Constructed on the 45^o hillside campus of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the Experimental Media Performing Arts Centre is part of a $250million improvement program. The centre, boasting a 1,200 seat concert hall and 400 seat theatre, will house two state of the art research studios. Inside, a series of bridges cross a three storey glazed atrium to dramatically pierce the red cedar hull that houses the concert hall.

The design team was given a mandate to achieve a silver LEED rating, and Buro Happold has been responsible for LEED coordination, assisting the client in the accreditation process. We also provided expertise in energy efficient environmental control, using computational fluid dynamics and thermal modelling to optimise control systems in the concert hall and theatre.