Alta High School Performing Arts Center

Sandy, Utah

Firm

VCBO Architecture

Client

Canyons School District

Area

58,290 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$22,000,000

Completion Date

04/2021

2021 Cody Brown Photography

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Design Team
Jeanne Jackson, FAIA, LEED AP (Principal-In-Charge); Brian Peterson, Assoc. AIA (Project Manager)

The freestanding Alta High School Performing Arts Center gives the community a place to gather. The lobby concourse, adjacent festive outdoor terraces and courtyard provide space for a variety of events. The facility has a full fly loft, a large instructional room, a fully accessible stage and orchestra pit, and generous storage areas for all the props, costumes, and music collected by a 45-year-old school.

The main mass of the center is a solid anchor of warm gray-toned bricks. The elliptical fly loft and main house are clad with vertical metal panels, and slender red metal trim complements the front entry of the existing school. A stunning zero-edge mirrored canopy shelters theatergoers and students waiting for a ride.

Inside the main house, tilt-up concrete panels feature a form-liner pattern complementing the woven bird’s nest motif of the school mascot, the Hawk. Color-changing RGB lighting in the house glows from alternating woven panels that resemble a hawk nest on a clifftop, evoking a sense of pride for both the school community and the greater community.