal of enhancing the human experience, both by providing acoustically advanced facilities that increase functionality and by creating inspiring, comfortable spaces which promote creativity and well-being. Often, music schools have a series of practice rooms and rehearsal spaces that cater to a single individual or small groups of people and, as a result, can cause facilities to turn inward. To address this issue, the building’s corridors feature large windows and a series of daylight vistas which establish important connections to nature. The Sinquefield Center is focused on providing a strong acoustical atmosphere to support students’ composition, instrumental, vocal, and editing and recording curricula. The building’s program is laid out in a simple, yet incredibly thoughtful way to provide cost-effective solutions for acoustically isolated spaces, resembling a series of ‘boxes’ slightly pulled apart to reduce the carrying of sound and vibrations to other areas.

Process

The design represents the first phase of a larger building master plan envisioned for the site. The Sinquefield Music Center is designed to respond to its surrounding urban and campus contexts. Located at the corner of Hitt Street and University Avenue, the building sits at the frequently traveled northern edge of the campus, providing a unique and valuable opportunity to spur the development of this cultural corridor, connecting the University of Missouri with downtown Columbia. Community engagement through faculty, students, and shareholders was implemented as part of the programming phase of the project. The new facility enhances opportunities for engagement, program growth, and student connection as part of this dynamic cultural corridor.

People

Team

Steve McDowell
Andrew Mixdorf
Greg Sheldon
Michael Luczak
Jeremy Knoll
Janell Rock
Ashley Perrin
Sebren Ryan Camp
Barb Cugno
Kyle Goebel
Matt Kastel
William Trakas
Brian McKinney
Xiaoyu Yang
Emily Thompson

Client

University of Missouri - Columbia

“Well detailed and restrained. This building elegantly and efficiently goes about the hard work of making a complex architectural assignment look easy.”

“This building elegantly and efficiently goes about the hard work of making a complex architectural assignment look easy. The clear planning diagram and acoustical strategy initiate well considered formal moves that break down the massing and engage the urban context along a street that is a major campus to downtown connector. The jury especially loved the curved and brightly colored circulation core clerestory, and we hope that there are more quirky and lyrical spaces like this that weren’t shown in the presentation.”

AIA Kansas 2022 Jury Comments