Samford University, Jane Hollock Brock Hall

Homewood, Alabama

Firm

Davis Architects

Client

Samford University

Area

31,944 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$7,590,609

Completion Date

09/2006

Samford University, a Georgian Colonial-style campus in Homewood, Ala., is home to a world-class performing-arts program. The school wanted to build a new recital hall, smaller than the large Wright Fine Arts Center, as a venue that would enable patrons to experience performances in an optimum environment.
The result is a classically inspired 333-seat recital hall that is capable of accommodating a variety of repertoires, from operatic solos to full orchestra concerts. The building also has a full-size rehearsal hall for the college’s band and orchestra; individual acoustically isolated spaces for chamber ensembles; six practice rooms; and three faculty studios. The main performance hall is structurally isolated, and the HVAC and electrical systems are designed to function in the room with total silence.
The lobby of the new recital hall is connected to the existing Wright Fine Arts Center lobby. The new lobby is patterned after an English long gallery and serves as a reception area for the Brock Recital Hall and the Wright Fine Arts Center. The intimate interior of the recital hall draws from the Odeon of Agrippa and Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, and is simply a classical Doric temple turned inside-out. The goal was to create a visual feast as a companion to the auditory experience. The hall’s unique, gently bowed geometry distributes the sound throughout the space with richness and depth.