University of California, San Diego, Conrad Prebys Music Center

Auerbach Pollock Friedlander collaborated with LMN Architects and, world-renowned acoustician, Dr. Cyril Harris of HFP Acoustical Consultants on the University of California, San Diego’s Conrad Prebys Music Center. Auerbach Pollock Friedlander provided theatre consulting for the 47,000-square-foot facility. Reflecting the need to carry on the department’s forward thinking vision in a dynamic learning environment, the Music Center features unique, state-of-the-art performance spaces including the ambisonic 400-seat Prebys Concert Hall, the intimate 150-seat Recital Hall, the adaptable black box Experimental Theater, practice studios, rehearsal rooms, classrooms and faculty and administrative offices.

The Prebys Concert Hall was designed with rigging points for speakers and lighting trusses to supplement production-related requirements and electronic music events.

The Recital Hall, configured as a hybrid space for lecture demonstrations and small concerts, includes basic theatrical lighting and drapery systems, as well as sidewall lighting stanchions and crossbars.

The Experimental Theatre is styled as a flexible black box performance studio with a full tension grid, masking systems, theatrical lighting and an integral telescopic seating system that is deployed for events with traditional audience seating. When stored, the entire space is available for alternative staging or rehearsals.

A collective effort, the team worked to create a preeminent music education and performance center where striking visual and aural environments meet advanced technology in support of higher education for student musicians.

Architect: LMN Architects
Acoustics: HFP Acoustical Consultants
Size: 47,000 SF
Cost: $53,000,000
Completion: 2009